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From Brideshead Revisited to Vanity Fair, Britain's sumptuous TV dramas are renowned around the world as examples of broadcasting brilliance.
But their days could be numbered because they cannot match "the emotional drain" of reality shows and sport.
ITV, which celebrated its highest recent
ratings when 14.6 million people tuned into last weekend's The X Factor talent quest final, last week said it was axing a planned two-part adaptation of A Passage to India because it was too expensive.
With TV budgets shrinking, expensive dramas have become increasingly difficult to make, says Michael Grade, ITV's executive chairman.
"There is so much real-life drama in today's schedules - in sport, in reality shows like The X Factor - that it's getting harder and harder for us and the BBC to launch new drama," said Mr Grade, who has also
served stints as the head of BBC1 and Channel 4.
"It is hard for scripted drama to match that emotional drain you get from these big events. Fictional storytelling is still what singles out British TV for its excellence, but dramas get harder and harder to launch."
His comments drew criticism from actors and directors.
Charles Sturridge, the screen-writer and director who made Brideshead Revisited and who is chairman of Directors UK, the TV and film directors' body, described his comments as "a self-serving opinion from a company that's forgotten how to make drama".
"It's like saying you don't need theatre because you have football," he said. "With drama, you have to invest in talent such as actors and writers. With a talent competition, you don't have to do the homework.
"Expense is not the key. The key to good drama is originality, storytelling, adventurism, reaching out to audiences ... I think ITV has a very poor record for drama over the past decade, which didn't used to be the case."
Peter Bazalgette, a pioneer of reality TV with shows such as Big Brother and Ready Steady Cook, claimed Mr Grade was engaging in a "bit of spin".
"It's true that non-fiction telly has adopted the 'narrative' approach, so you have strong human storylines.
"Drama is still superb and compelling. But it is far, far more expensive than factual TV. In this context Michael Grade is indulging in a bit of spin ... The truth is that ITV has to cut dramas because it cannot afford to sustain its current programme spend."
Last year, Doctor Who was one of the BBC's biggest sellers on DVD, shifting 1.9 million copies and helping the corporation to a 41.3 million ($108 million) profit from DVD sales, with Cranford, Sense and Sensibility and Oliver all doing well.
- INDEPENDENT
