I think the sheer hell of trying to get a film made; I don't know if it would ultimately be worth it. The sort of format that I have, these TV things, sit somewhere between documentaries and reality shows and entertainment shows and dramas.
The reality of any location in Britain being used in a TV program of a film is that something bad is going to happen! That's the nature of drama. Most of the things that get made or basically grisly detective shows about murders, accidents or medical dramas.
I think I love fiction shows more than the reality shows. I have been offered many shows, but I don't think I am tailored for reality TV.
We draw inspiration directly and indirectly from all sorts of things, like movies, documentaries, TV dramas, novels, non-fiction books, animation, science and nature shows, and our own life experiences.
I do remember the moment when, as a child, I realized that the things we call 'TV shows' are really just the stuff that gets put between commercials. Later, I came to see that the kinds of things that get on 'free' TV are shows that help sell products.
Doing TV shows helps me a lot in my screenplay writing and filmmaking, especially since my TV shows are in different formats: comedy sketches, talk shows, debate programs, art variety shows, quiz shows. These enable me to meet interesting people with interesting stories and to learn about interesting subjects, all of which I can reflect into film.
One of the differences between real documentaries and reality television, besides the artificial construct of reality television, is that the people who are recruited to be on those shows, and the people who are interested in going on those shows, basically want to be famous. Or maybe they can win a million dollars or something.
The upper middle class here still has options for entertainment. We have Internet, Hollywood and books. But for the majority and the masses, there is only TV. A lot of them sit at home and watch TV as they can't afford other forms of entertainment. So, we try to do shows which have inspirational value.
I believe that reality shows are extremely important for the talented. Contestants get a platform where they can prove their talent. If they are good at what they do, their life is made. Personally, reality shows have helped me get fame and money.
My first press tour for 'Vikings' was pretty overwhelming. Between all the hotels, TV shows and talking a lot, I would get done and have to sit in silence for a while. It was exhausting, and you really have to focus.
I enjoy doing TV than movies. I do enjoy watching music reality shows but never get approached to participate in reality shows. I also enjoy reading books and take time to finish them.
The only difference in reality TV and the other TV is that the scriptwriters for reality TV are not union. I have been on reality TV shows. Believe me, my friends: It's not just improv and whatever happens when the cameras are rolling.
TV is such a success nowadays because it gives back in a way that features can't. If you go to a film, you only get two hours of great storytellers and performers, and you pay top dollar for that. If you're subscribing to premium channels and you're getting all of these amazing TV shows, and you're watching them as you want, where you want, when you want, on what you want, I think that is the "the golden era of TV" in what television shows are offering to audiences. We're giving them a lot more. It's quality.
TV has taken a crazy turn, especially in the industry of food, where everything is either a competition show or a sort of reality show. We've lost the kind of shows that are, like, 'Here's how you do this,' like the old Julia Child shows.
People ask me all the time, 'Are you fed up with reality TV?' At the end of the day, it can affect my career in the sense that the more reality shows there are, the less scripted dramas out there, but I can't ever really knock them. I started on 'Popstars,' which was a reality talent show. I have respect for them.
So you know, when you think about all of the things that you put online - so whether it's, you know, your - what TV shows you like or, you know, what movies you watch or what you listen to, these are all little discrete clues about sort of who you are as a person.
I think reality shows have changed me for the better. They bring out the best in you when you are under tremendous pressure. That apart, I have made some very good friends from these shows.