My paper the Observer has now got stuck in with a debate between Boyd Hilton, who argues that British TV has no problems, and Euan Ferguson, who says the Brits are years behind. Boyd supports his argument by saying that the BBC made The Office
I’ve met many an American TV producer/writer/actor who talks in the same misty-eyed manner about Gervais and Merchant as we do about the creators of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Mad Men. And even though The Office is a comedy rather than a brooding, intense drama, if the question is “have we produced anything of similar quality?”, rather than “have we produced anything similar of similar quality?” I think you’ll find most American TV types would point to The Office (the final two episodes of which were pretty much comedy-drama anyway).
This is to miss the point,as Boyd half acknowledges.
Carry on reading
Nick Cohen
