Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Wolf Hallwas one of the years biggest artistic triumphs when it premieredin 2015.
As the evening progressed, every nomination got knocked down.
And yet against all odds,Nicklebyended up taking home the gold.
When the announcement was made, I just sat there, Callender recalls.
My guest dug at me in the ribs, and she said, They just mentioned your name.
And I looked up and hadnt actually realized that we won.
It was a bit of a shock.
It doesnt make a run at compete and be aWinds of Waror aThorn Birds.
It provides the audience with something different from the mainstream.
What else contributed to the decadelong gap?Two things.
We were very lucky to have the BBC andMasterpieceattached to the project.
In both cases, they stepped up in a very considerable way to help us make it.
But it was a challenge.
Another reason that organizing the schedule was complicated is that the show is shot entirely on location.
There were no studio builds.
We were shooting in authentic Tudor buildings, many of which were part of the National Trust.
And Peter Kosminsky had extensive emails with her.
Did that come into play when makingThe Mirror and the Light?
We were very aware that that was a concern for certain viewers the first time round.
I genuinely think the show looks quite beautiful.
I dont think anyone will have any of the problems this time round that some had the first time.
But for a while now, youve been warning that streaming represents a threat to U.K. producers.
Other producers have echoed your fears.
So I believe in that model.
Do you think the originalWolf Hallwould get green-lit by the BBC and PBS in the media world of 2025?
But nonetheless, the BBC supported that casting.
They even waited about nine months for his availability to become free so we could shoot it with him.
Do you agree with that idea?Well, that financial arrangement existsall over Europe.
SoThe Undeclared Warfor Channel 4 and Peacock is contemporary.
Our adaptation ofMaigretis contemporary.
The series version ofInspector Lynleyis contemporary, as isSmall Town, Big Story.
Even after so many years of making TV, you want to keep evolving, I guess.
They made them, but we as Primetime owned the rights in the rest of the world.
Weve got three-quarters of the money already.
You only need to be in for the remaining quarter.
And thats how it happened.
It was literally contract 001, and it was a real inflection point in the British industry.
You had a role in another shift in the industry during your time at HBO.
You took a job there in 1986 and went on to essentially create what became the networks prestige-movie division.
There were obviously many examples of great made-for-TV movies and miniseries before then.
We were right in the middle of HBO changing the television landscape.
But,but they have to be marketed.
The audience has to know theyre there.
What we were doing back then at HBO is very different to whats going on now.
Theres so much material, and I think the streamers are relying on audiences just finding shows.
We in the audienceknewit was something important.
Thats the difference, right?Absolutely.
Thats exactly what happened back in those Camelot days.
And yet the end result has rarely felt like the best of what HBO so often does.
So I dont think theres any correlation between the amount of money spent on a show and its success.
I think that the key to great television is great development.
Theres a lot of good stuff on TV.
But I think that careful and meticulous development is right at the core ofgreattelevision.
So I think theres a real honesty and humanity to the stories and the characters.
And I think the story embraces the small moments, the micromoments that actually we all can relate to.
It has a profound humanity to it, and I think that speaks to people.
Is this the kind of series you think could go on for another decade?
And I like to think that every season has taken those characters further than before.
So I think the answer is well continue as long as we dont start repeating ourselves.
