RTS events

Since its debut in 2017, Berlin gangster series 4 Blocks has been pocketing awards and thrilling audiences. The TNT Serie drama has also shaken up the sometimes cosy world of German television.

4 Blocks tells the story of the Hamady crime family, which is engaged in a bloody fight with the rival al-Saafi clan for control of the drug trade in the Neukölln district of the city.

At an early-evening screening in central London at the end of January, the RTS – in partnership with TNT Serie and Turner – celebrated the release of the show’s second season.

Chaired by Trevor Morris, Professor of Public Relations at Richmond University and former CEO of Chime Public Relations, the event showcased the work of three PR experts.

They included Taylor Herring managing partner James Herring, who admitted that public relations cannot work miracles in television: “The product needs to be great – if you’ve got a terrible TV show, you can have the best PR campaign in the world and no one will be there for the second episode.”

Hosted by Slade star and local living legend, Noddy Holder, the teams were put to the test on all things “telly” – and, as an extra treat, BBC WM’s Richie Anderson fronted the interval game.

“The Radio Brainwaves”, a team from BBC Radio claimed the top spot, beating other teams from the BBC, Central News, members of the Doctors cast and The Producers’ Forum, as well as independent production companies such as North One and Full Fat Television.

Using his signature approach – no nonsense, plain speaking – Watkinson jumped straight into basic aerodynamic theory, revealing that not only do rotors provide lift, they also replicate gyroscopes, a key consideration for safe control.

He went on to describe some of the critical helicopter components that keep the aircraft in the sky and manoeuvre it wherever the pilot wants. Reliability is paramount and safety is always in the mind of a helicopter designer.

This is according to the screenwriter behind The Crown, Peter Morgan, whose lavish retelling of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth II, commissioned by Netflix, has won widespread acclaim.    

Morgan, speaking at an RTS early evening event, The Crown: Deconstructing The Coronation, predicted a paradigm shift as streaming, rather than broadcasting becomes the norm.    

“It really isn’t like television anymore. It’s absolutely overwhelming. It’s partly the way in which we make it is not like television.

The panel spoke about working with storytellers who make creative content, how each platform thrives in the digital landscape and how user-generated content is incremental to television.

YouTube's Senior director Stephen Nuttall, Twitter’s UK Managing Director, Dara Nasr and Facebook’s Director of Media Partnerships, Patrick Walker all took part in the event.

Read the full event report here.

The BBC Trust "has proved itself a busted flush" as increasingly fractious charter renewal negotiations between the Government and the BBC gather pace.

Shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport Chris Bryant MP told a packed RTS event Tuesday evening that the public broadcaster's regulator had markedly failed in its duty to protect the interests of licence fee payers since the UK general election. 

The RTS Student Television Awards nominated films will be broadcast on Sky Arts in the next few months.

The award ceremony was held at BFI Southbank on Friday 5 June and celebrated the very best talent in student production.

Sunday Dinner with the Morgans will be the first shown on air on 17th July.

The rest will be broadcast during August and September and will all be featured on the on-demand collection boxset once broadcast. 

Below is the schedule for RTS finalists on Sky Arts: