SCOT- LAND - Scottish Screen

made in scotlanD TV
developments ensuring there’s more choice around
than ever before. Tyler’s responsibility is to make
sure the BBC moves with the times and rises to the
challenge of making the right kind of programming for
the digital age.
When Alan Tyler took to the stage as part of a double
act with Harry Enfield at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987,
little did he realise he was embarking on a career in
the entertainment world that would see him make just
as sizeable a contribution as his illustrious co-star. Two
decades later, Tyler has gone from Head of Comedy
and Entertainment at BBC Scotland to Executive Editor
of Entertainment Commissioning, responsible for
developing a strategic overview of the independent
sector for Entertainment in Scotland and Northern
Ireland, forging and managing relationships with
independent production companies in the two nations.
“The programmes I’m responsible for are a real mix;
I’m very proud of No Holds Bard, a 60 minute comedy
drama we produced for Burns Night in Scotland, which
now looks like it’s also going to play nationally as
well. I’m also happy to see How Not to Live Your Life
going on to a second series, as well as the continuing
success of Comedy Connections. We’re also bringing
back Hole in the Wall, and there’s a new entity, in
the Saturday night Lottery shows tradition called
Guestimation. So there’s comedy, drama and factual,
all making up a diverse package of entertainment.”
“I think there’s a fresh realisation, not just at the
BBC but in Scottish indies, that the key to long term
production is returning brands. Something like
the Saturday night Lottery slot is a rock in terms
of building up a regular returning show. I think
companies have learned that it’s not a question of
living hand-to-mouth and then asking ‘Can I get a
commission?,’ but coming up with ideas that could
sustain several series,” he says. “ In terms of creating
comedy shows, it’s all about good writing; we wouldn’t
have been able to bring back talents like Ashley
Jensen to work on No Holds Bard, or Bill Paterson and
Dennis Lawson, unless the writing was good enough.
With The Old Guys, that programme was written to
feature well loved faces like Roger Lloyd Pack and
Jane Asher. We’re constantly searching for the best
package of entertainment, making sure that we’ve
got programming that audiences want to spend their
Saturday night with.”
How people spend their evenings is a changing state
of affairs, with games consoles, the internet and other
“There’s a recent statistic that says that one in four
families in the UK have a Wii, so we’re looking at how
that rise in casual gaming affects the kind of product
they watch. We know from our work on events like T
in the Park that there’s a huge interest in ‘red button’
content, but we have to make sure when people press
that red button, they see the kind of content they
want to see, it mustn’t just repeat the experience of
the initial transmission.” says Tyler. “ If you look at the
most successful viral videos, most of them are based
around humour, they’re inherently funny; just because
we’re talking about a different kind of platform doesn’t
mean that entertainment isn’t the key thing. The trick
is to be authoring the right kind of material at the right
time, and being able to accurately tailor it to the needs
to the audience.”
“We’re not limited to red button content; the BBC is
particularly successful as an online broadcaster, with
a crucial role to play in people’s lives in terms of news
and current affairs. So we need to go to where story
is evolving and give people a reason to come to our
website rather than anyone else’s because of what
we provide on each individual story. And anyone who
uses You Tube will know that in terms of repeated
viewings, comedy is king; whether you’re a Monty
Python fan, or of the Horne and Corden generation,
comedy more than any other genre drives what people
view. We can learn from the way the internet suggests
other material a viewer might like; if someone likes
The League of Gentlemen, then there’s also plenty of
other programmes they might enjoy just as well.”
Seeing programmes like The Old Guys or The Life of
Riley re-commissioned is significant to Tyler in that
it indicates that the programmes the BBC makes are
finding an audience. That’s the main target of his role
as executive editor of entertainment commissioning,
and he’s looking forward to working with Scottish
indies to provide more.
“We’re hoping to work with stv, The Comedy Unit,
Green Ink, Wild Rover, Talkback, Endemol and RDF;
they are the kind of companies we’re seeking to build
for the future with. But it’s important that as well as
large established companies, we also go with small
one-man ventures; it’s the quality of the idea that we’re
most interested in,” says Tyler. “The best shows aren’t
created overnight, but can take two or three years from
the initial discussions. It’s time well spent, because
there’s no automatic recipe for success; when it comes
to entertaining, the rigorous development process is
the key to making a great idea into a great show.”
www.bbc.co.uk/scotland
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