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One of Britain's astir legendary TV dramatists, Sir Phil Redmond, is nary alien to tackling hard issues connected screen.
Courting contention famously with his hard-hitting storylines connected his children's amusement Grange Hill for the BBC successful 1978, earlier helium switched implicit to Channel 4 to springiness it its 2 astir salient soaps, Brookside (1982) and aboriginal Hollyoaks (1995).
He's been a pivotal fig astatine Channel 4 from its inception, wide considered to beryllium a begetter to the channel.
While he's been liable for putting immoderate of TV's astir impactful storylines to aerial for them - from the archetypal lesbian kiss, to bodies buried nether patios - off-screen nowadays, he's arsenic extremist astir what should happen.
"Channel 4's occupation successful 1980 was to supply a level for the voices, ideas, and radical that weren't capable to interruption done into television. They did a fantastic job. I was portion of that, and present it's done."
It's not that helium wants to termination disconnected Channel 4 but - arsenic broadcasting bosses stitchery for Edinburgh's yearly TV Festival - helium believes they urgently should beryllium talking astir mergers.
A proposition which goes down astir arsenic good arsenic you mightiness imagine, helium says, erstwhile helium brings it up with those astatine the top.
He laughs: "The radical with the brains deliberation it's a bully idea, the radical who've got the disbursal accounts deliberation it's horrendous."
A 'struggling' BBC trying to 'survive'
With charter renewal talks nether mode to find the BBC's aboriginal funding, Sir Phil says "there's lone 1 question, and that is what's going to hap to the BBC?"
"We've got 2 nationalist assemblage broadcasters - the BBC and Channel 4 - some owned by the government, by america arsenic the taxpayers, and what they're trying to bash present is survive, right?
"No bureaucracy ever deconstructs itself… the BBC is struggling… Channel 4 has got astir a cardinal quid coming successful a year. If you premix that, each the transmissions, each the backmost bureau stuff, each the method stuff, each that cash… you tin support that benignant of coterie of expertise connected younker programming and past accidental 'don't interest astir the money, conscionable spell retired and bash what you utilized to do, upset people!'."
How feasible would that be?
Redmond claims, practically, you could propulsion it disconnected successful a week - "we could bash it now, it's precise simple, it's each astir keyboards and switches".
But the screenwriter admits that winning radical implicit mentally to his mode of reasoning would instrumentality a fewer years of persuading.
As for his thoughts connected what could regenerate the BBC licence fee, helium says charging radical to download BBC apps connected their phones seems similar an evident root of income.
"There are 25 cardinal licences and astir 90 cardinal mobile phones. If you enactment a tiny levy connected each mobile phone, you could trim the existent outgo of the licence interest close down, and past it could conscionable beryllium tagged connected to VAT.
"Those parts are conscionable moving the taxation strategy astir a bit. [then] you wouldn't person to interest astir each the criminality and azygous mothers being thrown successful jail, each this benignant of nonsense."
'Subsidising done streaming is not the answer'
Earlier this year, Peter Kosminsky, the manager of humanities play Wolf Hall, suggested a levy connected UK streaming revenues could money much high-end British TV connected the BBC.
Sir Phil describes that arsenic "a motion of desperation".
"If you can't really past wrong your ain economical basis, you shouldn't beryllium doing it.
"I don't deliberation apical slicing oregon subsidising 1 facet of the concern is the answer, you person to conscionable look astatine the full happening arsenic a totality."
Since selling his accumulation company, Mersey Television, 2 decades ago, overmuch of his existent enactment has focused connected acting arsenic an ambassador for the civilization and originative industries.
Although he's taken a measurement distant from television, helium admits he's disappointed by however risk-averse programme makers look to person become.
"Dare I accidental it? There needs to beryllium an intelligence instauration to it all."
TV's 'missing a trick'
He believes TV bosses are excessively frightened of being fined by Ofcom, and that's meant soaps are not going arsenic acold arsenic they should.
"The benefits [system], you know, immigration, each these things are truly applicable subjects for play to bring retired each the arguments, the conflicts.
"The bulk of the radical cognize the benefits strategy is broken, that it needs to beryllium fixed due to the fact that they spot themselves surviving connected their property with a 10 oregon 12-year-old car and past there's idiosyncratic other down the roadworthy who knows however to capable a signifier in, and he's driving astir successful a £65k BMW, right? Those debates would beryllium truly large to bring retired connected TV, they're missing a trick."
While immoderate of TV's biggest executives are slated to talk astatine the Edinburgh Television Festival, Redmond is not convinced they volition beryllium unfastened to listening.
"They volition spell wherever the perceived contented is arsenic to wherever the manufacture is going. The information that the manufacture is taking a incorrect turn, we truly request idiosyncratic other to travel on and spell 'Oi!'"
When I inquire if that could beryllium him, helium laughs. Cue melodramatic euphony and closing credits. As crippled twists go, the thought of 1 of TV's astir extremist voices making a boardroom comeback to disturbance the pot, realistic oregon not, is astatine the precise slightest nutrient for thought for the industry.
Edinburgh TV Festival runs from 19 - 22 August.
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