RTS events

The dramatisation of the Iraq war from the battlefield to the courtroom

In 2009, soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment found themselves the subject of a major inquiry into allegations of torture and the murder of Iraqi prisoners.

The inquiry lasted five gruelling years and eventually concluded that the allegations were untrue and “deliberate and calculated lies”. A decade after the story made headlines, the high-stakes investigation and the wider theme of morality in war is being dramatised in BBC Two’s Danny Boy through the eyes of one of the soldiers involved in the case, Brian Wood.

Call the Midwife: A social history that delivers

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” said Helen George, who plays Nurse Trixie Franklin in Call the Midwife. “It’s been a fantastic ride, from not knowing if it was going to be more than six episodes to here – 10 years later.”

Rare is the TV drama that makes it to its tenth series. But, since the programme detailing the ever-eventful happenings at the nursing convent of Nonnatus House first appeared on 15 January 2012, it has become a Sunday-­evening staple.

Covid - Creativity in Crisis | RTS North East and the Border

RTS NETB explores how teams got creative to keep dramas and soaps such as Vera and Emmerdale in production during lockdown.

The “Covid – creativity in a Crisis” panel includes Emmerdale director Ian Bevitt, Danny & Mick production co-ordinator Victoria Griffin, Teesside-based independent producer Matt McGough (Ithica Films) and Fahima Chowdhury, Line Producer for Vera.

Hidden Figures: Understanding TV Audiences in the On-Demand Age

Lucy Bristowe, Sky Media’s Director of Insight and Research, Wayne Garvie, President, International Production, Sony Pictures Television, Sarah Rose, Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, ViacomCBS, UK, and Justin Sampson, CEO, BARB, discuss why the TV sector needs to measure on-demand audiences and how BARB is rising to the challenge with its reporting of audiences for these services. Plus, some previously unreported figures on series four of The Crown are revealed by BARB.

Celebrating 10 Years of Call the Midwife

The RTS celebrates 10 years of Call the Midwife with series writer Heidi Thomas and cast members Helen George, Leonie Elliott and Jenny Agutter.

As the iconic show heads into 1966 for the upcoming 10th series, the panel discuss what lies ahead for the next series and look back at some of the memorable storylines and the big historical events that impacted the lives of the midwives and nuns at Nonnatus House over the past nine series.

The New News: One Year On | RTS Isle of Man

In May 2020, RTS Isle of Man hosted its first online event, examining how news from the Isle of Man was being reported and how media conferences were conducted under social distancing requirements.

One year on, James Davis is joined by representatives of the Island’s media to discuss just what it’s like to report the news during a global pandemic and continue to do so in what appears to be our new digital-only world.

YouTube Originals: How Content Creators & Audience Trends Inspire the Commissioning Strategy

Luke Hyams, Head of Originals EMEA at YouTube, discusses how trends and passions on the platform inform and inspire commissioned content, how YouTube Originals fits within the wider streaming community and just how YouTube truly becomes somewhere with something for everyone in a session hosted by Rhianna Dhillon, 6Music Film & TV Critic.

All About TV Casting | RTS Futures

Casting professionals discuss their TV careers working on shows such as Love Island, Saturday Night Takeaway, The Voice, and Take Me Out, and provide top tips on how to get into TV casting.

Henry Byrne, Casting Producer, Bianca Clayton, Casting Assistant Producer, Lewis Evans, Series Producer, Mo Mohsin, Casting Producer and Charlotte Welsh, Casting Researcher, join Lauren Evans, ITV Entertainment Talent Manager, for the RTS Futures event. 

How to cut TV’s carbon footprint

Each hour of television produced leaves a ­carbon footprint of 9.2 tonnes, which is the equivalent of two households’ annual consumption. This startling figure is the average across all genres – quadruple it for drama.

That was the top line given by Roser Canela Mas of Albert, the pan-industry body set up to help make television production sustainable, at an RTS panel discussion, “Producing sustainable TV – myth or reality?”.