Episodes

The new comedy Episodes starts next week, 9th January on Showtime in the US, the following evening on BBC2 in the UK. The series stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Matt LeBlanc (playing a 'version' of himself) and revolves around the madness that is the American television industry. If you watched Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip or 30 Rock or The Larry Sanders Show you'll already have some notion of what goes on behind the scenes.

Television commisioners are forever telling writers they don't want scripts about the TV inudustry. Not interested.  Go away. The only people interested in the behind the scenes stories are television people. But when the scripts come from David Crane who co-created Friends and Jeffrey Klarik, scribe of Mad About You the suits sat up and listened.

I would never judge any new series on the quality of the trailers but, I have to say, they look pretty good and I'm already looking forward to seeing an Episode.

It doesn't matter what industry you work in everyone has experience of nut jobs in the office or factory. It just seems that television attracts a certain type of whacko. I worked as a Producer for an Executive who frequently started a sentence with one thought and ended it with something contradictory. He'd tell lies so huge I believe he believed them himself. What he had was a charismatic personality an easy laugh and enough years in the business to suggest experience. So many people fall for that. 

He once asked me to create a new show for BBC1, "What are you looking for?" I asked him. I didn't realise that I was putting him on the spot, something he wasn't used to. He thought for a moment and then said, "I see blue". And that was my brief.

Another time I was instructed to come up with a show where we'd hide cameras on a zebra crossing and wait for someone to use it. As they crossed the road so a 'celebrity' would appear, crossing in the opposite direction. The 'real person' would then say something along the lines of 'fancy meeting you here' (the suggested title) and they'd strike up a conversation. When I pointed out that A) it was a terrible idea and B) filming two people on a zebra crossing might get adverse reactions from drivers and C) actually it wasn't just terrible it was shit on toast I was told I was being negative.It's my experience that the good stuff filters up the chain. It rarely comes from the top down.

Here's an idea I've just had, you're welcome to it if you can make it play : I see mauve.... Now, take it from there.