Early Evening Events

Branded content comes of age | Highlights

The highlights from our panel discussion on how the entertainment values of editorial TV content, talent and other editorial assets are being used to create more advertising and funding opportunities across the UK TV industry.

The panel included Channel 5's Commissioning Editor for Factual Entertainment, Greg Barnett, Joint Managing Director at Rumpus Media, Emily Hudd, Wavemaker's Head of Integrated Delivery, Saj Nazir and Channel 4's Controller of Funded Content, Simon Wells.

Commissioners, advertisers and producers discuss the future of ad funded TV

Greg Barnett, Saj Nazir, Kate Bulkley, Simon Wells and Emily Hudd (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)

At a jam-packed RTS early evening event in late October, a panel of leading commissioners, producers and advertising experts explained how to make branded programming – and identified some of the pitfalls.

Greg Barnett, long-serving commissioning editor for factual entertainment at Channel 5, argued that the way programmes are being made is changing.

In conversation with Jeff Pope | Full video

Writer Jeff Pope looks back at his career in television drama at the RTS event 'In Conversation with Jeff Pope', chaired by journalist Caroline Frost.

Pope looks back at his hit series Fools Gold: The Story of the Brink’s Mat Robbery, Cilla and Little Boy Blue, as well as his upcoming series A Confession, starring Martin Freeman.

'In Conversation with Jeff Pope' was held at King’s Place in central London on 29 August. 

In conversation with Jeff Pope | Highlights

Writer Jeff Pope looks back at his career in television drama at the RTS event 'In conversation with Jeff Pope', chaired by journalist Caroline Frost.

Pope looks back at his hit series Fools Gold: The Story of the Brink’s Mat Robbery, Cilla and Little Boy Blue, as well as his upcoming series A Confession, starring Martin Freeman.

“In conversation with Jeff Pope” was held at King’s Place in central London on 29 August. 

Jeff Pope discusses writing drama and looks back at his life in TV

Caroline Frost and Jeff Pope (Credit: Phil Lewis/Media24)

Speaking to the RTS he said: “It meant that people came to me with their ideas. Steve Coogan came to me with Philomena (Coogan and Pope’s screenplay was nominated for an Oscar and won best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival).

“Success gets you meetings, but it still doesn’t get something past the finishing line if it’s not good enough…It also means you can be more ambitious and more expansive.”

Top writers discuss their craft: “First drafts don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be written"

Reece Shearsmith, Jed Mercurio, Melvyn Bragg (Chair), Heidi Thomas and Steve Pemberton (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)

Melvyn Bragg was talking at a special live edition of The South Bank Show, featuring four of the UK’s leading TV writers – Jed Mercurio (writer and creator of hit police corruption thriller Line of Duty); Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (black comedy anthology Inside No. 9); and Heidi Thomas (period drama Call the Midwife) – discussing their craft.

Why We Love…Food | Highlights

The highlights from our panel discussion on the ingredients to make a successful cooking show and the future of the genre.

To discuss we have Channel 4’s Head of Features & Formats, Sarah Lazenby; Managing Director of Shine TV, Tanya Shaw; restauranteur, food writer and presenter and cook, Nisha Katona MBE and cook, bestselling author and champion of sustainable, nourishing food Melissa Hemsley.

Our Planet Q&A | Highlights

Following a screening of the Our Planet episode Frozen Worlds, members of the crew, including series producer, Keith Scholey, producer Sophie Lanfear, camera operator Jamie McPherson and assistant producer​ Olly Scholey, spoke to Lynn Barlow about how the episode was made.

The panel shared their experiences working on the nature series and how it was created.