Remember when we thought American TV was inferior to British TV. Well, perhaps, once upon a time, it was. But no longer. One of the Brits’ most beloved talents, Ricky Gervais, creator and star of The Office and Extras, slams British TV and says we do it better and he makes noises about making his own Sopranosesque drama.
“All the things we like at the moment are coming out of America,” he said. “There are things like The Sopranos, 24 and The Wire. These are things that [the British] just cannot do and do not do or anything close to it.
“They are innovative, audacious and done brilliantly. Those TV shows are just breathtaking and shows like The Sopranos are very funny. They have comedy writers that work on the show. It’s the humour of real life.”
Gervais said he wanted a British drama to capture the “ambiguity of morality” seen in some US shows.
These days, the Brits export — and we copy — reality shows and we export — and they love — our dramas. I wonder why that is. HBO is also not beholden to advertisers — but then, neither should the BBC be (though it is beholden to politicians, eh?). Perhaps it’s just that we’ve had more choice over a longer period and choice, I’ve learned, usually yields quality.
