Saturday, August 06, 2011

Dragon's Den - a voice from the North?

Sunday 31st July 2011 Attentional's Screenwatch blog
Dragon's Den returned with 4 million on Sunday night - up from the previous season, as it benefitted from an extensive promo for the new, fifth dragon - Hilary Devey, a self-made millionaie who's only false career steps seems to have been missing out on a role in Corrie. The new addition to the show is a shrewd move but the best thing that could have happened to Dragon's Den is to emerge into an August without Big Brother. There was a time, in the previous century actually, when August was not owned by Big Brother - and now that time is back again. I can remember quite clearly how suddenly and dramatically Big Brother seized the summer schedules - it was early in my days writing a Reevells Ratings column for Broadcast, and the possibility of writing about the same show week after week as it blast away the opposition was pretty exciting.

No such drama for Dragon's Den, although it has garnered plenty of publicity and reviews, and a decent audience, for BBC2. One of the curious things about it is that although it is produced from Manchester, and has cast its newest Dragon from the North, the programme is made outside of the region. Would Dragon's Den from Manchester be any different? After all it is a format, not a location. Would it be weakened if it seemed to be set in Manchester, in the same way that The Apprentice takes its visual cues from London? Not a question which is likely to bother the commissioners at the BBC. Which is a shame really.

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