RTS West of England

The feature-length film, which tells the remarkable story of a diver who survived being trapped 100 metres under the sea with only minutes of breathable air remaining, scooped four awards.

Last Breath, made by MetFilm Production/Floating Harbour Films, won the Documentary award, with Paul Leonard-Morgan (Composer), Sam Rogers (Editing) and Ben Baird (Sound) also picking up prizes.

Netflix had more success with Our Planet, made by Bristol wildlife specialists Silverback Films, which won the Natural History and Cinematography awards.

“The [TV] industry genuinely is changing for the better, but we are where we are because lots of people have talked about stuff and not enough people have done anything,” added the CEO of Plimsoll Productions.

“We’re trying to appeal to broad audiences. How on earth can we do that if it’s all being seen through the prism of a bunch of middle-class white people? They should be part of the group, not the whole bloody group.”

Mansfield was part of a panel assembled for an RTS West of England webinar in late June discussing the health of the region’s TV production.

He was talking after an exclusive RTS West of England screening of the show in Bath at the end of February.

The series pairs Jason Watkins as the diffident Bath-born-and-bred DS Dodds and his ambitious boss, DCI McDonald, who has transferred from south London to further her career. She is played by Tala Gouveia.

“It was always going to be Bath. Cop shows are often set in stations. It was important for Dodds, as a different kind of cop, to be out in the field,” said Murphy, who wrote both feature-length episodes, which aired on ITV in March.

The series of events, which are taking place at RTS centres across the UK, are an attempt to find regional solutions to the lack of diversity in the television industry.

Representatives from a range of independent production companies and post-production facilities discussed diversity in the West of England production community. 

The discussion was led by the facilitator, performance poet and film-maker Alison Smith, the access and engagement coordinator of the Scottish Queer International Film Festival. She focused on how best to hire and retain diverse talent.

TV and radio presenter Steve le Fevre, who won the On-screen Talent prize at the RTS West of England Awards 2018, hosted the quiz at the Folk house in Bristol.

Rounds included “20 Years of DIY SOS”, “Election special”, “Drama queens”, as well as annual favourites “Name that tune” and “Who’s oldest?”

This year, RTS West of England partnered with Bristol UNESCO City of Film and welcomed 17 companies from the creative community to meet those hoping to break into the industry. Edinburgh TV Festival talent scheme The Network and BFI Network South West highlighted opportunities alongside indies such as Aardman, Icon Films, True to Nature, RDF West, as well as a range of post-production facilities.

This was one of the many facts revealed by Anne Miller, director of TV and film at Accorder Music Publishing, during a wide-ranging session on music rights at an RTS West of England workshop at the Square Club, Bristol, in late November.

She discussed copyright, the Independent Production Companies licence, fair dealing and fair use of parody, citing real life examples and taking audience questions throughout.

Gentleman Jack wowed critics and audiences alike when it aired on BBC One earlier this year. This was a Sunday-night period drama with a difference – based on the diaries of early 19th-century landowner, industrialist and traveller Anne Lister, it revealed a woman determined to explore her lesbian sexuality.