Netflix offer £3m for uncensored Little Britain

[Denver]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/11255825/netflix-3million-pound-bid-little-britain/

They want to poach Matt Lucas and David Walliams from BBC woth the promise that they can go uncensored in the new episodes

[MB.]

Fun fact: £3m would also buy the NHS approximately 194 new medical ventilators

But I'm glad that Netflix's priorities lie with inflating David Walliams' bank account instead

[Marsh.]

Matt Lucas has always said if he made Little Britain today, his own taste has completely changed so I don't think he'd want it to be as offensive as it was anyway.

[Smithy]

Fun fact: £3m would also buy the NHS approximately 194 new medical ventilators

But I'm glad that Netflix's priorities lie with inflating David Walliams' bank account instead

Netflix are just gonna stop making to TV to fund the NHS then eh

[MB.]

Netflix are just gonna stop making to TV to fund the NHS then eh

When they have a spare £3m that they can piss away on a show that was never funny in the first place made by two incredibly rich people who aren't in desperate need of either the money or the exposure, in this case, yes!

[Smithy]

When they have a spare £3m that they can piss away on a show that was never funny in the first place made by two incredibly rich people who aren't in desperate need of either the money or the exposure, in this case, yes!

This is legit so dumb, I-

[MB.]

This is legit so dumb, I-

The article states that the revival was being made for the BBC anyway, and that Netflix are paying Lucas and Walliams over a million pounds each to buy the rights instead "because it would be good for their brand"

in other words, a massively rich company (in an industry where 120,000 workers have lost their jobs because of corona) is giving massively rich celebrities money for no reason other than brand vanity, in the midst of a global pandemic in a country with a severely underfunded health system. If thinking they could perhaps divert non-essential spending on non-essential business deals for a week or two (when the entire industry has shut down and is rethinking its priorities - like, even Holby City are donating medical equipment, for crying out loud) is a dumb take, so be it! Until then, I'll patiently look forward to being able to watch Matt Lucas say the word "dust" in a funny voice and a dress ten times in one sketch on Netflix rather than BBC One

[Marsh.]

The article is also the sun so...

[Marsh.]

Netflix is an American company, why would they send funds to our NHS?

[MB.]

Netflix is an American company, why would they send funds to our NHS?

Because it has a UK arm, who are the ones paying out for this

Local content acquisitions aren't all made by one centralised Netflix branch

[Marsh.]

Because it has a UK arm, who are the ones paying out for this

Local content acquisitions aren't all made by one centralised Netflix branch

But still, why would they do that?

Unless you're suggesting they make big donations to every healthcare service in every country that they have a "branch" in? In which case, they'd probs go bust. They're already using megabucks of borrowed cash to spend what they spend.

[Smithy]

The article states that the revival was being made for the BBC anyway, and that Netflix are paying Lucas and Walliams over a million pounds each to buy the rights instead "because it would be good for their brand"

in other words, a massively rich company (in an industry where 120,000 workers have lost their jobs because of corona) is giving massively rich celebrities money for no reason other than brand vanity, in the midst of a global pandemic in a country with a severely underfunded health system. If thinking they could perhaps divert non-essential spending on non-essential business deals for a week or two (when the entire industry has shut down and is rethinking its priorities - like, even Holby City are donating medical equipment, for crying out loud) is a dumb take, so be it! Until then, I'll patiently look forward to being able to watch Matt Lucas say the word "dust" in a funny voice and a dress ten times in one sketch on Netflix rather than BBC One

Netflix have actually just created a $100 million dollar fund for workers in the creative community who have been affected by the pandemic https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/488715-netflix-creates-100-million-coronavirus-relief

But go off I guess

[Denver]

You could also say they are trying to keep 10s of millions entertained for what could end up being a very long time stuck inside

[MB.]

But still, why would they do that?

Unless you're suggesting they make big donations to every healthcare service in every country that they have a "branch" in? In which case, they'd probs go bust. They're already using megabucks of borrowed cash to spend what they spend.

I'm not saying they should do that (they can by all means, if they're waging wars over the acquisition rights to, say, the Slovakian and Paraguayan versions of Little Britain too). I'm just using this example as a reflection of my belief that large companies (such as Netflix) probably ought to reassess unnecessary expenditures, such as throwing money at celebrities to sell their already-exisiting shows to them, during a global pandemic that is severely crippling their industry financially, especially when the amount they're paying celebrities to acquire the rights to a single show is more than they've donated to the relief fund for British workers in said industry (https://www.cityam.com/netflix-donates-1m-to-emergency-coronavirus-fund-for-film-and-tv-crew/). And if they have the money to pay for Matt Lucas' kitchen renovation, I'm sure they have a little left over to help sort out, say, this country's potentially disastrous ventilator shortage as well. But hey, that's just the anti-capitalist in me speaking!

[MB.]

Netflix have actually just created a $100 million dollar fund for workers in the creative community who have been affected by the pandemic https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/488715-netflix-creates-100-million-coronavirus-relief

But go off I guess

See my above post, only £1m of that is going to the British film & TV industry (which makes me wonder why the rights to Little Britain alone are worth 3x the amount of the livelihoods of thousands of workers)

[Marsh.]

See my above post, only £1m of that is going to the British film & TV industry (which makes me wonder why the rights to Little Britain alone are worth 3x the amount of the livelihoods of thousands of workers)

The offer is 3m for the show? I.e. to make new episodes. That's not 3m in their back pocket.

From what I understand of the OP I am not reading a Sun link.

If it is the budget for making the show there are far, far more expensive shows worth looking at in terms of money they could save and place elsewhere than a potential revival of LB.

[MB.]

The offer is 3m for the show? I.e. to make new episodes. That's not 3m in their back pocket.

From what I understand of the OP I am not reading a Sun link.

If it is the budget for making the show there are far, far more expensive shows worth looking at in terms of money they could save and place elsewhere than a potential revival of LB.

The article implies that Netflix are shelling out to Matt and David directly to have the show on their platform:

A source said: “Netflix have set up phone meetings next week with David and Matt.

“The offer they are making is more than double the BBC could make. It’d be a package of well over a million each.

“David and Matt don’t need the cash but bosses at Netflix know they are a more viable option for the brand"

If the £3m was entirely production costs, why would the show cost twice the amount to make at Netflix compared to the BBC?

[Marsh.]

If the £3m was entirely production costs, why would the show cost twice the amount to make at Netflix compared to the BBC?

Are you asking the difference in production value between Netflix and the BBC?

[MB.]

Are you asking the difference in production value between Netflix and the BBC?

Judging by the article, the main difference in production value that Netflix are aiming for is making the show "less PC", so I can only assume they're dishing out £100,000 per use of the r-word

(again, not sure a series of Little Britain with an increased special effects budget is what the world is crying out for right now, given *gestures generally at everything*)

You could also say they are trying to keep 10s of millions entertained for what could end up being a very long time stuck inside

The exact same could be said of the BBC, if, of course, there were any feasible way of filming and distributing a TV series while the country's on lockdown

[Marsh.]

Judging by the article, the main difference in production value that Netflix are aiming for is making the show "less PC", so I can only assume they're dishing out £100,000 per use of the r-word

(again, not sure a series of Little Britain with an increased special effects budget is what the world is crying out for right now, given *gestures generally at everything*)

Well I'm not debating the quality of the material, not much of a fan myself but the difference in general production value from the BBC to Netflix is kind of standard. And that obviously costs more. The costumes/prosthetics, the locations, the standard of guest cast etc.

It's not as though they're making it now during the crisis, this is just a report of on one show (out of hundreds) they are currently buying/producing etc. It's really one drop in a large ocean.

[Denver]

It's a weird situation as they both forged a career after it from being PC friendly but the whole appeal was the bad taste and risky skits

[MB.]

It's not as though they're making it now during the crisis, this is just a report of on one show (out of hundreds) they are currently buying/producing etc. It's really one drop in a large ocean.

In which case, I guess I just think it's a sign of corporate greed for those high up at Netflix to be buying hundreds of shows while its out-of-work freelancers are
collectively getting less than it takes to buy a single one of those shows

Of course, £1m is better than nothing considering the attitudes of certain large global companies towards their workers at the moment (cough Amazon cough), and I'm sure an argument can be made that all Netflix are doing is ensuring production can continue as smoothly as possible when, or if, their employees are able to return to work, but as we can tell I'm a natural born cynic

[Denver]

In which case, I guess I just think it's a sign of corporate greed for those high up at Netflix to be buying hundreds of shows while its out-of-work freelancers are
collectively getting less than it takes to buy a single one of those shows

Of course, £1m is better than nothing considering the attitudes of certain large global companies towards their workers at the moment (cough Amazon cough), and I'm sure an argument can be made that all Netflix are doing is ensuring production can continue as smoothly as possible when, or if, their employees are able to return to work, but as we can tell I'm a natural born cynic
Greed is what the bosses of Weatherspoons and Sports direct have done

[MB.]

Greed is what the bosses of Weatherspoons and Sports direct have done

That is absolutely true, and I don't want to make it sound as if I'm willingly taking the Netflix situation out of context as much as I may take issue with a story such as this (at the end of the day, they're still looking out for workers, which can't be said for the likes of Sports Direct)

[Marsh.]

In which case, I guess I just think it's a sign of corporate greed for those high up at Netflix to be buying hundreds of shows while its out-of-work freelancers are
collectively getting less than it takes to buy a single one of those shows

Of course, £1m is better than nothing considering the attitudes of certain large global companies towards their workers at the moment (cough Amazon cough), and I'm sure an argument can be made that all Netflix are doing is ensuring production can continue as smoothly as possible when, or if, their employees are able to return to work, but as we can tell I'm a natural born cynic

But... if they stopped functioning and buying shows there will be nothing ready to enter production once they all return to work? :think:

[MB.]

But... if they stopped functioning and buying shows there will be nothing ready to enter production once they all return to work? :think:

That's exactly the valid point I said could be made in the latter half of the quoted post :laugh: Ultimately, it boils down to my belief that we won't be seeing TV and film production launching back up for until the end of the year at the very earliest, and that both conventional short and long-term business plans (as simple as "buy the rights to this TV show") are inadequate for the current global health crisis because of how unprecedented it is. Every non-essential industry should be on pause where possible (with workers being paid as normal - and hey, if massive companies can afford to do that, maybe they can also afford to help health services in any way they can, just as the likes of Premier League clubs and supermarkets are doing), and I personally don't believe that there's any way companies can ensure stability now for whenever they resume business; renegotiating industries such as TV and film production in a post-coronavirus world is going to be incredibly difficult and I imagine there'll be a lot of jobs that existed beforehand that won't exist for a long time afterward

[Marsh.]

That's exactly the valid point I said could be made in the latter half of the quoted post :laugh: Ultimately, it boils down to my belief that we won't be seeing TV and film production launching back up for until the end of the year at the very earliest, and that both conventional short and long-term business plans (as simple as "buy the rights to this TV show") are inadequate for the current global health crisis because of how unprecedented it is. Every non-essential industry should be on pause where possible (with workers being paid as normal - and hey, if massive companies can afford to do that, maybe they can also afford to help health services in any way they can, just as the likes of Premier League clubs and supermarkets are doing), and I personally don't believe that there's any way companies can ensure stability now for whenever they resume business; renegotiating industries such as TV and film production in a post-coronavirus world is going to be incredibly difficult and I imagine there'll be a lot of jobs that existed beforehand that won't exist for a long time afterward

It is on pause. If they literally didn't do ANYTHING at all then they'd be starting from scratch after the health crisis is over which would delay people their returns into employment even further. If they made NO new deals for anything then they'd soon sink.

Not doing anything on the chance that they won't be able to do anything will ensure they don't.

So, yeah, we can live in an ideal world where Netflix know the future and know there'll be no work next year so give all their money to health services, thus ensuring there's no money to continue their business next year, taking more content off air, and more jobs off the market.

Kind of a ridiculous route to take.

[Oliver_W]

"Uncensored" ? From what I can remember nothing about Little Britain needed censoring anyway, apart from the nudity?

[arista]

"Uncensored" ? From what I can remember nothing about Little Britain needed censoring anyway, apart from the nudity?


It means More Cash than the BBC can pay them....................


The BBC were only going to do a few new ones

[bots]

work will start up again very soon on productions. Early summer at a guess. We arent going to be locked down any longer than about 6 weeks max because people will start ignoring it after that point

[arista]

work will start up again very soon on productions. Early summer at a guess. We arent going to be locked down any longer than about 6 weeks max because people will start ignoring it after that point


Its to early to say that

[Mitchell]

I'm not saying they should do that (they can by all means, if they're waging wars over the acquisition rights to, say, the Slovakian and Paraguayan versions of Little Britain too). I'm just using this example as a reflection of my belief that large companies (such as Netflix) probably ought to reassess unnecessary expenditures, such as throwing money at celebrities to sell their already-exisiting shows to them, during a global pandemic that is severely crippling their industry financially, especially when the amount they're paying celebrities to acquire the rights to a single show is more than they've donated to the relief fund for British workers in said industry (https://www.cityam.com/netflix-donates-1m-to-emergency-coronavirus-fund-for-film-and-tv-crew/). And if they have the money to pay for Matt Lucas' kitchen renovation, I'm sure they have a little left over to help sort out, say, this country's potentially disastrous ventilator shortage as well. But hey, that's just the anti-capitalist in me speaking!

Some people would also love to live in the warm and have lots of interesting animals on their doorstep.

[Saph]

here for it tbh

[user104658]

The idea that every industry should stop functioning and give all of the money to the NHS is one of the stranger theories I've heard today, I have to say. Not that I think Little Britain is especially important, but entertainment is becoming absolutely vital :shrug:.

Also the issue has never been having enough money for ventilators, the issue is how quickly they can be manufactured and distributed. Giving thr NHS an extra £3million would make literally no difference at all.

[Crimson Dynamo]

:umm2:

1243168931503882241

[Smithy]

:umm2:

1243168931503882241

Is this a new sketch or?

[Mitchell]

Not Netflix meeting Matt Lucas at the peak district

[Marsh.]

:umm2:

1243168931503882241

Which one is Matt Lucas?

[arista]

[We'd love to bring it back': Little Britain's Matt Lucas
confirms he and David Walliams are in talks with Netflix]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8160545/Little-Britains-Matt-Lucas-confirms-David-Walliams-talks-Netflix-reboot-series.html