The challenges ahead for Kate Phillips as the BBC’s new content chief, the parlous state of the TV freelance landscape, and Peter Fincham: "Oxbridge-y c**t”.

This week, as Kate Phillips is confirmed as the new BBC Chief Content Officer, Peter and Jimmy unpack the big issues piling up in her inbox. As the commissioning downturn continues to bite, we discuss the immensely challenging outlook for TV freelancers across the industry.  And we pay tribute to the much loved Joanna Beresford, whose death was announced this week - a woman to whom countless producers owe a vast debt.

Plus, Sir Trevor McDonald's Bernard Manning gags, the unlikely part Bridget Jones played in Peter’s career, and what people really mean when they say it’s not about the money (clue: it’s absolutely definitely about the money).

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You (series 69 now airing), Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal.

Our email address is InsidersTVPod@expectationtv.com, or you can get in touch via our socials at @InsidersTVPod.

New episodes every Friday.

Insiders: The TV Podcast is an Expectation and Hat Trick co-production.

The producer is Owen Braben.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.