hutch0 (hutch0) wrote,
hutch0
hutch0

in which tony palmer has a right old go at the bbc

For those of you not familiar with the name, Tony Palmer is one of Britain's most outstanding documentary-makers. Most of his work is about musicians and composers, and recently he approached the BBC with a proposal to make a documentary about Ralph Vaughan Williams, to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the composer's death.
He says the BBC turned him down with a rejection letter which explained `having looked at our own activity via the lens of find, play & share,' it had been decided the film did not fit with `the new vision for (BBC) Vision.'
The letter, he says, concluded, `But good luck with the project, and do let me know if Mr V Williams has an important premiere in the future as this findability might allow us to reconsider.'

The BBC says it knows nothing about this, that they have no record of ever getting a commissioning proposal from Tony Palmer, and they didn't send the rejection letter. They are, however, doing a Vaughan Williams documentary of their own.

Palmer's documentary finally got taken up by Channel Five, who are screening it on New Year's Day. He fulminates about the whole affair rather entertainingly here.
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