A MANIFESTO FOR UK TV DRAMA IN 2026

Hi There,

A MANIFESTO FOR TV DRAMA IN THE UK IN 2026

At this particular moment it feels like the TV drama industry in the UK is in irrevocable and irreversible decline. Reflected (as obviously I also have a vested interest) in the massive job cuts at Channel 4. A sad moment for UK TV. And it seems like more equally brutal cuts are going to happen at the BBC too.

The bubble, the ‘golden age’ of TV drama of 10 or so years ago when more and more content was being commissioned and made, as the streamers hit the UK market, seems to have well and truly burst. As more shows were being made, this filtered down through the industry. Whereas previously most of the high-profile shows were being written by the established, ‘name’ writers, now, encouraged by the commissioning spend of the streamers, new writers were being encouraged to write authored shows. From 4screenwriting, writers like Charlie Covell, Vinay Patel, Theresa Ikoko were now also being commissioned to write their own original, mainstream shows.

But now the realisation seems to be that, however many shows you commission and make, the audience is finite – or going elsewhere. And the advertising market has slumped as viewing habits change and younger viewers (in particular) move from traditional TV to other platforms.

My own current observations of the TV industry though are more mixed – not completely doom and gloom. Since the 2026 Channel 4 screenwriting course ended in June, 4sw writers have been having meetings, getting agents, attracting interest. And there is still a huge turnout at the 4sw drinks. These don’t look to me like the signs of a dying industry.

But from a script editor / development point of view, too many very good people do seem to be out of work.

The industry has changed and adapted before, and it can do so again. Up until fairly recently there was a significant growth in production companies – more and more springing up, trying to take advantage of the favourable commissioning and production climate. But now investing your money in a new production company is not looking like such a great idea.

When I first started in the industry, there were no production companies. Everything – production and commissioning – went through the broadcasters. A lot was made but much of what was produced then was of an entirely different scale and (much lower) budget.

The industry needs to adapt. We still have enormous wells of screenwriting and dramatic writing talent in the UK.

In my opinion production companies and broadcasters need to develop less and make more. Even though some of this development money filters down to the writers, there is wasted money in developing so many scripts that don’t get made.

With all the commissioning entities, producers are having to wait too long for responses to their proposed projects (If you work in one of these organisations and you think I’m wrong, please let me know – this is a debate that needs airing!).

Production companies and producers need to be more autonomous. They need to make, sell and profit from their own content. The way streamers paid more upfront but less in residuals will / is having a negative long-term effect on producers and writers.

I’m obviously biased but over the years, some absolutely fantastic scripts have been written on 4sscreenwriting – scripts that are more exciting and entertaining than so much that gets commissioned and made. Too often producers feel the need to be in on the creation of an idea from the very beginning – rather than finding scripts that are (almost) ready to go. These wonderful scripts do a great job of opening doors for these writers but they should be more than this – they should get made. Good scripts are hard enough to find without this sort of wastefulness.

The really good scripts / projects need to be nurtured. More patience and belief needs to be shown towards the real talent, the shows of real promise. The increasing cost of production has meant that new series aren’t shown as much patience as they might be, series too often aren’t given the time and space to find their feet. (The show that always springs to mind for me in this regard is UTOPIA, a ground-breaking gem of a show written by Dennis Kelly, directed by Marc Munden, decommissioned by C4 after 2 series.)

Above all though, the scale of drama budgets, with the influence of the streamers and the US market, have become unsustainable. We need to start making drama in the UK for the UK. If it’s good and it sells beyond the UK, then great. But the current model of every show having to be a co-production, every show having some sort of broad, international flavour, isn’t sustainable.

We have a history in the UK of making authored (hate that word) ground-breaking, unique drama – Kay Mellor, Lynda LaPlante, Sally Wainwright, Armstrong and Bain, Russell T Davies, Jimm McGovern, Jim Cartwright, Paul Abbott…I could go on and on! And there is a whole host of younger, newer, talented writers who in their own way are just as good, exciting, ground-breaking as the above. But these new writers need to have their work showcased on screen.

‘High-end’ has become another of my least favourite labels. The term seems to have become another way of saying ‘high quality’ but too often the level of the budget is not matched by the quality of the writing.

As the economies of development and production become more difficult, decision makers retreat to what they consider less risky, more conservative commissioning decisions

Hats off to people like Philip Ralph who seems like a lone voice on social media banging the drum for some sort of industry rethink. The decision makers need to be proactive and imaginative.

I have long thought there needs to be more low-budget, writer-driven TV initiatives. Projects that encourage writer ambition and imagination within contained story worlds, but story worlds that encourage narrative imagination and innovation – whether that’s a hotel room, a police station, a hospital ward, a court of law.

In this regard I find shows like The Pitt, Blue Lights, In Treatment, Room 104 – inspiring; and factual formats like A House In Time; or Talking Heads – monologues – one character in one set. These ‘plays for TV’ were, at the time, ground-breaking. They were also engaging, emotive, funny and very entertaining – and they got huge audiences.

We need to think outside the box of conventional (expensive) production. The industry would surely like crews to be employed even if it’s not on high-end budgets.

Alongside high-end drama, there needs to be a revolution, a change in thinking – this doesn’t necessarily mean we have to throw everything out and do things completely differently. There are so many lessons to be learnt from the past. In my youth, there were so many brilliant, highly-creative talent-led (producer, writer, director) strands – like Second City Firsts – original one-off 30 minute drama out of BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham.

There are still some short film initiatives for new writers and directors from different parts of the UK. But too many of these look more like box-ticking exercises than brilliant, entertaining shows that audiences will love. They often don’t seem to be treated with the same editorial rigour as more high-profile shows.

The talent and technology is all out there – so many brilliant narratives have, for instance been both shot and cut together on iphones – Gen Z have grown up with their phones and what they can do (A small, overly personal example – my daughter in her teens made 5 minute films of some of our summer holidays on her phone – how she edits and constructs these films is beyond my wildest capabilities – but this is the sort of skill the industry should be tapping into).

Channel 4 projects like On The Edge, a brilliant showcase for new writers and directors seems to have quietly disappeared. But it shouldn’t. If it’s not justifiable in terms of budget vs audience numbers, then it should be adapted into a different form.

Similarly, it’s an industry body blow that shows like Holby, River City and Doctors have been allowed to disappear without any attempt to replace them. In this age of new, cheaper technology, producers, writers and commissioners should be creating the new continuing series that are relevant for today – narratively and technologically.

And storytelling needs to be genuinely spread around the nations and regions of the UK. It doesn’t matter where the commissioners and executives live and work – but one of the strengths of storytelling in the UK is that there is such diversity of voice, echoing the histories, cultures and people of each region. I have experienced this first-hand from running the Greenlight Screenwriting Lab in Ireland for the last 4 years – the depth, range and quality of screenwriting talent in Ireland is extraordinary – but I’m convinced this is true in every region of the UK. There needs to be a pragmatic way of getting these regionally-specific stories on screen far more widely.

There needs to be an initiative to find the ways of making and airing new, exciting writer-led stories on new platforms for new audiences. Audiences crave stories. It seems to that there is a real lack of leadership and imagination in TV at the moment. To the outsider it too often looks like new chief executives are brought into the broadcasting behemoths with a brief to downsize rather than adapt.

It should be about evolution (as well as revolution). There are so many helpful clues from the TV past – the old tradition of cheaper, faster studio production. New tech in cameras and sound should make these look high-class. Cheap drama doesn’t need to look cheap.

The best producers need to be championed and encouraged. Producers like, to take one random example, Ayesha Rafaele, formerly of the BBC, now freelance, whose every show is provocative, innovative and excellent – the latest example being the brilliant, timely Dirty Business for Channel 4.

NB If you’ve read this far, thank you for indulging me! I appreciate this is something of a topic-jumping rant. I know there are quite a few people who work in the TV drama and filmmaking industries who read this newsletter. I would love to hear your responses to this and in particular your views on what we need to do to revive and refresh the TV and film industries of fiction production in the UK – thank you!

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BECTU rate card for Scripted Development—Survey Call-Out

If you have any questions or comments, please get in contact with the branch committee directly via: bectuscripteddevelopment@gmail.com

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ONE DAY SCREENWRITING COURSE, LONDON, November 14^th 2026

https://script-consultant.co.uk/one-day-screenwriting-course/

I will be running a ONE DAY SCREENWRTING COURSE in central London on Saturday November 14^th.

My two guest speakers on this course are both 2026 BAFTA-winning screenwriters –

CATHERINE MOULTON, whose show CODE OF SILENCE won the Best TV Drama Series award and

ARCHIE MADDOCKS, who won the Children’s Scripted award for CRONGTON which he writes and also stars in.

(Both are also alumni of the Channel 4 screenwriting course).

This one day course is suitable for both novice screenwriters and more experienced writers looking for a refresher or burst of inspiration.

The course will be immediately followed by networking drinks in a nearby pub, a chance for everyone to share writing experiences and carry on the conversation.

*As part of the course, you will receive a bumper package of handouts, specifically designed and written for this course; and a FREE copy of my book, SCREENWRITING, THE CRAFT AND THE CAREER (published by Nick Hern Books).

More information about the course, the guest speakers and how to book on my website –

https://script-consultant.co.uk/one-day-screenwriting-course/

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The Rewrite Lab

Greece, 2–9 November

Last two places. A week-long residential retreat for eight writers. Expert feedback on your script, time to rewrite, somewhere quiet and supportive to do it, and all meals provided.

Led by Sara Murray, a drama executive and development consultant who has spent twenty years commissioning, developing and producing TV drama at Raw, Studio Lambert, Cowboy Films, the BBC and Channel 4, including EastEnders, Top Boy and The Feed. She has read thousands of scripts and knows what a commissioner is looking for. She’ll read yours before you arrive and outline a rewrite plan to work from across the week.

It might be a script in a drawer you dream of developing but don’t know where to start. Or one you think is ready to share, but you want to be sure it lands. Or one you’ve had notes on and can’t work out how to action them.

Come with a draft. Leave with the rewrites started and a plan for where it goes next.

£1,350 for the week, including accommodation and all meals.

Book before 1 October and quote Shelley to save £150.

Enquiries: enquiries@saramurrayretreat.com

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The next newsletter will be with you on Friday October 9^th

And if you’d like to add to this debate about the future of Tv drama (etc) in the UK, please email me!

Best wishes

Phil

PHILIP SHELLEY

www.script-consultant.co.uk

Friday September 25^th 2026