Deadline | |
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Genre | Documentary |
Directed by |
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Composers |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 [1] |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Editor | Stuart Briggs |
Running time |
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Production company | Real Life Productions |
Original release | |
Network | Channel 4 |
Release | 20 March – 1 May 1995 |
Deadline is a British fly-on-the-wall documentary series following the journalists at Yorkshire Television's local news service, Calendar . It was broadcast as a series of six episodes on Channel 4 from 20 March to 1 May 1995 as part of its Whose News? season. [2]
Yorkshire Television agreed to allow access to Channel 4's fly-on-the-wall documentary series following ITN's refusal to take part in the project. [3] Most of the Calendar team took part in the documentary rather than be accused of hypocrisy; Christa Ackroyd says, "how could I, a TV journalist whose job it is to persuade others to appear on camera, refuse to take part when the tables were turned?". [3]
The documentary crew spent three months following the newsgatherers at Yorkshire TV. [4] Some material was removed from the broadcast version. Journalist Alan Hardwick was captured making some, what The Guardian's media editor labels "fairly abusive", remarks about criminals. [3] Ackroyd reports that some people refused to sign release forms, and 'no filming' areas were established. [3]
Yorkshire TV were unhappy at the documentary's press release, which began: "Coming up in just a moment, the biggest petunia in the world – and the man whose grown it. But first, the Bradford murder." Channel 4 thought that the sentence reflected Calendar's diverse content, but Yorkshire were concerned that it made them look silly. The press was requested not to use the offending words. [3]
The first episode focussed upon the media coverage of the disappearance of schoolgirl Lindsay Rimer in November 1994, [2] whose body was recovered shortly after the episode was broadcast. [5] This first episode also covered more trivial stories, such as the launch of a new cheese, and a live interview with Coronation Street actress Lynne Perrie, who was promoting her autobiography. [2]
Tom Sutcliffe, in The Independent , expressed concern over the length of the series, suggesting that it might become "too much of a good thing" and the focus upon a regional news service ("a little local runabout", writes Sutcliffe) rather than "the great national juggernauts". [2] Much of Sutcliffe's criticisms were about the journalistic practices and integrity of the Calendar team; he questions its staging of police briefings, and the decision to devote airtime to the launch of a cheese. [2]
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