GEITF Special: Who’s Next At Four?
David Liddiment’s stirring MacTaggart lecture may have captured the largest number of column inches for this year’s Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (GEITF), but the issue of TV’s soul was not necessarily the one which occupied the delegates over the bank holiday weekend.
Events on the festival programme provide a respite from the relentless networking that forms the key to the GEITF. Dawn Airey admitted during the Richard Dunn memorial interview that the recruitment of her new director of programmes, Kevin Lygo, was sparked off by her involvement with last year’s event. The question du jour was therefore whether the next chief executive of Channel 4 was jostling for space at the George bar?
The MacTaggart lecturer was one of a whole host of names mentioned, but it seems that Liddiment, having stated his devotion to reaching the masses, will not be taking on a role with admittedly more freedom to save the televisual soul, but less budget with which to do it. He also firmly denied any ambitions for a move to a certain senior BBC role should Mr Dyke give it up when his first term is up in three years time.
Dawn Airey’s name also cropped up, and the lady herself did not rule herself out quite so firmly. “It strikes me as being something of a politicians job, with the [the channel] still striving not be privatised.” she said, suggesting that her approach was not always politic. She pointed out that she’s never applied for a job since getting her first, but would she take it if offered? “I don’t know. I’m very happy where I am, there’s still huge potential here.” she pondered “But its very flattering to be mentioned. I’m not ruling myself in or out.”
Flattering it may be, but Dawn should not consider herself in an exclusive club, as it seems as if anyone who’s ever commissioned or made a programme is in with a shout, if the Edinburgh crowd are to be believed. Airey voiced the thoughts of many, however, by pointing out that “The smart money is on Baz” aka Peter Bazalgette, creative director of Endemol Entertainment and winner of the GEITF Weakest Link Executive Special. “But would he be prepared to take the pay cut?” asked Channel 5’s chief executive.
At Friday’s panel discussion on the subject of Channel 4’s vacancy it became clear that the job was perceived to be a mixture of the political, both in terms of evading privatisation and in terms of pleasing the independent production community it is meant to have such close ties with, and the creative- Channel 4 has quite a reputation to maintain for the sort of soul-saving TV Liddiment calls for. A tricky combination, but it did not stop several key figures over the weekend naming it “the best job in British television”. Betting is still very much open as to who will be man (or woman) enough to take it on.
The NewsLine Column will return next week
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