Hi All! First time post, so thank you for taking the time to read my question! I am keen to start a project writing about the history of a British television programme. I have already completed some research into this, but would appreciate knowing the next steps to take about contacting the broadcaster, the agents for some of the performers and writers, etc. I have a copy of Writers & Artists as reference, but any help or advice as to where to turn next would be most welcome! Thank you for any help you can give a first time writer!
This sounds really interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing your project :-)
I hope you have made progress.
I think the advice from Victoia Whithear was very important.
Obviously there are the published BBC files, but they can often be covered in a mist. Obviously you will have gone back to 'Beyond The Fringe', but satire existed long before that - if you wish you can go back thousands of years (look at stories from ancient Greece for instance). Even 'The Goon Show' often came up with satire, and if you can go back to ITMA, the sketches were often little more than satire on the situations of the day.
Making contact with people who worked on the show - even sound and camera crews, will be a help - one lead can lead to another!
But back to where I started; take the advice of Victoria about an agent. A good agent can save you hours (even days weeks or months) of frustration.
Hi Edward, and thanks for your post! The television programme is 'Not The Nine O Clock News'.
I don't believe that the whole story about the programme has ever been told; how the programme came to be, the recollections of the cast, crew and writers, the way the programme tapped into the changing face of British politics and satire and the legacy that the programme still enjoys to this day.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!