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EXCLUSIVE: Kylie Washington has just overseen the launch of three BBC television mega brands in Australia, and readily admits the pressure has been on. The BBC Studios ANZ General Manager and Creative Director of Production knows new versions of Death in Paradise, The Office and Top Gear require full attention to succeed, especially with buyers hesitant to put their hands in their pockets and more willing than ever to pull the trigger on disappointments.
The good news is, “From my personal BBC Studios perspective, we’re on a great run,” says the Sydney-based exec. “We have commissions across the majority of networks with a very broad mix of genres. You never know which runner will have its moment in the light, so it’s important to be the best at all of them, to play to your strengths.”
Return to Paradise, the Australia-set spin-off of British cozy crime drama Death in Paradise, certainly had a moment in the light, and that doesn’t mean the hot Aussie sunshine. Ratings of the show — co-produced with Death in Paradise maker Red Planet Pictures and created by James Hall, Peter Mattesi and Robert Thorogood — were strong, with launch numbers close to those achieved by The Newsreader (made by recently-acquired BBC Studios indie Werner Film Productions).
The first episode reached plus-1.5 million viewers, with the series taking an average audience of more than 1.1 million plus on-demand views of 205,000. “It’s been driving audiences on iView,” the ABC’s streaming service, adds Washington, while female lead Anna Samson has attracted younger viewers to a show that has traditionally been considered the domain of the older audience. A crossover cameo from Death in Paradise star Ardal O’Hanlon helped generate headlines and build a ‘Paradise universe’ that also includes the Kris Marshall-starring spin-off Beyond Paradise.
Another of the big BBC Studios ANZ launches went out this past weekend, with Top Gear Australia‘s revival launching on Network 10 on Saturday as the commercial free-to-air’s highest rated show of the day. The series had launched on Paramount+ in Australia and several other countries in South America, Europe and Asia earlier this year, but of course no viewing figures are available there.
The third launch, also dropping this past weekend, was The Office Australia, which we have covered extensively in recently months. Critical reviews of the comedy haven’t been the kindest, though audience reaction online has been better and lead Felicity Ward’s turn as a female David Brent was met warmly. Washington admits she is “nervous” about the “direct comparisons” with the UK version, but is matter-of-fact about the comedy’s future: “The proof is in the pudding – if it gets recommissioned, it has been a success.”
Speaking to Deadline before the show launched, the UK-based actress and stand-up comedian Ward says: “People can have whatever feelings they have and that’s fine. To be the lead in any sitcom is a dream and the lead in The Office is f**king wild. I’ll probably feel sick on October 18 when it drops, but I’d do that with any show.”
Sarah Christie, Senior Development Executive at Amazon MGM Studios Australia, adds that the streamer and its production arm are “really proud of where the show has landed with those touchstones that are clearly so The Office, but also Australian.” She says that her team remains “gobsmacked” that Ward is the first female to play the iconic office manager role that Ricky Gervais and then Steve Carrell made famous.
History in formats
Washington is among the most experienced producers currently operating in Australia’s senior ranks, and has worked at some of the top format producers in country. Having begun her TV career at Southern Star, which was later acquired by Endemol, she worked for Amazing Race Australia maker ActiveTV before joining NBCUniversal-owned Matchbox Pictures in 2012 as Director of Unscripted. There she made shows such as Real Housewives of Melbourne, Real Housewives of Sydney and Real Housewives of Auckland and original formats such as Formal Wars for Seven Network and Everyone’s a Critic for ABC before moving to the BBC’s commercial arm in 2018 to run its Australian production unit.
Since then she has focused on building out the local version of Mastermind, which has now run to over 500 episodes in five years on pubcaster SBS. In total, she’s overseen development, production and distribution of over 600 hours of TV, with her experience in international formats shining through. Notably, quiz The 1% Club, which is a growing hit in its UK home on ITV, is working well in Australia for Network Seven. “There’s been real trend for commissioners looking at quiz for primetime,” says Washington. “That’s not necessarily something we do in Australia, but this is a quiz with comedic host [stand-up comic Jim Jefferies], and it has been fantastic.”
“With any format there has to be a good reason why you do it,” she says. “We had been pitching The Office Australia and you wouldn’t pick the jewel in the crown of the BBC format crown 23 years later without a good reason. Likewise with Return to Paradise, it was about identifying the key DNA that makes it so watchable. Bringing in a female detective was a great way to explore under a different lens in a different landscape.”
The Paradise ratings were “a big relief,” she admits. “It is hard because there are diehard fans for all of these shows, and you have to get it right. You can only pull together the best team, be clear why you are remaking and impart that direction to every collaborator.”
Regarding Top Gear, which has been indefinitely rested in Britain following a series of safety incidents, one of which nearly killed presenter Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’, Washington says her team was “in conversations” around “risk safety and protocols while that was playing out in the UK,” adding, “You always need proper risk assessments and that was heightened by the timing.”
However, with Australia a nation of “massive car lovers” thanks to the huge distances between its relatively small population, there is pre-existing “brand recognition” of Top Gear, she says, which helped push the return of the show through. (Top Gear had first run in the country as a format on SBS between 2008 and 2012.) “Multiple layers of safety and risk assessment” continued throughout the development process, but Washington says that “should be the same for any show.”
She adds: “Paramount saw the value in the brand. It is still a hugely popular show; a crazy ride travelling at speed around the world. We wanted to make a show that shows off Australian travels internationally.”
The other notable business transaction for BBC Studios in Australia this year was the multi-million dollar investment in The Newsreader producer Werner, which was acquired in March. Washington says she is “super-excited” about the producer’s prospects. “BBC Studios has been such a supporter of Australian scripted content. This is a way of coming in and partnering with world class talent. The deal operates in similar model to indies in the UK — Werner remain as an independent company and we will support them, hopefully distributing their content and partnering up when it makes sense.”
All in all, 2024 has been the biggest year so far for BBC Studios ANZ in terms of volume and revenue, which is in opposition to many companies in other major English-language countries. The U.S. unscripted space, for example, is experiencing a major downturn in work-for-hire business, and many American indies have spent recent months looking forge new international deals to retain rights. It’s a similar story in Canada and the UK, where many scripted and unscripted productions companies have gone out of business in the face of tough market conditions and commissioning downturns.
Washington asses the Australian markets. “We have been protected to an extent, but there has been some slowing down,” she says. “Twelve-month commissioning cycles are maybe turning into 18-month cycles, but there is still a very positive energy. We are feeling more optimistic than our U.S. and UK colleagues are right now, but really you have to watch yourself. You have to watch the levels of budget and the reins need to be kept tight. You have to be clear and execute and there’s not much room for margin — networks will look at anything missing its target or not working on digital. However, I’m feeling pretty good. This has been our busiest year and a lot of content is coming out now, and next year is looking really great as well.”
The BBC, which has been operating in Australia for decades, is indeed one of the most active players in the market. Just today, it was announced the Nine Network will launch six exclusive, BBC-branded FAST channels. Streamer 9Now will house more than 300 titles across the channels, which include Top Gear– and Antiques Roadshow UK-branded stations, along with BBC Comedy, BBC Food, BBC Home & Garden and BBC Earth.
Washington is looking forwards to spending some face time later this year in London with new BBC Studios Productions CEO Zai Bennett, the former Sky Content MD who is replacing Ralph Lee. A push into original development will be a priority in 2025, so a powwow with the new boss, who has worked on series such as Chernobyl and Gangs of London, could be an invaluable opportunity.
Shows such as SBS’s Ray Martin: The Last Goodbye, in which the journalist plans his own funeral, have been cutting through as the strategy kicks in. “Whilst we’ve been working hard at the formats and big BBC IP, we have been focusing on original scripted and unscripted,” says Washington. “We’ve got more titles like The Last Goodbye hopefully launching next year. It’s great to be operating with a foot in both originals and formats. You get to play with a lot of toys, and it keeps you exploring your territory and flexes your creativity.”
Sounds like Washington’s had the right format all along.
