Munya Chawawa, whose fame came via internet virality, has lambasted the British TV industry for “ignoring evolution” as the “same outdated gatekeepers stick to the same outdated guns.”
Delivering the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival, Chawawa said “British TV is in decline and I am pained to hear this.”
“In the face of a rapidly changing landscape, British TV has ignored evolution and the same outdated gatekeepers have stuck to the same outdated guns while yelling, ‘Hey guys remember this one?’,” said Chawawa. “Being brave and provocative used to be sewed into British TV. But TV gatekeepers cannot see value outside their own bubble of familiarity. They are afraid they might see something different.”
Chawawa said traditional gatekeepers are shutting themselves from reality. “They came up through traditional TV and went through the rigmarole of TV and it’s scary [for them] to feel the ground shifting beneath your feet,” he added. “But that is a byproduct of how rapid the way we consume things has become.”
For this reason, these gatekeepers are losing young viewers as they prefer to focus on their older heartland audiences, claimed Chawawa, while ignoring young creators. “British TV isn’t dying because of TikTok, it has lost its ability to take risks and throw caution to the wind,” he added. “We need to regain the risk that traditional TV was once defined by.”
On the flipside, the new generation of internet talent, of which Chawawa is firmly a part, are being “rewarded handsomely by viewers,” Chawawa said. This is especially happening on YouTube, which has become a fixture on smart TVs and recently overtook ITV as the second most watched platform in the UK.
“Where telly said no, social media said yes,” added Chawawa. “Online takes risks and takes the reward.”
While criticizing TV and its gatekeepers, Chawawa struck a positive chord, saying that traditional commissioners and executives could work with the new wave of digital talent to make brilliant television. He has been working more on traditional TV of late, having recently landed a role in Channel 4 comedy Schooled opposite Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran.
He stressed that “recording a series in you bedroom will never be the same as one infused with the resource and knowhow of this industry.”
“I don’t believe it’s a case of kill or be killed,” he explained. “I think the key is meaningful collaborations. Where creators have passion, TV can sculpt this into formats.”
Chawawa was speaking the day after ex-BBC News chief James Harding delivered the traditional MacTaggart, calling for the BBC to be independent of government.
The post Munya Chawawa Says British TV Has “Ignored Evolution” appeared first on Deadline.
