here is an extract from that blog I mentioned which is particularly pertinent for fans of Emmerdale. Bare in mind here he is talking about the negative impact of shooting 4 episodes a week as opposed to 3...and Emmerdale currently shoot 6!
Then when you sent the script in, it was published in pink and then it would be published in a white rehearsal script that they sent to you that you checked again that this is similar to what you both agreed and the editor agreed and then it would go to the actors. Well you’d go in for the technical rehearsal or tech run and that was on a Wednesday and we used to go and stand through the three episodes. When it was four a week there’s no time for tech runs, you’ve no time for good edits, you’ve no good scenes, this is too many but then that’s the way of the world. They shoot scenes with a gatling gun.
It’s inevitable that the quality will go down with more episodes. I remember the director of programmes coming in at that time and saying ‘We’re going four a week’ and Julian said ‘When are you going to go five?’ and she said ‘When they impose that, I will write my letter of resignation.’ And I remember Julian saying ‘Do you want me to help you draft it now?’ They’ve not gone five a week but they’re doing specials, hour-long ones and things like that. Three was absolutely maximum to retain any kind of quality in the writing, in the acting. It’s unfair to actors, there’s no rehearsal time, there’s no tech-run at it any more which was invaluable because after a tech run you used to sit down with the director and the producer and everybody had things to say so again it was getting it as right as you could. That’s gone now. As I said to this scriptwriter who rang me today, I said ‘Does it matter when you’re getting 16 and 18 million viewers?’ So all the things that we did and all the trouble that we took to make it as good as you could in case you lost viewers, I don’t think it mattered now because it’s such an institution, they still watch it.
the rest can be read here (x)
