C21 backs Remain in UK EU vote

As the UK prepares for a crucial vote on its future, C21 is backing the Remain campaign’s call to stay within the European Union.

Polls suggest the vote will be tight, as a divided nation considers whether to remain part of the EU, or leave and go it alone.

The arguments are complex and future uncertain whichever way the vote goes. Both sides have struggled to prove their case conclusively.

The TV industry may, in many ways, seem a sideshow in a debate that’s dominated by political, economic, cultural and social issues such as self-governance, immigration, border control, finance and homeland security.

But as audiences, what we see on screen is, in a very genuine sense, a reflection of the world in which we live.

A decade ago, the thought of a subtitled Swedish detective drama finding a home on British television would have been unimaginable, let alone the idea it would be remade with one of the UK’s most respected actors, going on to achieve success of its own. But that was Wallander.

It would have been unimaginable that this success would stimulate a national interest in Scandinavian drama that would help propel its exposure and popularity on the global stage, even spawning a US remake. But this was what happened with The Killing.

It would have been unimaginable that one of the cleverest, most simple premises – one designed to highlight all the latent tensions, prejudices but ultimately commonalities between bordering nations – would prompt a coproduction between the leading French and UK pay TV operators. But this was how The Bridge led to The Tunnel.

It would have been unimaginable that a leading French pay TV network would commission a series about one of the most prominent figures in the country’s history and allow the show to be shot in the cherished palaces in which he lived – and, what’s more, to have the whole thing filmed in English. This is Versailles.

What also would have been unimaginable was that a German-language drama set in the days before the fall of the Berlin Wall would become the first to be picked up by a US network. This was Deutschland 83.

That a drama about a notorious gang of Balkan jewel thieves would be coproduced by the same US company in collaboration with partners in the UK and France would also have been unimaginable. This was The Last Panthers, a project that became the first to secure a maximum grant of €1m (US$1.1m) from the EU’s Creative Europe support programme.

All these shows – in particular the last two, which have as their backdrops some of the most divisive conflicts in recent European history – illustrate just how international and collaborative the television industry has become over the past five years.

So many more great projects are in development and significant questions remain as to what impact a UK exit from the EU might have on these, as has been highlighted by C21 in the past few weeks.

But if television tells us anything in this debate, it’s the fact that the increasing internationalisation, ambition, complexity and diversity of content reflects the rich tapestry of relationships between European nations and those beyond. This doesn’t apply only to the end product we see on screen but also to collaborations behind the scenes that make such incredible entertainment possible.

The EU is by no means without its faults and cannot claim credit for television’s successes but it has been a driving force in creating the ever more interconnected world in which we live – in turn the inspiration for so many great stories. This interconnection presents its own challenges but if we are to help shape the script then it’s only possible to do so by maintaining a seat in the writers’ room.

Entertainment is global, the opportunities are global and the UK should remain a partner, a critic, a constructive, creative agitator and gateway to and from the European market for the English-speaking world.

As a UK-based company with a fundamentally international outlook, we urge you to vote Remain if you are heading to the ballot box.