Season 2 Finale to be Aired in July |
Paul Harper has finished filming his starring role on 'Right to Reply'. This is the great news he posted on umtsb5 this morning (22 June) from Nicky Wood at Channel 4. There are two notes - the first a newsflash, the second a transcript of conversations with Nicky Wood..
Good morning people, I gives me more than a little bit of pleasure to announce OFFICIALLY that Season 2, episode 19 will air on Tuesday 25th July at 18:00, with the remaining episodes airing in the three subsequent weeks (same time, same day) Yup - thats a good two and a half months ahead of the US dates. It will be announced 'on-air' at the end of Saturday's "Right to Reply" programme, starring yours truly and Nicky Wood, the person responsible for purchased programming at Channel 4. Further full details of the long chat we had after filming will follow as soon as I can get it all typed in, but I thought I should post this as soon as I got at my terminal. More later... Regards, Paul.
(cross-posted to both US and UK groups), and e-mailed to
Nicky Wood and Karen Browne at Channel 4.
Introduction
------------
Yesterday afternoon I was invited to Channel 4 to take part in
a programme called 'Right to Reply' which is a mechanism that
C4 use to get their viewers on-screen to air a grievance, or
put forward a point of view, directly to camera.
My 'part' (cue Mick for witty repost!) consisted of a brief
introduction by me to camera, followed by me asking Nicky Wood
(responsible at Channel 4 for 'Purchased Programmes') a few
questions about B5 then a quick summary.
All this was done in front of a blue screen, into which C4
will put the opening sequence from B5. This did mean that my
umtsb5 T-Shirt, which has a picture of B5 with a lot of blue
in it couldn't be used :-( So I had to wear it back-to-front!
After the recording, I went to Nicky Wood's office and spent
about 40 minutes chatting about B5 and putting all the your
questions that were on the posting I made yesterday.
Given that she (and most other C4 staff, from my observations)
are all very busy, it was good of her to spare me (us) that much
time - thanks Nicky.
Right to Reply
--------------
[The quotes below are from memory, so if they're not word-perfect
and exact, please forgive me. We were chopping and changing words
around all the time. Bits in square brakets [] are my comments to
what is being said, and are not spoken on screen]
The episode to be shown this Saturday (6:30 and repeated Monday,
I believe) will finish with the Babylon 5 segment.
It opens with a statement from me that goes something like :
PH : "I'm no anorak, but I believe Babylon 5 is the best science-
fiction series to hit British Television in years" at which point
I look over my shoulder, where they're going to wipe in the
opening sequence from the show.
It then cuts to Nicky Wood and me in the traditional 2-chair
interview positions, again with blue screen behind us. I ask :
PH : "The show's creator has indicated that the final four episodes
are complete. What has happened to them?" [Yes, I KNOW jms has
cleared this one up, but as there was some confusion over this,
it allowed Nicky to say : ]
NW : "What he must have meant is that principle photography has been
completed, but once that is done, there is still a lot of work
to be done on special effects, editing, sound and so on. So
basically, the programmes were not ready when it came to the
time to transmit them"
PH : "Do you have the tapes now ?"
NW : "We have episode 19, 20 will arrive in a day or two and the other
two shortly thereafter"
PH : "And when will we get to see them ?"
NW : "Episode 19 will be transmitted on Tuesday 25th July at 6 p.m.,
with the remaining 3 episodes shown at the same time on the
subsequent three Tuesdays. And I would like to point out that
we will be seeing these episodes well before viewers in America"
PH : "You have apparently been innundated with queries through the
Internet about both this series and future ones. What can you
tell us about Channel 4's future plans for Babylon 5?"
NW : "Channel 4 has acquired the rights to show seasons 3 and 4 of
the show. " [I think there was more to this answer, but the old
memory's going. Tune in on Saturday !]
PH : "Given that the programme has such a cult following, could it's
time-slot be changed to a more adult time ?"
NW : "We are limited in what we can do in the evening time-slots. Around
20% of our viewers are in the age range 4-15, and moving to a later
time would probably lose us a lot of those viewers."
We then cut to me, face-to-camera again, saying something like :
PH : "Well it's great news to hear that Babylon 5 will be back, and I
for one will certainly be tuned in on the 25th of July.
Be seeing you!" (Fade to black - AAAAh the Shadows :-] )
End of 'bit'.
Not bad, I thought, and it got our three top questions out - we'll see
how it comes across on-screen !
After this, I went up to Nicky's office, and she was good enough to
spare me the time to go through the full list of questions you put
together. I made brief notes of Nicky's replies, and have relied on
memory to flesh out what was actually said (I didn't want to take up
any more of her time than I had to) - so again, if the answers are
not word-perfect I apologise. This is being copied to Nicky, so if I
have mis-represented or mis-quoted anything she said, I will issue
a correction as soon as possible.
Nicky Wood Questions
--------------------
PH : When will the last 4 episodes be shown - if not yet known, when &
how will we find out? Why were they delayed?
NW : Episode 19 will be transmitted on Tuesday 25th July at 6 p.m., with
the remaining 3 episodes at the same time on the following 3
Tuesdays. They were delayed because they were simply not available
to be transmitted.
PH : When is season 3 starting ?
NW : We have the rights to Seasons 3 and 4, but have no explicit start
date for transmissions - it will probably be early next year.
PH : I suppose the American "show 5, repeat 5, show another 5" system
causes problems when showing a series contiguously ?
NW : Yes - That's why we have to start after the Americans. The
production of the series is geared to having this much time
available. It's because a large number of extra weeks were
added before the last four programmes that we had this problem.
PH : Why is Babylon 5 not better advertised on Channel 4/S4C or in the
press, and why when it is trailered, the silly squeaky voice ?
NW : The press is supplied with all the programme details, and with
press packs. They seem, in general, to choose not to use this
material. We did get a very good write-up in Time Out. The
squeaky-voiced trailer was a mistake made by our 'Presentations'
department, and it has been stopped.
PH : Do Channel 4 have any intention to re-screen the first series
(perhaps between series 2 and 3, and perhaps in wide-screen, and
perhaps un-edited in a later time-slot)? What about a series 2
re-screen?
NW : We have no plans at present to repeat any Babylon 5 episodes.
Though a late-night unedited time slot would be nice.
PH : Are there any plans to move it to a different time-slot - the
largest part of Babylon 5's audience seems to be adult. If there
are, can Channel 4 be careful not to pitch it against other top-
rated science fiction shows ?
NW : As I mentioned in the studio, a large portion of our audience are
aged between 4 and 15, so moving to a later slot might lose us a
significant number of these people. We have no plans to move the
timing of Babylon 5.
PH : Will season 3 be widescreen / PAL-Plus ?
NW : We will be looking at the new episodes when they start to come in.
While I was in the States, we were shown a wide-screen segment that
looked as though it had been 'stretched', so we would not want to
use material like this. If it is available in properly-formatted
wide-screen, we would certainly be interested.
PH : Don't forget to thank Channel 4 for showing Babylon 5 in the first
place ! [I handed over a printed copy of the jms letter, as
requested]
NW : The viewer response to the programme has been terrific, and it is
very gratifying to know that a programme we have purchased is being
viewed with such enthusiasm !
PH : Is Channel 4 aware of the enthusiasm of the fans of the show - in
particular in the internet discussion groups - Do they have any
plans to 'join in' ?
NW : We have been innundated with E-Mail, and through these messages
have learned of the discussion groups. We only have e-mail here
at present, so we are limited in the extent to which we can
participate in wider aspects of the Internet. Channel 4 is looking
into the costs and benefits of a wider access, though no decision
has been made yet.
PH : To what extent has the early time-slot required Channel 4 to make
edits to the programme ?
NW : (smiles) [obviously a 'hot' question!] We have had to make very
minor edits to some programmes - mainly around knife fights and
language. We have to follow ITC and BBFC [I think] guidelines on
what we can show. Had we kept TKO in it's original 6 p.m. time
slot, we would have had to make too many cuts, which is why we
took it out of sequence and re-scheduled it for a later time.
PH : Why was Episode 18 announced as the finale, when 4 episodes are
outstanding ?
NW : This was a communication problem between us and the Presentations
department. They knew the series hadn't finished, so it was a bad
choice of words.
PH : Is channel 4 under any contractual obligation that limits when
episodes can be shown ?
NW : Not at all. Warner's have been very understanding about this, which
is why we are able to show the final four episodes before the
Americans.
PH : Why was the Duty Office unaware of what was going on - a lot of the
mis-information and rumour has started from there? (The 'not show
before the US’ started this way)
NW : That was not information from this office. I can only guess that it
came about as a result of three events happening together that
required the Duty Office staff to be bolstered by temporary people
- the screening of "Last Temptation of Christ", "The Word" and the
early stopping of Babylon 5 made it a very busy time down there.
PH : What is the Channel 4 policy regarding how e-mail is treated when
compared to ordinary post. Why is E-Mail to the duty office never
responded to - even to acknowledge receipt ?
NW : I am unaware of any problem here - though it is obviously outside
my department's area. Any e-mail that I get is read and responded
to promptly [I can attest to that. P.]. Within Channel 4 received
e-mail is kept as e-mail, and directed by the Duty Office to the
person or department responsible.
PH : Why was Babylon 5 not purchased and shown in widescreen ?
NW : Simply because was and is not available in that format. We would
view with interest any move in this direction.
PH : Babylon 5 is possibly unique in television series in that it has
active involvement from it's producer (J.M. Straczynski) in
internet discussion groups. Do Channel 4 think this could be a
model for a more interactive mechanism for reaching audiences, and
can Channel 4 see themselves taking part more in this sort of
thing?
NW : As I mentioned, we do not have full access to the Internet, and I
would be un-sure (given how busy we all are already) how much time
we would be able to devote to active participation in groups like
this. It is very good of the producer to take part in this way.
PH : Were Channel 4 involved in the production of the videos at all ?
NW : Not at all - Warner's are responsible for that. What is the tape
quality like ?
PH : I haven't bought any myself, but I hear good reports from people
that have.
The book "Voices" was advertised at the end of episodes before it
was generally available - who was responsible for that ?
NW : That would have been a decision by the publishers, reached in
agreement with the Presentations Department.
PH : Will anyone from Channel 4 be attending the "Wolf359" convention in
an official capacity to push Babylon 5/meet the fans etc. ?
NW : That very much depends upon the attitude of Warner's. If they are
keen, and would give their permission, then I can see no problem
with a Channel 4 presence there. At the moment, though, we have no
plans to attend.
PH : For how many 'showings' has Channel 4 purchased the rights ?
NW : 2 - The initial showings that we're seeing now, plus one repeat.
PH : I suppose with only one repeat, you have to be careful to choose
a good time to show it ?
NW : That's right.
PH : What sort of response has Channel 4 got from the early truncation
of the second season ?
NW : Literally hundreds of phone calls and e-mails, letters and Faxes.
[calls Duty Office] There were 17 calls on Monday, and the Duty
office says that on a bad day, calls have numbered near a hundred.
PH : Could Channel 4 please be more careful in their pre-programme
announcements not to give away important plot points.
NW : We have spoken to Presentations Dept. about this, and the pre-
programme announcements should be a lot more careful in future.
PH : Are Channel 4 happy with the viewing figures for Babylon 5. How do
they compare to expectations ?
NW : They are solid, but not outstanding. The viewing figures are rising
and the programme usually makes the top 30 Channel 4 programmes,
mainly hovering around no. 25.
PH : Have Channel 4 analysed the demographics for Babylon 5 - do they
support the contention that moving the time-slot would lose a
sizable number of children viewers ?
NW : Yes we have, and I believe a time change would adversely affect
viewing figures. As I mentioned, 20% of our viewers are aged 4-15.
PH : S4C have been showing the programme on the Sunday after the rest of
the UK has seen it, and have managed to stop before episode 18 was
shown - despite the rest of the UK seeing it. Can S4C tighten up
it's act a bit ?
NW : S4C is pretty much independent of the rest of Channel 4 - they have
their own Duty Office [checks phone book] on 01222 741414. They do
pretty much their own thing, so it would be best to contact them
directly.
PH : Have Channel 4 been having problems with the surround sound-track ?
A couple of episodes have had dubious (even mono!) soundtracks.
NW : All purchased programmes go through our own quality checking
process, and any sub-standard material is sent back. I can only
think that these problems may have been 'on-the-day' transmission
problems.
And with that, I thanked Nicky again for sparing us her time, and
promised to send her a copy of this note. As I mentioned at the top,
if there is anything that is inaccurate, it is due to my crappy note-
taking, and not Nicky - I will issue a correction if I've made a
bodge-up somewhere.
Ye Gods - that's a lot of typing !
Well - we got it back. GREAT !
Now we'll see what happens on Saturday.
Be seeing you.
Regards,
Paul.
Brilliant, I'm sure you'll agree! Thanks Paul..
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