Save Kids' TV

Quality Animation Never Dates…

Now more than ever I ask if The Snowman could have been made in the present situation.  Sadly the answer is ‘no’ and this ‘no’ applies to any half hour quality animated programme that any producer would really like to make.

The specials that I produced, from The Snowman (1982) to The Bear (1998), with generous financial help from Channel 4, all cost more than a million pounds each and the Peter Rabbit series of nine films cost £750,000 each.  The budgets were not difficult to raise, as one was dealing with ‘creative’ programming people who were prepared to take risks.  These risks seem to have paid off, with The Snowman brand grossing millions around the world and still broadcast every Christmas on Channel 4.  The Peter Rabbit films are just about to be refreshed and re-launched.  And all the other ’specials’ continue to play world-wide.We are faced with a C4 who are no longer interested in animation and have long since closed down their animation commissioning department in spite of showing several of my ’specials’ every year – The Snowman, Father Christmas, Famous Fred and The Bear.  When he was in charge, Michael Grade said to me that animation was the jewel in the crown of C4 Internationally – why did they stop commissioning?

So where do we go for financing now that ITV is following suit and does not want to produce not just animation but children’s programmes, because they are deemed financially unviable?  We have Five who are at least supportive, but with very limited funds available.  Finally we are left with the BBC who could easily finance quality children’s’ programmes, but these days seem to lack imagination and avoid taking risks.  This also raises the question of whether quality children’s programming should be just left to the BBC, creating a creative monopoly.  The reason ITV and C4 were given Public Service Broadcasting quotas was surely to avoid the BBC having such a hold on children’s programming?

What will happen if there is no fuss created or the government does nothing to help?

Children’s programming produced in the UK is widely regarded as top quality all over the world but if we cannot get commissioned, and there is no pressure for channels to produce and nurture home grown talent, the next generation of children will be left to watch repeats and cheap imports.  To echo my opening statement, ‘Quality animation never dates’, it should be championed.  Children of the next generation deserve a ‘Snowman‘ of their own, and far from being financially unviable, this sort of programming should be seen as an investment – an investment in our children’s education, in quality programming and in British culture.

With all these things in place, channels might even find that they get a financial return on their investment

… if they would only keep the faith.

John Coates founded London-based TVC Animation Studio in the summer of 1957 to produce commercials. During the heady days of the 60’s, TVC produced THE YELLOW SUBMARINE, now considered a major landmark in the history of animation.  Many of the original artists from this film still work with TVC today.

In 1982 Raymond Briggs’ book THE SNOWMAN was used as the basis for a half hour TV special which was later nominated for an OSCAR, won the British Academy Award for the best children’s film and won many other awards including the European Prix Jeunesse.  There followed successful features such as WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, GRANPA, with Peter Ustinov as the voice of Granpa, and FATHER CHRISTMAS voiced by Mel Smith.

In1993 TVC completed production of six half hour TV Specials based on the books of Beatrix Potter, THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT & FRIENDS.  At the same time the studio produced a feature length TV film of Kenneth Grahame’s classic THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. The studio’s latest productions are both half-hour TV specials and have been adapted from popular children’s books. THE BEAR by Raymond Briggs and OI! GET OFF OUR TRAIN by John Burningham.

In 2004 John was Executive Producer on JACK FROST for the BBC which was a welcome return to Christmas Specials.  He has also just delivered a Halloween special to Sky One called PUMPKIN MOON in which he worked with Two Sides TV.