Archers is on a slow down and then rebooting with shorter lead time. But it has the advantage of not needing to be filmed. https://t.co/hcZEmPEmXs— Mags L Halliday (@magslhalliday) March 29, 2020
They have to move on - with the option of lockdown episodes or not, according to editorial decision.— Dr Matthew Kilburn (@Matthew_Kilburn) March 29, 2020
Time has moved on but I'm not sure they will all come back. Casualty is now gonna look like a fantasy in poor taste.— Jonny Morris (@jonnymorris1973) March 29, 2020
Move on.— Dr Una McCormack (@unamccormack) March 29, 2020
Agree on all of this. Although I don't watch the traditional soaps, I am still concerned about how television and film drama in general will look after all of this has happened. Rather like 9/11 and other major events, it's sure to colour what we watch and how it's produced. The industrial nature of soap production (if you see what I mean) could give an indication of which way this will go, especially since unlike say, Doctor Who, they notionally happen on Earth-1218.
Depending on how they're left, it would seem strange for the soaps to return and not acknowledge something happened especially since it won't happen immediately even after the end of the lockdown. There'll still be a considerable lead time between production and broadcast even assuming that episodes are being written in the mean time with writers and producers meetings happening via Zoom.
But how do you tackle it sensitively? Having characters die off screen during the hiatus could be seen as insensitive given the number of deaths that have occurred in real life, but to have everyone survive would also break the suspension of disbelief. It's such a difficult process to navigate. As Mags suggests, it could be that there'll a good few people looking to see how the The Archers handles it especially as it has the luxury of remaining in production during lockdown.
No comments:
Post a Comment