The BBC’s head of drama has said the company is so concerned about the lack of new programming that it might try and quarantine casts and crews of certain TV shows together.
With the UK’s lockdown measures on the cusp of being reassessed, the BBC is hoping it can resume production of its many shows soon, including acclaimed dramas Line of Duty andPeaky Blinders.
However, if the government reinforces strict social distancing guidelines, the BBC will have to think fast in an attempt to prevent eventual gaps in scheduling.
Speaking during a virtual panel as part of the Edinburgh Television Festival ib Tuesday (28 April), Piers Wenger said the decision to quarantine casts and crew together would allow “actors to interact in the same space” without having to travel to set.
According to The Guardian, Wenger acknowledged that keeping famous stars in one place could prove costly, but said it was the kind of drastic measure that would have to be made should social distancing rules remain in place until 2021.
Wenger said during the session: “If social distancing continues for a year, we are definitely going to want to start making new drama in that time. Are we going to look at quarantining actors and crew in order to allow actors to interact in the same space? Who knows.”
Whereas ITV and Netflix are looking to produce content over video conference calls, the BBC is considering other means.
“We’re very keen not everything is made on Zoom,” Charlotte Moore, BBC director of content, said.
“At the moment people are enjoying ‘we’re all in it together’ and seeing inside everyone’s house. But there’s also a massive appetite for all the massive flashy shows.”
