Read this: #10 - SPECIAL: Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival 2014

Hello and welcome to the media podcast this week coming from the Guardian Edinburgh International television festival, I'm only man and I'm in a room in the Edinburgh conference centre.

Everyone has a glass of wine in their hands there a lot of people casually holding twiglets coming up on the episode today.

We will bring you our unique take on this important event in the TV calendar.

We will be discussing David Abrams McTaggart we will be talking about race and used on telly, but much more importantly will be covering the gossip as well.

That's all to come on the media podcast Spotify audio do well with me in Edinburgh today is the TV editor of heat magazine Boyd Hilton veteran of this festival.

I am yes, how is it for you boy this year compared to other year 50 summer XV Oli white that clear 1500 this one is as good as they all have been if not better damning with faint praise yeah, yeah.

Annexe avoid we have a newly appointed Media editor of The Guardian Jane martinson busy press officer chn you think your audience actually worried about McTaggart and speech by Debbie Abrahams but also their Game of Thrones session yesterday.

That was a story that lots of people have read about this morning.

I'm sonnet by the numbers.

I think we might have put sex in the headliners Arthur Game of Thrones texting and finally we welcome to the media podcast be broadcasted June Sarpong hello June also the founder of the wia symposium and what is that in USA women's conferences are women's empowerment conference women empower women here to actually you are hosting a session 1 on unused TV

State of them you Television or the lack of it of which more later ok, but before we actually talk about the kind of the meeting gristle of the conference and everyone talk about what's in the sessions and who said what and what David Abram said and everything actually it does he most people here for networking.

You know most people in the industry are here to actually proper each other up at a Bar past their business cards around so let's just talk about the reality of that for a minute.

How much is that going on do you think again? I mean how much you identify is going on cos there's this very friendly vibram, but underneath.

There's this undercurrent of business.

I feel I'm going to Cannes in June which is an app that advertising festival and I think there's much more of this one is huge, but there's a real five of people making deals in alleyways.

I think he don't get the making deals, but you but you do get you know there's some sort of dinners and people in Soho house late at night.

So the music was really loud so there wasn't a lot of you know it's more like shouting at each other flowers fun the other thing is it's a really you know it's an industry where everyone.

Likes to know each other so that's great and this sort of place you know Edinburgh the end of August hi nice times up before the start of the new term is not you can still get together after holidays and have a laugh.

I haven't thought about it as a back-to-school conference, but there is a certain vibe of that as well as a people setting out their big shows for your team as well.

So it's kind of partly a conference where you know you are debating topics and it's like that important topics sometimes sometimes not before me.

It's it's really just that I mean I want to hear about good TV this coming up and I want to talk about your TV that spot so join session Game of Thrones series I went to was just so I did a session with Jed mercurio this morning creator of line of duty, and that's why all the kind of industry start vatersay boys me but I think it's a really good thing is it is it like the TV she comes together and celebrate today actually is really good and June having spent some time in the States recently imagine.

There when you have an event like this people are much more crash about that business element.

I mean here.

There's this sort of self-deprecating British let's all go and get pissed together, but we won't talk about business thing isn't about it here.

Where is in America by up front they are there for businesses that they want to talk business before they have the social Jack and Ennis and the difference there as well.

They wanted to see if it's worth talking to you and I much prefer.

I kind of reserved way of doing it.

Where do you think it's the best place to do a bit of networking if someone is listening to this and is thinking about coming up next year and wants to put themselves around.

What have we learnt what I think? I don't know me AJ may be avoided since of lead on this bed.

I think people more open to networking hear you met the same executives somewhere else in London or at a party in London and your eyes are an up-and-coming producer.

They probably not going to want to talk to you.

Where is here? They know that's what they here for so I think they're much more open to it.

So he is a really good place.

The coming hit the top level programme makers and decision-makers 100% and yesterday a group of youths you probably just been to your session June who gave me their card and I looked at it and I will probably know I might check them out when I get home until I kind of thing happens by think will you write about them that Sophie 6000 I mean now.

You know it's like people do do that in a the Dewdrop to you and apologise themselves here for anyone who can't afford it.

I wasn't being paid for out the public purse by the BBC if you were to stand outside the Edinburgh International conference centre with a business cards and your demo reel.

There's a lot of executive just standing outside having a Ferragamo to do it's hard to say this one event that you should go to like the opening hour drinks because of and it's people you bump into on the stairs are in the corridors.

You know that there's everybody's here and people tend to like go to the same big events and big things switches.

Well, let's talk about that the metre stuff now and let's start with a McTaggart because that is the thing that people tend to focus on this year, it was Channel 4 chief executive David Abram at which is been reported actually Jane is kind of Channel 4 box legs off Kevin Spacey in the mail Online battery does a bit more to it than that wasn't there give us the gist of what they would have to save in the industry, but I think what was so strong about it was that he's come out and said let's defend Public Service Broadcasting and you know he does obviously there's a he could be accused of being very little englander about I think he's a bit alone in his speechwriters.

I'm not putting the Union Jack over creativity, but it was slightly but he is you know any year where we have had a sort of houses in a string of Americans with had a few big purchases of the viacom and Channel 5 he saw the same look we was having a very special in the UK which is Public Service Broadcasting now if I were to quibble I would say that message this year ahead of an election should have come from Tony Hall of these.

Say now politically obviously outside the awkward and difficult for Tony Hoare but still you know David Abrahams has stepped up to the plate.

He's doing his bit.

Yeah.

Obviously there's a bit of it in any McTaggart which is an about Channel 4 and trying to protect future proof Channel 4, but I think putting it out there and saying when I'm outside from an election Public Service Broadcasting the licence fee we don't have a chair for the BBC Trust with which he didn't say but it's all part of the background picture.

That's a really important thing to be thinking about someone take on it is coated in the Union Jack is celebrating British television, but there's another way to look at it is actually he's the majority of the audience who are listening who are now owned by the xindi is there is effectively saying I've got a bit big for themselves and what are they only so much money your sort of alienating quite a lot of Yoda talking to a few people have to sort of popular McTaggart I've heard from lots people like you say you arrive in diesel there in a living bought by big companies with David himself said you know he spent half his working.

My viking for an American company, so I think he had a couple of little Dixit sort of fun, London live and Richard Osman witch so people think they're a bigger targets out there that I thought of that Kevin Spacey obviously but so that he could have talked about more but so he also talked about the impact as well to me because they're very major industry, but also saying these big companies is American companies take over these Indies and if companies like Channel 5 seem to exist rip-off Channel 4 in the view was noticed that over a purity saying we must all be aware aware of Americans taking over British TV companies so for example if you know why, second ever Channel 5 from Richard Desmond I'm sorry it was announced that Richardson was going to a good media company rather than his own insanely run business Warehouse I'm plugging ok and you magazine rivals he obviously.

Been taken over by The Commons run by Richard Desmond so the idea that Americans are bad and the British a good is nonsense something that Snapchat with many went on to cycle to this simple question to me.

It's a no brainer.

So there's that I'm busy I do the Americans like if they did and I'm saying you know it's be specific about it is his thing about you know the Americans going out of buying ITV what a I don't think that will be if they did really well.

I buy it because item is now very successful and the reason successful because it's program is really really good better than ever.

So why would they change their uniting the idea that I just think it's all I felt a bit to me it felt like he's anticipating a problem that doesn't really exist and even then his idea of what would happen.

If it did is kind of disguise anyways.

I've just ribbon halftime in the post McTaggart but I don't know what you could call it really well.

They pour over the courts with Steve Hewlett the morning after steep Hill it was kind of pushing him on the point of how much money Channel 4 is actually making any was pushing back saying Green

Need to look at all of the network of channels something else to save goddess about something I wasn't quite do you really cos you're doing a brilliant job you just been telling us so again that felt I didn't understand that point.

I do not be so you would very frequently on Channel 4 in the noughties.

How do you think it's changed from then to now and the company that he's trying to defending and promoting a bad is that channel for none of the World classes are doing this which Channel 4 really should be the place that does it in terms of nurturing new Talent and there's not enough of that going on an and also I would say that you know if you look at you in five years ago said of our time when we are all coming through that system.

They were really should have definable faces of the channel and I don't think you have any more it was really.

clearview said Channel 4 you knew who the check whether it was from a Chris Evans right down through to you know Denise and Johnny right down through to ask you knew who those channel four faces were and and that isn't the case in my wouldn't know who to say oh that's iconically Channel 4 face anybody know if it's a Jamie Oliver whoever living heritage shows the coast your socks and the teacher lyrics maybe Specsaver their faces now or I'll Made in Chelsea and white Dee from benefit Street in a certain kind of show the reality star whatever and I love reality TV so I'm not one of these TV people that poo poos reality TV I love YO23 I think it's a different skill set to actual television hosting or what are

You know where you're naturally and creating Talent within a sort of proper produce non-scripted formats can creditors you did what you asked about didn't I forgotten about the viewers effective use of whatever down the side and not that thing is I can get an idea of what the effect would be on for you and I do feel sometimes about particularly with McTaggart it's not really about TV and viewers and creativity.

It's kind of about McKeown Spacey dressed a bit last year in a row the boat of away, but I didn't feel with this is McTaggart that it was about making TV and being creative shot of very very industry topic this year.

Taught me.

So this is my first year back in 4 years so Daddy I miss Kevin Spacey last year but I do you think this festival seems very industry focused it's very about you know two controllers and you know how to make TV programmes and I mean there's always been like that.

You have sort of it's a bit yeah the swing of the Pendulum the last year lots about creativity in a great actor talking about at Helen this year.

It really about the industry and I think they're McTaggart was a big thing about which is all in a terms of trade there.

It's weird.

It's not about the viewer that in a few years ago Mourinho and let's talk about what year did well.

It does get very policy.

Heavy let's say and regulation heavy so if you're interested in that kind of level of detail at do download friends of the podcast the broadcast talking TV podcast away you can hear packet header John McVeigh are getting very animated on indeed trade deals rather him than me I am Maggie Brown I'm a Virgin Media a writer and journalist and this is my 28th Edinburgh I would say that there's quite a lot of unhappiness about Debbie Abrahams McTaggart Addison quite a lot of bitchiness Going On Behind the Scenes saying it's all very Parochial I actually think it needed to be said.

Because there is this massive change going on it's quite clear people think ITV is going to be taken over next search baby 20% of its shares have already been brought up by speculators anticipating a big takeover.

I think also people are interested that Tony Hall the director general BBC hasn't popped up this year like he did last year.

He suddenly made a sort of flying visit to say there would be no more demonisation of people who got things wrong and of course you just seem a rather interesting sample at the BBC over the digital media initiative that they most certainly seem to have done that under his watch so no that's going on lots of people just happy to be in television thing that really struck me about it and it links up with David Abrahams mactaggart.

Lecture is that there's clearly a big change underwear whether you want to call it globalisation americanisation.

That's up to you.

When I most interesting sessions.

I've been to was actually about European Union money.

Going into co-productions of a European nature involving at least three broadcasters in in Europe and probably different languages as well potential by definition is the possibility of achieving more in the fast-paced world of digital advertising Oracle data cloud has built its Legacy on finding the signal through the noise on unlocking potential we bring together data and technology to help you better understand your audience where to best engage them and how to measure a tool to realise true potential Oracle data cloud web better outcomes begin visit Oracle data cloud.

Come to learn more what started as a trip to Cineworld turned out to be the journey of a lifetime.

This year you can watch Avengers endgame, rocket man Men in Black international Aladdin and the Lion King over and over again for 1 months discover a world of unlimited possibilities are unlimited cinema at £17.90 and feel more at Cineworld terms apply in an attempt to really big up from to make sure that the budgets can match those with HBO and other cable channels that they can actually kind of match the Americans I hadn't realised how much money was available as grants to do this 1 million Euros for example as as as as a basic solar subsidy for really big Productions of 12 million euro 6, there is a sense now.

I think that everything is moving really fast and the people here, but it's not just entertainment formats.

It's looking.

Every single way ready to exploit good ideas and good content and to look for hits real hunger about ok.

Let's look around a bit more of the festival mountain Jane and boys are still with me at would have been the main themes this year.

Do we think that start with us actually cos we touched on it a couple of times but Juno particularly with the I nearly said closure of BBC3 Acosta BBC would call it baby online their migration but anyway but the death of BBC3 there's a lot of focus on.

Where are young people can go to watch telly now thing about our session is you would think that the young people and god that's so weird saying Young Dracula I would say talking 1634 and still in a 1-year.

I'm still officially Young by 1 years.

Millions is that actually for them TV is still the Holy Grail TV is still what they aspire to do so even if they are online at the moment the ideas to be online so that you can eventually be on television and I think the broadcast is really shouldn't miss a trick because if there's a generation that grows up not you still watching television than that will no longer be the case and then TV will become obsolete but at the moment they they are looking to TV to be the sort of the ultimate destination point and I think that means that really all the World classes need to do is just make programming that they want and James Stuart Murphy told Richard Bacon on 5 live on Thursday morning at moving BBC Three online was a massive strategic mistake and Abram actually said he was delighted.

I was joking, but it was tongue-in-cheek but instead of being serious as well delighted at the move because it might be good for E4 do you think the general thing is the BBC's made a mistake and I think I mean lots of bits of TLC think it is.

I mean Stuart then when an officer appointed and Zai Bennett to head up Sky Atlantic from BBC Three and then on a panel yesterday when talking about Game of Thrones and all the source of scandal on the infighting maybe it's brilliant lying about.

How are you not least in Game of Thrones with American drama again which is not exactly low quality all the in fighting and backstabbing and bloodshed was them on the screen was at the BBC is all behind the screen that is a huge amount of bitterness and you I mean no I said decision.

I think I mean ok the budget was 90 million.

It's gonna go down to 30 million half apparently of the viewers are online only but you know it was the only channel that really was dedicated to younger people and that's what they supposed to be servicing in your session.

What was kind of the outcome as much as there was one in terms of what is the prescription for how to remedy the situation and get more young people watching telly.

Basically said it was a disaster and I'll see part of the reason he left but I think in terms of what they should be doing at what really came out of our session was it's not an evil you need both and I didn't want the beeb beeb.

The BBC's move is an evil or decision and actually what the audience is saying is yes, they still want television.

Yes, they want online in the same way when I watch the television programme.

They are tweeting about it.

They're not choosing Twitter over television, so the idea is why can't you have both and I think that such a great point if anyone can find someone for the BBC who can explain why they need to take it off there because that doesn't save any money so they made the cuts right to programming massive budget cut fine but why they need to take it off out and stick don't know what I was everyone from Danny coming down with to BBC press officers and then it's get surprised embarrassing stylish, don't say hardly any chance.

Behold the obvious although it's all about the program was the actual transmitting the channel is hardly any money as a sacrificial lamb who was slain look what happened to Danny cunnah BBC Big Weekend cut staff this is what happens if you don't know next time Tories we're coming for BBC Food the clichéd and patronising romantic about it.

If you're not getting young people watching TV and what do you know? What the hell does a baby's forgot your sessions are interested, but I think I should have been a focus on BBC3 Lucy that's the biggest issue.

One of the low maybe apart from black people.

I love my back when I do an oratory status.

Excavator song trimex telephone you have seamlessly move this onto an ectopic point because it impacts we are going to talk about race now as well, because there was some research had during the festival friend of the podcast Liz Howell revealing in a week-long study of mainstream.

Channels that the least diverse genre of television on screen was topical factual an entertainment so shows like Come Dine with Me cash in the Attic boy surely those are the kind of shows that should be quite easy to find a diverse cast for you.

Just need to make a point of looking for them as bizarre as an absolutely bizarre.

I just think the holder shall mean a friend of mine Danny Lee Wynter is an actor who started out like for change campaign in the process of the two things happened really with with this issue is Lenny Henry a BAFTA midweek speech about it was amazing and then Michael Daly when she was that don't you an actor was watching on ITV drama and launch kind of vte on TV and there was no FM on Hudson the whole thing that entire Thomas late, and he launched his campaign with his acting friends and they put that the letter of the Guardian

Connected in so anyway, I mean is extraordinaire and it's gone backwards, so that there were fewer people on TV then there were five years ago from laughing emoji background Black and White 2 all of that and I think for me the wanted to come out of here.

Is that Stuart Murphy sky made an absolute commitment to changing it and pulling rules in place as sky to make sure they would and that's the only way round and I can't see what the other broadcasters don't follow so I don't see what there was only Cummings answer to a basically is I don't like quotas and I support the idea of having more ethnic minority place on screen, but I don't like quoted but then you think what you had 30 years so many hasn't really worked and I said that they've been out committed to 20% and they would you prepare for having women on screen overlay.

They get to do that or not is another matter thing.

I have noticed almost four years as women's editor talking about issues of diversity you come back to Edinburgh frankly you look on those panels and and I'm not saying I mean this is incredibly gender diverse another.

Men and women in the Navy Ensign in here and you look at those panels and you're lucky if you get one woman this morning there were two women in a session and it was shocking there were four men of course the balance is always in 0125, but the number of ethnic minority faces the number of normal assemble.

I'm doing a game compared to America you know what's the difference because a lot of black actors say they go to the States to get cast in dramas in a kind of colour blind away and then they're playing American even though the British and they can't get past here.

What's the difference between the way that us looks on the way we look at casting you know do-gooder lens, and I didn't actually the issue.

Here is that it's still very much seen as the other and I think anytime anything is looked at through the lens of the other.

You are always going to have problems cause you're not viewing knit with the same level of criteria.

So therefore if somebody comes in with a program idea.

You can't get past race.

You can't get past gender to see whether or not.

This is good.

You're not looking at it from just the clear lens of is this something that there's an audience who wears in America is a business decision.

They know that there is x amount of people of colour watching television therefore reflect them on the screen.

They're not watching your show you are not making money and I think the difference here is it's not looked at in that same what is seen as a pity thing? It's all we should know it's business its bottom line Channel 4 at any of the broadcasters that rely on advertising 14% of the populations of big number to ignore snots, but that's that said you was a person of colour.

Have you felt that actually sometimes someone box tickets in your favourite because they are saying but we're looking for a black presenter and that's a good point.

I never said to a man you find a man is really good for your career and his brother haven't really had no one ever asked questions at that made when your point someone out there, but you know that sort of most people a point in their own image say sorry, most people point in their own image, but that's fine if the audience is only your Image but if there's a big sizeable chat and the champion hoodie instead.

He's growing you know when we get to 2015 Twenty20 it's going to be almost double that number so it's not to ignore it.

I just want to say one thing what is slightly mean about the McTaggart speech as they were you in the room watching it so if you're in the room and David Stainer to his credit.

He said Channel 4 needs to do more for diversity and they've done this fund and they had

Behind him on the screen there always pictures.

I won't say I'm in on one hand really good in a really focusing on it with the regions and BMA and then he had his pictures and every single picture.

There is one woman and I will white middle-aged men everything picture.

I'm going to don't know why there was good, but just point is is so good because was something together to my friend Annabelle's the in if you think about you.

I think one of the problems is the executive level of people did who decided who's on TV and who is the kind of overthink everything they were know if I do this if I put this person on TV then someone's going to go in America that's just leaving a consideration.

Is it it's like and it's almost like they anticipated sign that just doesn't add anything about the biggest music stars in the world of black the biggest sports stars in the world are black but the British British TV stars and it's alright.

So what do they think in the whole world? Are you know? It's kind of the process basically with those two.

Culture except the BBC channel 4 and ITV so you know coming up next it's the media quiz hello producer Matt here to say that we can bring you coverage of this festival without the kind support of our Kickstarter pledges audioboo and the good people at squarespace squarespace is the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website portfolio and online store and media podcast listeners get a free trial and 10% off by entering the code mediapad at the Checkout squarespace is easy to use just drag and drop Media into the browser window to the templates that suits your project and that's it.

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10% off when you use the offer code mediapad ok Lizzie Media quiz Edinburgh special this time.

It's called green light.

I'm going to read you a list of show titles announced at this year's festival slightly unfair advantage to boys appreciate you're going to tell me which channel commissioned it doesn't if you know the answer it so I can give you the title.

You're going to buzzing with the channel that commissioned it title number one boy meets girl Britain's first transgender sitcom me the number to Wild Things the game show where adults get dressed up in furry animal outfit San Diego ca to Woodlands obstacle course I did notice.

Where is Sky one, but you're right that is going and we will all watch one episode of that.

I think is there to say that I need to be bothered with third and fourth Dinesh coalition exploring the political wrangling after the 2010 result.

I will come out as bright as a kind of drama about Nick Clegg but it sounds like me about both sides of his coalition relay two separate pages on the club though this evening if you don't know you should be able to get the telephone description coding where a Belgian Village is quarantined after being infected by contagious in deadly virus, Belgian Village doesn't every ITV come on let's go for this distressed Jane has it would be before it was slightly you know patronize mean of representation and destroyed is going to get a perfect as he wins the creme eggs.

So you can take sides that really need it for this episode my big thanks to Boyd Auntie Jane martinson attitude song

We will be back in a couple of weeks remember you can get the podcast as soon as it's ready by subscribing via our website the media podcast., this week's episode is dedicated to Wendy schaffer Wendy is a technical Radio interview asked in Silicon Valley and to Andy Smith long time listening first time pleasure.

He works for being Levy social network for television in Sydney Australia thanks Andy good day.

I'd be nearly man the producer is Matt Hill the media podcast is a PPM production and not affiliated to the Guardian in any way until next time bye bye.

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