Rob Watts

I want to see the positives in the Play for Today revival, I do. Handled well, it could be such a boon for low-budget UK drama. But to debut with a tale of straight white romance in your 70s, then to chase it with a tale of straight white marital tension in your 80s... It's certainly a choice.

OMG yes. The groan I made when I hit episode 7 of The Beast in Me. It was loud.

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

In case you missed it, the CFP is out for next year's Critical Studies in Television conference. DEADLINE for abstracts: 19th December. #TVStudies

‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud University Since the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss...

‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science www.ru.nl/en/research/...

Peter Watkins obituary: radical British filmmaker behind The War Game and Punishment Park The maverick filmmaker and pioneer of the docudrama, whose anti-establishment works redefined political cinema and challenged the very language of mass media, has died aged 90.

RIP for a filmmaker who pushed the medium forward

www.bfi.org.uk/features/pet...

COMMON PEOPLE: RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE ON CLASS IN TV AT A TIME OF CRISIS… Here is the full text of my opening keynote address given at the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) 'What’s Class Got to Do With It?' symposium on class and the UK TV industry at the School o...

You can catch up with @philralph.bsky.social Keynote here www.linkedin.com/pulse/common... we will be sharing highlights and updates in the weeks to come! Stay tuned!

Today is another one of those days where I can only laugh extra loud at the colleagues who think me teaching classes on The Walt Disney Company or A History of Comedy are useless, I just wish it wasn‘t relevant cause of the fascism

YouTube video by Cy Canterel Blackpill Aesthetics: A Crash Course in Meme Extremism

Clear and compelling watch IMO.

as I wrote literally yesterday, gamergate never ended. It took over the country. www.moryan.com/on-the-firin... Congrats I guess to pepe the frog for his forthcoming talk show

Hard agree. It's probably the White Lotus effect but now so ubiquitous as to be an instant turnoff

Play for Today is back – nine ways Channel 5 can make it as successful as the original Channel 5 has a lot to live up to, but research into the original BBC drama series has inspired nine principles the new Play for Today should live by.

A great piece from @katiecrosson.bsky.social, who, it’s safe to say, knows a thing or two about Play for Today. 📺

Congrats!

‘All those posh apartments. It’s a playground for the rich’: is Manchester turning into London? £6 a pint, £199 a month for gym membership, £1,200 to rent a studio flat? The Guardian’s former North of England editor asks if the city she’s worked in for 12 years is changing for the better – or wo...

A pretty good summary of where things are at in contemporary Manchester from @helenpidd.bsky.social - whilst central Manchester is startlingly changed the wealth (and health) inequalities within the city are worse than ever.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Loved taking part at #CSTconference with @corpusng.bsky.social

We were looking forwards to speaking and writing about it’s a sin ever since we watched the series. This was a perfect (and much appreciated!) opportunity

This was such a great time! So many fascinating panels and just a lovely bunch of people all round. Huge thanks to Elke and Dipali for making it all happen #CSTConference

Had a great time presenting at the #CST conference yesterday, looking at the rise of live broadcasts on streaming platforms. Saw so many great papers!

Today kicks off the Critical Studies in Television conference! I'll be watching online today (looking forward to Catherine Johnson's keynote) and heading up to Manchester tomorrow to present on adaptation and television.

Is UK HETV tax relief holding back regional production financing? Calls are growing to allow lower-cost dramas – with budgets between £750,000 and £950,000 per broadcast hour – to qualify for the UK's high-end TV tax relief scheme.

Torfinnur Jákupsson: “We need a system that better reflects how great TV is actually made in 2025. It is about backing those already doing more with less. High-end shouldn’t just be defined by how much money you spend. It should be defined by impact, artistry and ambition.”

tvos app text: Are you sure you want to exit HISTORY? Ok Cancel

yes i am sure

We need a better quality of conversation about education and the skills agenda for the screen industries Richard Wallis and Christa van Raalte call out the unhelpful mythology that has grown around higher education and the screen industries

This week on Wonkhe: Richard Wallis and Crista van Raalte call out the unhelpful mythology that has grown around higher education and the screen industries

U.K. Unveils $100 Million “Screen Growth Package” for Film and TV, $200 Million Creative Places Fund The U.K. government unveiled a £75 million ($100 million) “Screen Growth Package” for the film and TV industries on Saturday as the Labour Party administration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer focuses on future upside in the sector as part of its bid to provide a boost to the broader economy.

The U.K. government unveiled a £75 million ($100 million) “Screen Growth Package” for the film and TV industries on Saturday as the Labour Party administration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer focuses on future upside in the sector as part of its bid to provide a boost to the broader economy.

Instagram post from MUBI, image is a blue backdrop with white text reading 'OUR STATEMENT ON OUR INVESTMENT FROM SEQUOIA CAPITAL', caption is: Since our founding, MUBI has raised money from a number of sources to help us grow. Our decision to work with outside investors has always served one purpose: to accelerate our mission of delivering bold and visionary films to global audiences. This was the rationale behind our recent partnership with the venture firm Sequoia Capital. Sequoia has a 50-plus year history of partnering with founders to help turn their ideas into world-changing businesses. Sequoia’s investments span a range of founders, industries, and geographies. We chose to work with Sequoia because the firm, and our Sequoia Partner Andrew Reed, support MUBI’s mission and want to help us scale and bring great cinema to even more people around the world. Over the last several days, some members of our community have commented on the decision to work with Sequoia given their investment in Israeli companies and the personal opinions expressed by one of their partners. The beliefs of individual investors do not reflect the views of MUBI. We take the feedback from our community very seriously, and are steadfast in remaining an independent founder-led company.

the weakest shit I have ever read on this subject, kept trying to scroll thinking there must be more but no, this is it

A red banner with black cut out letters reading 'The future is another place. Allow yourself to believe a better life is possible. Say it loud, defiantly to everyone'

A grassroots movement like Arts Emergency rarely lasts or grows as we have.Our work changes lives, but we rely on monthly donations.Those donations are down £50k since 2021. We've cut all we can, now we're appealing to you for £2/month to plug the gap & go on www.arts-emergency.org/donate%F0%9F...

I'm happy to announce that the article Katie Crosson and I co-wrote/edited documenting the Play for Today Viewing Group has been published online today for the Critical Studies in Television journal!
doi.org/10.1177/1749... (1)

Just clarifying, though this is not difficult to grasp: Anyone working on an industry project with a notorious transphobic bigot is OK with transphobic bigotry.

The end.

Netflix and co should pay levy to fund crisis-hit UK drama sector, say MPs British stories risk disappearing from small screen as public broadcasters struggle to compete with streaming services

Finally!! The streamers are to our UK TV industry as private healthcare is to the NHS. They must contribute to the fundamental infrastructures and culture of the industry they profit from and lower budget TV must be protected.

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Adolescence team to remake Threads nuclear attack epic Sheffield-based Warp Films firm plans to turn the 1984 movie Threads into a TV series, it says.

Nice little palate cleanser to take the edge off after watching Adolescence