For drama to arise, the hero’s intention must meet an obstacle, and what better obstacle than an arch-rival.
But rivalries come in all forms, from the most petty to the most fierce, and are therefore wellsprings of drama and hilarity that can be found in series of all genres.
Here are some of the greatest to have graced the small screen.
Icon of photography, Rankin, mentors six amateur photographers from around the UK in a four-part masterclass series.
Freeman stars as Chris, a crisis stricken and morally compromised urgent response officer working a series of night shifts in Liverpool.
As Chris struggles to keep both his personal and professional life in line, he is forced to take on a new rookie partner, Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo, Timewasters).
After getting off to a rocky start, the pair must learn to work together if they have any hope of surviving in the high-pressure, relentless world of Liverpool’s criminal underbelly.
I opened the door and f****** exploded.” Dreams can be wild – stories that our minds involuntarily create as we sleep. While most of us forget them the next morning, Martin Freeman had one five or six years ago that became the inspiration for a TV series.
“I knew I had gone through this many times in real life… I was going up the stairs to go and shout at my children,” he recalled. “With each step, I was talking myself down: ‘You know you’re better than this, and they won’t respond positively.’
Martin Freeman, Simon Blackwell, Daisy Haggard and Chris Addison discuss the making of Sky's original comedy series Breeders.
Breeders is produced by Avalon and FX Productions for FX Networks and Sky Originals. The online RTS panel event was chaired by Edith Bowman.
The dream occurred five or six years ago. “I knew I’d gone through this many times in real life. I was going up the stairs to shout at my children,” he recalls.
“With each step I was talking myself down ‘You know you’re better than this and they won’t respond positively.’
“I thought I’d got the better of my temper before I opened the children’s bedroom door, but I opened the door and exploded.”
Ten of the original monologues will be remade and two new ones, written by Bennett last year, will also be showcased.
Produced by Nicholas Hytner’s London Theatre Company and Kevin Loader, filming will take place at the BBC Elstree Studios using current sets.
The monologues tell stories that are important and timely, all while allowing the actors to perform despite the coronavirus lockdown.
Both mother and son come of age in this new bawdy comedy series based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name.
The broadcaster has released trailers for four of its upcoming original British series, including two new comedy series, the return of Save Me and a new series from Lucy Prebble and Billie Piper.
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.”
