Television is the opposite of an industrial process; the excitement is that it is hard to predict what will take off. There is no better way for exposing yourself to new creative influences. It is easy to become insular, and forget there is a real world of real people beyond. How often do you get to the theatre? To a concert? What books are you reading? Do you ever speak to people who don't work in television? We have to push ourselves outside our narrow box and think about entertainment in its broadest sense.GLOBAL TELEVISIONOur horizons are expanding. Not only do we have to think across different platforms, but we also have to begin to think globally.Independent production companies have to learn to forge worldwide connections in order to stay in business.
This could be one of the most promising areas to prise open in the future.Whether you are a TV executive, a director, an assistant producer or a researcher, my belief is that it is important periodically to jolt yourself out of your comfort zone. This technique is what informed some of the most successful celebrity-led factual programmes of the past few years.The same approach could be useful in the quest to explore new forms of drama. To try to devise successful hybrids that cross the boundary between fact and fiction. Many drama-docs have sat uneasily on the screen, but there have been some interesting experiments, notably in the specialist factual genre, with history- or science-based stories such as Pompeii and Super Volcano taking a strong factual premise and projecting a dramatic scenario over it. Get an entertainment producer to think about a factual show, or a drama producer to think about an entertainment show; when they come together something entirely original could emerge. In the end, the viewer has only so many hours in the day to sample what is on offer. Channel branding helps them to find programmes to their taste.LOCATING THE NEXT WAVEBut how do we identify the next wave, and make sure we are in a position to ride it?One of the best ways to stimulate ideas is to get programme-makers from different disciplines to brainstorm together.
It will always command audiences greater than those watching video on demand, or programming streamed to the computer or to a mobile. In 10 years from now, channel loyalty could even be stronger than it is today. The channel identifies the brand: you trust the BBC or the Channel 4 "kite mark" because it reassures you, suggesting that what's on offer is for someone like you. Watching a particular series has become a lifestyle.I firmly believe that television will remain the starting point for big brand programming.