Gub Neal: Cracking the Business of TV Drama Production

Abstract

Before Gub Neal set about making drama for the small screen, he cut his creative teeth on the fringes of British theatre, organising street performances for the biennial London International Festival of Theatre between 1981 and 1985. Simultaneously, Neal ran Stage Fright, his own theatre company, satisfying his formative appetites for writing, directing and producing. When the funding stream for street theatre subsequently ran dry, Neal looked to television as a natural career shift, entering the BBC’s employ as an assistant floor manager in 1985. Quickly rising through the ranks at the BBC, Neal gained further experience as a script editor before moving on to finding his niche as an independent producer. Within the space of just a few years he had forged a formidable reputation within the British television industry for his ability to recognise and nurture formats that could combine dramatic innovation with mainstream commercial success. Such ability is evidenced by his involvement in the likes of Prime Suspect (ITV, 1991–2006), Cracker (ITV, 1993–6, 2006), Band of Gold (ITV, 1995–7) and Hillsborough (ITV, 1996). Neal’s success as a producer made him an attractive prospect for executive positions with the major broadcasters and, in 1995, he was appointed Controller of Drama at Granada, before moving on two years later to run the Drama Department at Channel 4 where he continued to demonstrate an acute skill for recognising potential with commissions including The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star (C4, 1998), Queer as Folk (C4, 1999–2000), Psychos (C4, 1999) and Shackleton (C4, 2002). In 2000, Neal established his own independent production company, Box TV, along with co-founders Justin Thomson-Glover and