The Edinburgh TV Festival- UK broadcasting’s Groundhog Day
Opinion
As the annual TV festival approaches, Arnell explains how the more things change, the more things stay the same.
In the years I used to attend the annual Edinburgh TV Festival and time since, one thing has been a constant.
The sheer boredom and repetition involved, with the same old faces intoning the same old tired speeches at commissioners and producers’ sessions, regardless of whether their employers have changed multiple times during the intervening years.
The number of times I’ve heard the words “immersive”, “disruptive”, “passionate”, “game-changing” etc trotted out by the usual suspects beggars belief.
One would think their highly paid comms staff (who presumably write the guff) would occasionally look at a thesaurus, it’s not as though Word doesn’t have one freely available.
Still, looking at the recent reviews for former PR boss-turned scriptwriter Matt Baker’s Channel 4 series Suspect, it is perhaps best to confine the breed to the area where they do less damage.
Admittedly the feeling that déjà vu was happening all over again was occasionally disrupted by a particularly controversial keynote speech, but things tend to trundle on, with delightful fish suppers in Leith, cocktails at a Museum/Gallery morphing into late night boozing at The George or Soho House pop-up bar.
Not that bad a life, to be honest, although somewhat hard on the liver.
Anyway, getting back to the grist of this piece.
The times when Edinburgh has caused a genuine kerfuffle – or is at least remembered beyond the following seven days.
Of the last five or six Festivals, the most memorable (for the wrong reasons) speech is probably that of Shane Smith, egomaniacal then CEO of now past-it “edgy” brand Vice.
The cocky Canuck appeared to be in his cups (or worse), according to reports at the time.
His rambling, self-aggrandising speech was remarkable in the fact it pissed off virtually the entire audience and gave ITV’s Kevin Lygo his one moment of public wit, when he commented thusly on Smith’s performance: “’I’m trying not to use the word odious.”
No shrinking violet himself, Kev further put the boot, commenting on SS’s Edinburgh video package: “I loved the fact that all of his clips, he was in,” an unnecessary jibe, confirming industry opinions regarding the catty Lygo himself.
If you remember, nemesis swiftly followed hubris for Smith and a few months later he stepped back from the role of CEO to become executive chairman, as the brand began a slide into irrelevance, becoming by 2022 a byword for passé swaggering hipsterism, as dated as an old episode of Entourage.
There of course have been other MacTaggart and alterative MacTaggart speeches of note.
Dennis Potter’s 1993 broadside against ‘croak-voiced Dalek’ John Birt is still fondly remembered by BBC employees at the time (myself included); the Channel 4 news/current Affairs head Dorothy Byrne’s impassioned defence of probing journalism in 2019 and James Murdoch’s predictably self-serving 2009 lecture.
Both Rupert and Elisabeth Murdoch have also addressed audiences in a MacTaggart speech, something which says much about the undue influence of the unpleasant antipodean clan.
Others we prefer to forget; Kevin Spacey (2013), charmless Sky boss Tony Ball (2003), the equally disagreeable David Elstein (1991) and John Birt’s alternatively hectoring/patronising/soporific efforts (2005, 1996).
So, who do we have we to look forward to this year?
Succession actor Brian Cox will be giving a speech about his career, which could be seen as the organisers confusing the man with his role in the tv show.
Yet again attendees will be treated to the usual rehash of warmed-over strategy and commissioning announcements from familiar faces including Anne Mensah, Charlotte Moore, Dan Grabiner, Fiona Campbell, Georgia Brown, Ian Katz, and the by now inevitable Kevin Lygo.
In the light of Ofcom’s findings against Channel 4 in their 2021 subtitling fiasco, it will be interesting to see if Alternative MacTaggart speaker, deaf actor and British Sign Language campaigner Rose Ayling-Ellis will address the issue.
Not going to be much fun for Channel 4 chief content officer Ian Katz as an audience member if she does.
Former (and occasionally current) colleagues are however more than welcome to raise a glass to me in my absence if they’re in The George – or at any other suitable Edinburgh dive.
With any luck I will be in Athens, ‘working’ on a novel.
Stephen Arnell began his career at the BBC, moving to ITV where he launched and managed digital channels. He continues to consult for streamers and broadcasters on editorial strategy. He currently writes for The Spectator, The Independent, and The Guardian on film, TV and cultural issues. He is also a writer/producer (including Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime for Sky Arts) and novelist.