Producer Nicola Shindler on What Made ‘Happy Valley’ a Hit, Why ‘It’s a Sin’ Took “a Long Time”
British TV boss Nicola Shindler has explained why Channel 4’s It’s a Sin took “a long time” to get made — and the reason is creator Russell T. Davies‘ own genius.
Shindler, executive producer and CEO of Quay Street Productions, spoke alongside Top Gear and Clarkson’s Farm producer Andy Wilman at The Royal Television Society’s London Convention on Tuesday.
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Shindler is behind work such as the BAFTA-winning Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax. She said It’s a Sin, which followed the HIV/Aids crisis take hold of a friendship group and extended queer community in 1980s London, took “a long time” to get made because Doctor Who writer Davies wanted the script to first focus on the characters.
“The minute we set out to do that, my job was to make sure Russell’s voice was heard from the very beginning,” Schindler said. “It was about, ‘I have to make you love these boys,’ rather than starting in an AIDS hospital… And Russell said, ‘You have to love the characters first.’ And it took a long time to get made [because of that]. But he was absolutely right.”
Schindler also said, contrary to what some might believe, making a hit TV show does involve a little bit of ego. “If I didn’t know my opinion was right, then I wouldn’t be able to make those decisions.” She hailed British soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street, dismissing the idea that they could often be considered “low-brow television”. “I grew up with the soaps on the whole time and I think that’s a great education. I know I’ve got an instinct for story [because of them].”
On Happy Valley, helmed by the “brilliant” Sarah Lancashire, she said it’s a collaborative experience — prioritizing the visionary synergy of writer and producer — but making a hit is something that challenges her in an oversaturated market. “When there’s more and more telly, my job is to make sure something is surprising. I have to surprise the audience constantly.”
Schindler then said of Fool Me Once, which was not met with much praise from industry critics but became one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of the year: “I would much prefer to have 92 million people watching it than have a good review in The Guardian. The point of it is people watch it, the point of it is not to get a pat on the back. It’s about bringing people to it so they enjoy what you’re making.”
Wilman, who went to school with Jeremy Clarkson, touched on the “synergy” he and the Top Gear alum have achieved over the years. “The working together that we have done, we do have a synergy. Some of it did come from school, there’s no denying that. We never sat down and planned a hit because I don’t think we were clever enough to do that,” he admitted.
“I think we used to make the place a bit horrible,” he said of the Top Gear writing room. “Because we wanted to be left alone from execs, we didn’t want notes. If we made it a Chernobyl with people in it, nobody will come near us and we can get on with our stuff. Luckily it was good stuff. “
But, he admitted, the key to unscripted television-making is simple: “It’s about story. When people ask me, ‘Do you like driving?’ Four fucking times I failed my driving test, but Top Gear was a vehicle for cars.”
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