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Mid-Term Report
A masterclass in media studies from the creator of Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks. Described in Parliament as 'excellent' by Ed Vaizey, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
GRANGE HILL
Swimming pool disasters. Drugs, and just say 'no'. Flying sausages. School like you'd never seen it before.
BROOKSIDE
Lesbian kisses. Bodies under patios. Exploding shops. Suburban life like you'd never seen it before.
HOLLYOAKS
Bad boys on bikes. Loveable geeks. Leggy blondes. Students like you'd never seen them before.
PHIL REDMOND
Three classic TV programmes. One TV genius. This is the behind-the-scenes story of how a working-class lad from the Liverpool suburbs went from living on a housing estate to buying one, and from comprehensive school dinners to lunch with the Queen. Along the way he learned a lot of lessons, broke all the rules, and changed television for ever.
562 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2012
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April 2, 2013
There's obviously a lot more to come from Mr Redmond, which is why he's titled his autobiography 'Mid-term Report'. But then, considering the hard-nosed, control-freak that leaps out of these pages, he's probably already signed a multiple-book deal with his publisher, the small-print no doubt carefully vetted by his wife Alexis. And why not? Phil Redmond's achieved more in his mid-term than most tv writers/executives have in a whole lifetime. He not only created Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks and wrote most of their early scripts, but he produced them too, latterly from his own unique production base, Mersey TV. And he owned the leafy Liverpool suburb in which they were filmed too. If you want a succinct and opinionated rundown of how he did it, then this book is for you. In fact, every budding tv writer should read it; producers too. There's no great secret. Just sheer hard work, knowing what the tv market needed at the time, and most importantly, owning the idea once he'd come up with it, a valuable lesson he learned in his early years as a sketch writer from Doctor In The House writer/creator Richard Gordon.
Phil's no fool and he doesn't suffer them either. Early training as a quantity surveyor and then a sociology degree as a mature student gave him a unique understanding of human behaviour and its cost, especially in relation to the most effective ways to make tv that people actually want to watch, as opposed to tv that's foisted on them by highly-paid aloof executives with their own agendas, who think they know better and all too frequently don't, which is why the long-haired Scouser was able to build his empire - he always knew how to get the ratings. Hence Michael Grade's ultimate accolade at an industry banquet, which unashamedly, Phil Redmond quotes several times: "Say what you like about Phil, he always delivers." He did, whether as cost-effective, ratings-grabbing tv drama, or ensuring his home city Liverpool scored as the best ever Capital of Culture in 2008. Presumably, he now has the rewards to match?
Not that you would know from reading this. Phil's very discreet, so you learn about the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships and the Directorships, but little else. He's had some tasty motors, but nothing more outré than a BMW 323, and of country pile or city penthouse there are no details. We learn that Phil hates ties and cricket, but little else. There's precious little gossip either, it's just not that kind of book. The Phil Redmond who eyeballs you in his open-necked striped shirt on the front cover is a no-nonsense workaholic who has written a detailed account of how he became one of the most successful tv writer/producers of the last forty years. But if you want to know more about Phil the man, you'll have to wait for the next volume. This is only a mid-term report.
Phil's no fool and he doesn't suffer them either. Early training as a quantity surveyor and then a sociology degree as a mature student gave him a unique understanding of human behaviour and its cost, especially in relation to the most effective ways to make tv that people actually want to watch, as opposed to tv that's foisted on them by highly-paid aloof executives with their own agendas, who think they know better and all too frequently don't, which is why the long-haired Scouser was able to build his empire - he always knew how to get the ratings. Hence Michael Grade's ultimate accolade at an industry banquet, which unashamedly, Phil Redmond quotes several times: "Say what you like about Phil, he always delivers." He did, whether as cost-effective, ratings-grabbing tv drama, or ensuring his home city Liverpool scored as the best ever Capital of Culture in 2008. Presumably, he now has the rewards to match?
Not that you would know from reading this. Phil's very discreet, so you learn about the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships and the Directorships, but little else. He's had some tasty motors, but nothing more outré than a BMW 323, and of country pile or city penthouse there are no details. We learn that Phil hates ties and cricket, but little else. There's precious little gossip either, it's just not that kind of book. The Phil Redmond who eyeballs you in his open-necked striped shirt on the front cover is a no-nonsense workaholic who has written a detailed account of how he became one of the most successful tv writer/producers of the last forty years. But if you want to know more about Phil the man, you'll have to wait for the next volume. This is only a mid-term report.
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