Will Waspe's Whispers
Trouble up at t'Beeb. Attentive Shepherd's Bush monitors may have noticed that whereas the season's TV drama and music plans are usually announced simultaneously, music came out solo a week or so back. The reason could haVe something to do with the flurry caused in the drama group by a reported cutback of up to 15 per cent of TV drama output. Official denials all round, particularly to the unions concerned, ACTT, Equity, Writers Guild and ABS, but increased costs of 12 per cent combined with a budget upped by under 3 per cent speak for themselves.
The most bizarre symptom is BBC 2 dropping series drama altogether, for it was in this field that the channel won its largest viewing figures. Nor is BBC 1 unscathed: the new run of Take Three Girls has been axed. This leaves, for a start, a total of fifty-two slots to be filled between two channels. With what? Single shot plays? Serials? Not likely. Canned Americana? Getting warmer.
A carve-up like this could have interesting side-effects on the drama group shake-up following the imminent retirement of Gerald Savory, Head of Plays. It could also result in the amalgamation of ABS with ACTT which, as the Beeb refuses to recognize the latter, could be distinctly troublesome.
Discharge
Charles Wood's infatuation with the military ideal continues to flourish. He has now written a play about the filming of The Charge of the Light Brigade, which seems like scraping the bottom of the charger. Those with long memories may recall that certain problems of copyright were involved and that there was some confusion about the screenwriter's credit, which eventually fell to Wood. His new play will be mounted at the Royal Court (where else?), and Sir John Gielgud will star. Play' ing Sir John Osborne, perhaps?
Bad scene, man
It's not just in big business hassles that the ordure hits the air-conditioning. The fortunes of a tiny but respected book production company underwent a dramatic change of course when, during a discussion of future policy between chairman (1.500 shares) and editorial director (1 share), the former called an extraordinarY board meeting of two. The resolutions passed included the instant dismissal of the editorial director and two absent directors, the stopping of their last month's paY cheques, the return forthwith of companY cars, the affixing of new locks on the doors of the company's premises, and talk of police surveillance. Anyone interested in the film rights of this fantasy should apply to November Books, chairman Nicholas, Luard.
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