The Crown

Andy Harries' top tips for working in drama

Andy Harries in conversation with Alex Graham
Take your time: “If you are interested in television, you do not have to decide at this stage of the game what you want to do in TV – I have done almost everything … I don’t think it matters doing lots of different things until you finally settle … It took me some time to realise what I was really good at, which was producing.”
 

Olivia Colman set to play Queen Elizabeth II in recast of The Crown

Colman, best known for her roles in Broadchurch and The Night Manager, is the first star to be announced for the third series of the Netflix drama series.

The entire cast is set to be replaced for the next phase of the Queen's reign when the drama jumps ahead to 1960s Britain at the end of the second series.

Top scriptwriters offer advice on writing for TV drama

The panel (l-r) Sophie Petzal, Rachel Flowerday, John Jackson, Daisy Goodwin, David Hancock and Rachelle Constant (Credit: RTS/Paul Hampartsoumian)

“It’s important for me to have something to say. We’ve all written stuff that’s competent and empty,” said Sophie Petzal, whose television breakthrough came on CBBC dramas such as Wolfblood and Dangermouse. More recently she has written episodes for Sky Atlantic’s Riviera and BBC Two’s The Last Kingdom, and has original scripts in development with Company Pictures.

Watch highlights from the RTS Cambridge Convention 2017

James Murdoch in conversation with Sarah Sands (Credit: RTS/Paul Hampartsoumian)

The three-day Convention featured keynotes from James Murdoch, Ofcom chief Sharon White and the Secretary of State Karen Bradley MP, as well as some lively panel discussions.

Watch highlights from the event below, or scroll down to watch the sessions in full. You can read more about this year's RTS Cambridge in the October issue of Television magazine.

Video: Show Me The Money! Andy Harries and Andy Wilman discuss working on the new frontier of broadcasting

It’s the dream scenario for a producer: to be handed a huge budget and the creative freedom to create compelling content for a new platform.  Producers Andy Harries and Andy Wilman, in conversation with Peter Fincham, discuss the origins and production of The Crown and The Grand Tour respectively. How did it work, how sustainable is it and where do they go from here?