EXCLUSIVE: Channel 4 has defended the provenance of The Couple Subsequent Door amid considerations from producers that it was penned by the husband of the UK broadcaster’s head of drama.
Two sources advised Deadline that The Couple Subsequent Door has been a speaking level within the British drama group in latest days after producers joined the dots between Channel 4 drama chief Caroline Hollick and screenwriter David Allison.
Channel 4 has argued that Hollick recused herself from the commissioning course of, nevertheless it has not stopped the broadcaster’s suppliers from questioning if nepotism performed a component within the Starz co-production making it to display screen.
Regardless of being recused, Channel 4 mentioned The Couple Subsequent Door was “commissioned by” Hollick in a press launch asserting the sequence in March. She was additionally quoted within the press discover, trumpeting the drama as an “addictive, emotional roller-coaster.” Her relationship with Allison was not declared.
Channel 4 solely commissions a handful of high-end dramas every year, which means there are restricted alternatives for producers to win enterprise. One well-established Channel 4 scripted provider mentioned the broadcaster had failed to totally contemplate the optics of The Couple Subsequent Door fee.
This sense has been exacerbated by Channel 4’s fragile relations with the manufacturing sector. The corporate’s monetary woes, sparked by the worst advert market hunch in 15 years, have resulted in a commissioning slowdown that has impacted all genres.
Starring Eleanor Tomlinson and Sam Heughan, The Couple Subsequent Door initially got here to Channel 4 by means of the broadcaster’s acquisitions staff, led by the outgoing Nick Lee. Allison, a author on Marcella and Bedlam, had already penned quite a lot of the scripts.
Channel 4’s commissioning staff took over the challenge after a majority funding associate pulled out. At this level, Hollick is claimed to have declared a battle of curiosity and stepped away from the drama. Rebecca Holdsworth led the greenlight course of.
A Channel 4 spokesperson mentioned: “Caroline Hollick was not concerned with the commissioning or editorial administration of The Couple Subsequent Door. She registered a battle of curiosity on the early levels of the challenge’s growth and recused herself from any selections associated to it.”
The Couple Subsequent Door premiered on Channel 4 on Monday, launching with an in a single day viewers of simply over 1M individuals. The second episode was watched by round 800,000.
Based mostly on the Dutch sequence New Neighbours, the present follows Tomlinson’s Evie and Pete (Harry Potter star Alfred Enoch), who transfer into an upscale neighborhood. They discover friendship within the form of the couple subsequent door, alpha visitors cop Danny (Heughan) and his spouse, glamorous yoga teacher Becka (Jessica De Gouw), however after Danny and Evie share a passionate evening collectively, there’s hassle forward.
