The perfect time to get a rejection e-mail from the BBC.
Now, as a Television Producer I'm used to my fair share of rejection. Program ideas get spiked in their 100's everyday. It's all part of the ridiculous game called the Television Industry.
But for some reason, I'm really frustrated about this one.
Firstly, because it was for BBC4. This is the channel that has all the great documentaries and most of the broadcasters public service remit programing. The groundbreaking (but almost cancelled) Storyville strand, repeats of Michael Palin's adventures around the globe and superb films like Werner Herzog's Fitzcaraldo.
Secondly, because I'd managed to persuade (with the assistance of my great friend and ex-Stand-up Amanda Baker) most of the top comedians in Britain to be involved in the project. Jimmy Carr, Ed Byrne, Alan Carr, Arthur Smith, Brendon Burns, Craig Campbell, Steven K Amoss, Phil Jupitus and Reginald D Hunter to mention but a few.
And thirdly, because this was a well researched, clever take, on a subject never covered before. I'll give you the working title being a little ropey "International Front - A New British Movement" but the subject matter of why, Britain, a small island in a cold sea, should be the draw for the greatest minds in the world, is a strong and interesting subject.
Look, Britain pretty much invented every device the modern world uses today. Electricity (William Gilbert, 1600), Television (John Logie Baird, 1926), Telecommunications (Guglielmo Marconi, 1920) and the Computer (Charles Babbage, 1822 ). Not to mention the world sets its clocks by us (GMT), that without us there would be no maps (John Harrisons ship clocks,1773, allowed for the introduction of longitude at sea) or modern currency (William Paterson, 1694), Not to mention of course the now ever controversial Theory of Evolution (Charles Darwin, 1859) or the Dictionary (Samuel Johnson, 1755).
But its important to look closer at that statement, whilst it was Britain that spawned all these, they were not necessarily British people behind them. Marconi was of course Italian, the work Babbage produced was sourced from Leibniz (German) and Lacroix (French).
This is what makes Britain Great. Its draw to share ideas from around the world. To attract the greatest Artists (Van Gogh, Degas, Sickert and Lautrec all lived in London), Composers (German Born composer George Frideric Handel came here, as did legendary American Guitarist Jimmy Hendrix, who 200 years later resided in the same house) and Thinkers (for example Sigmond Freud and Karl Marx) from all over the globe.
So, what does a program filled with a bunch of comedians tell us about this experience.
Well, in 2007, Comedians started flocking to Britain as did their previous counterparts in music and art. Canadians (Glen Wool, Tony Law), Americans (like Rich Hall and Paul Provenza), Australians (Brendon Burns and Craig Cambell) even Chinese and German comics.
It seemed prudent therefore to capture the experiences of this movement (which had named itself International Front) as it developed. To explain why such an insignificant blot on the global map should be attracting the great and the good from across the world. Not just to perform here, but to stay here. There experiences would give us an insight to why others had preceded them
So you see, the problem with this rejection, is that I believe this is a really important story to tell. The UK is currently complaining about immigration, concerned about our dropping standards in education and going crazy with political correctness when discussing multi-culturalism. But here the success stories stand in all their glory. Britain is and always has been multicultural. It attracts people from all over the world, welcomes them, share their ideas and sometimes keep them for themselves.
Anyhow, I write this blog in the hope that people will read it, like the idea and support me in getting it made. No Broadcaster can turn down a ready made audience and I'd like to be the first producer to bring an audience driven idea to the screen.
Watch the trailer, then leave your comments. If you like it...it will come.
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