Baby Reindeer

Editors Peter Oliver, Mike Holliday and Benjamin Gerstein on trapping the audience in the world of Baby Reindeer

Richard Gadd, a white man in his thirties, sits indoors looking into the middle distance, wearing a garish suit

It might be surprising, then, that one of its editors’ other work is positively whimsical. Mike Holliday’s CV includes considerably lighter-hearted shows, among them Horrible Histories and Ghosts. Sure, Baby Reindeer is also a comedy – when it wants to be – but it’s hard to imagine Donny Dunn ranting on CBBC. However, Holliday was hired because of, not despite this experience.

“It wasn’t drama they were looking for in my background: it was comedy,” he tells me. “That side is considered harder.”

Marina Hyde and Richard Osman tackle the RTS Convention in a special edition of The Rest is Entertainment

Richard Osman and Marina Hyde talk onstage at the RTS London Convention, beneath a large screen displaying a live feed of Osman

After 11 compelling sessions featuring British TV royalty, not forgetting the charming David Beckham and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy’s maiden voyage at an RTS event, it was time to spool back on some of the convention’s most memorable moments.

Who better to sum up a day of high-powered TV talk than the hosts of the must-listen media podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman?

The dynamic duo began at the beginning. Their verdict on Ted Sarandos’s opening session? “He loves Britain, he wants to look after Britain,” pronounced Hyde. 

"Britain remains one of the best places for TV and film," says Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos

Ted Sarandos stands at a podium, delivering a talk at the RTS London Convention, beneath a screen on which text reading "FOR THE LONG HAUL" is visible

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos opened the RTS London Convention with a generous address that highlighted the role British TV has played in the US streamer’s rise to global dominance. Emphasising Netflix’s many UK productions and its heavy investment in studios, he said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be here – and, believe me, we’re not going anywhere.”

The RTS, said Sarandos, holds “a special place in my heart”, recalling that at the 2016 London Convention he premiered a trailer for the first season of The Crown, “a show that stood conventional wisdom on its head”.

International Keynote: Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos | RTS London Convention 2024

Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, the Principal Sponsor of the RTS London Convention 2024, opens the day with a keynote speech. Sarandos, the man behind the transformation of the company from DVD rental to the world’s leading entertainment service, addresses the need for the industry to innovate and the importance of putting the audience first.