Behind the Scenes - Cooking with the Stars - The Secret Diary of a Producer episode 6

Uh, I mean, I, I watched, um, episode one and, and the final episode of, um, series five last night, and the one thing that I was struck by, it's a very joyous show, and one of the things that's, that I think is so ITV about it is it works like a gang show.

'Cause you kind of get to know everybody over the time, and you've got your celebrities and you've got your, your celebrity chefs and all that kind of stuff and so forth.

What, what, was it the format or the funding that ITV liked the most? Was it, which bit of it, or was it just the whole package that-

I think it was a combination of both

... just the whole thing.

Yeah.

Yeah, I don't, I mean, like all networks, none of them are ever going to take an AFP just because it's funded-

Yeah

... and nor should they.

You know, it's got to be idea first, and if it's an idea that they would love to have on the network anyway, and then it comes with brand funding, I think then you're in a really good place.

Yeah.

So you start, so, so you get, you get a commission and you're, you're making it so forth.

What is it like making a show for a broadcaster and a brand in that kind of a way? I mean, is it like having two commissioners, or is it-

It's, um-

... on, on that scale? And, so, 'cause it's a big budget as well, it's a lot of money.

It's a big budget, that one, yeah.

Um, yeah, it's fully funded as if it were a full commission, you know, by the network.

So there's no difference in that.

It is a little bit like having two commissioners.

Um, but I suppose with the exception that, and M&S are a fantastic client, a brilliant organization, we love working with them.

They don't interfere in the telly side of things.

They know that that's what we do best and they trust the network to make those decisions.

So it runs just like a, a normal commission would in terms of, you know, you have your commissioning editor and they're very involved and they sign off all the cast and all of the rounds and everything as they normally would.

I suppose the difference is that some of those bigger decisions you do have to keep the brand on board with.

So there might be instances on a show like that where, like for instance, they, there are certain celebrities they wouldn't want, not because they don't like them, but because they work for competing brands.

Uh, I mean, I, I watched, um, episode one and, and the final episode of, um, series five last night, and the one thing that I was struck by, it's a very joyous show, and one of the things that's, that I think is so ITV about it is it works like a gang show.

'Cause you kind of get to know everybody over the time, and you've got your celebrities and you've got your, your celebrity chefs and all that kind of stuff and so forth.

What, what, was it the format or the funding that ITV liked the most? Was it, which bit of it, or was it just the whole package that-

I think it was a combination of both

... just the whole thing.

Yeah.

Yeah, I don't, I mean, like all networks, none of them are ever going to take an AFP just because it's funded-

Yeah

... and nor should they.

You know, it's got to be idea first, and if it's an idea that they would love to have on the network anyway, and then it comes with brand funding, I think then you're in a really good place.

Yeah.

So you start, so, so you get, you get a commission and you're, you're making it so forth.

What is it like making a show for a broadcaster and a brand in that kind of a way? I mean, is it like having two commissioners, or is it-

It's, um-

... on, on that scale? And, so, 'cause it's a big budget as well, it's a lot of money.

It's a big budget, that one, yeah.

Um, yeah, it's fully funded as if it were a full commission, you know, by the network.

So there's no difference in that.

It is a little bit like having two commissioners.

Um, but I suppose with the exception that, and M&S are a fantastic client, a brilliant organization, we love working with them.

They don't interfere in the telly side of things.

They know that that's what we do best and they trust the network to make those decisions.

So it runs just like a, a normal commission would in terms of, you know, you have your commissioning editor and they're very involved and they sign off all the cast and all of the rounds and everything as they normally would.

I suppose the difference is that some of those bigger decisions you do have to keep the brand on board with.

So there might be instances on a show like that where, like for instance, they, there are certain celebrities they wouldn't want, not because they don't like them, but because they work for competing brands.