BBC coughs up B7m for film crew's Phuket stay

[Maestro]

I have removed an abusive post. General rule: address the topic, not the poster.

[guzzi850m2]

Hmm Jeromy Clarkson was not there, he would fit right in, in an Aston Martin off-course.

[annabel]

i think the crew should be rewarded for sparing us the same old story AGAIN.

With a very biaised view that too~!!!!!

[HerbalEd]

BBC should have sent down another film crew to secretly document the expensive partying of the first film crew.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

...Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10239133/BBC-crew-spend-150-000-of-licence-payers-money-partying-in-Thailand.html

-- The Telegraph 2013-08-13

Clicking on the above link I get "Sorry. We cannot find the page you are looking for" and I wonder if somebody at the BBC used his influence to get the article removed.

i doubt it seeing as the link works fine for me

[wotaplonker]

only 3,600 per night minimum !!

another good reason to privatise

[bigbamboo]

The only way to bring the BBC under control is to make it responsible for it's own funding.

[Stjohnm]

The story was in the 'ole Current, so its not News Murdoch & the Beeb ain't friends so its a non starter, as some people have mentioned depending on what the film crew were tasked to do its probably cheaper to keep them in a hotel out here between shoots than have them return to base.

[BrianCR]

"The BBC is financed by British taxpayers" NO it's not, It financed by a TV licence fee the reporter should get their facts right.

Jasus, talk about splitting hairs...

Anyway, I shall file this topic under "don't give a shit"

totster

You filing this post under the others that you have posted?

[BrianCR]

BBC should have sent down another film crew to secretly document the expensive partying of the first film crew.

Most BBC productions are outsourced!!!

[BrianCR]

"The BBC is financed by British taxpayers" NO it's not, It financed by a TV licence fee the reporter should get their facts right.

And the tv license fee is not a tax? Well done, you've passed indoctrination 101. You may now move along to course 102, "VAT" isn't a tax.

Tax is compulsory a licence is a choice you make if to pay or not!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nontabury]

God, I hate to have to defend the BBC, but there's nowhere near enough facts here to make any sort of decision on what went on.

Firstly, it sounds like the crew came to Thailand to film two documentaries, and one of them was cancelled.

That meant that they had ten days before the next one started filming.

Well, it is of course fairly normal to send a crew out a little time before the filming starts. This is not just to get over jet-lag, it's to test out equipment, find locations, apply for local permissions etc. In fact, any filming in Thailand requires a film permit, which must be submitted well before the filming starts.

So, in all likelihood the idea was that while they were filming the first documentary, the production team would be also prepping the second, which would in fact be quite an efficient use of time.

When the first project became impossible, it would probably not have made sense to send the crew home to England, then back again.

Firstly, they would have had to have bought a new air ticket, which would probably have been at least 40,000 Baht - quite likely more than the cost of their hotel.

Secondly, they would not be able to prep for the next documentary, so some of the crew would not have been able to go home anyway.

Finally, they were quite probably on a visa obtained for the specific purpose of the filming, arranged via the Thailand Film Office. If they returned home, the visa would be invalidated, so they would have to start the process again, which might not have happened in time.

Of course, there are other possible factors. We don't know what deal they had with the hotel, and whether there would have been a cancellation fee if they moved out.

There is also no real mention of what this 150,000 pound bill included. Did it include shipping of their equipment, the carnet costs, local transportation? If we don't know that information, we cannot possibly say whether it is a waste or not.

The average US TV drama series costs $3m per episode.

Perhaps we should not be criticising the BBC, but instead criticising the appallingly lazy journalists, who write sensationalist pieces like this without any supporting facts. This is horrible journalism. How much were the journalists paid to write this? That is a waste. Maybe they should fly a journalist out here just so they can report on the story with more pictures of the resort.

Where does it say they came to make a second documentary in Thailand ? perhaps their next story was in the UK.They themselves posted that they had little to do but relax and play. You say it would have cost more to buy new return tickets, yet I've given them an allowance of £2,000 per ticket,please see my post No 17, I'm pretty sure they could have brought forward their return flights at negligible cost. As I said in my previous post, the actual cost of their 10 day holiday was mostly taken up with living costs.

I do not know if this story was exaggerated by what you refer to as lazy journalist, unless you can show that it is so. What I think it shows is lazy and incompetent BBC accountants and senior managers, but nay mind it's not their own money.

[Bkungbank]

If keep spending like that it will the next Greek!

I think they have fall into illegal taxi and jet ski scam in Phuket.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Bkungbank

[Gonzo the Face]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but if the standard WP patrol posters haven't .......

The BBC crew was here filming what would have been a Special. They were caught out and had to change the program special to Sun, Sand and whatever ,,,,,,, which was work......

Did they need a work permit for this change of work schedule......

Whats the matter with you guys...... Where are theusual " did they have a work permit gang"

[deesquared]

"The BBC is financed by British taxpayers" NO it's not, It financed by a TV licence fee the reporter should get their facts right.

Jasus, talk about splitting hairs...

Anyway, I shall file this topic under "don't give a shit"

totster

It always a race to see who can say it first. "The reporter got the facts wrong!"

[jmccarty]

Good on em! Hope they had a nice time!

[webfact]

BBC denies £150k Phuket partying claim
Phuket Gazette


The BBC has denied claims that more than 7 million baht was wasted paying for a film crew to party in Phuket. Photo: Gazette file

PHUKET: -- The BBC has denied claims that it wasted more than 7 million baht on a show in Thailand after an episode was reportedly scrapped.

The British public service broadcaster issued a statement yesterday after leading UK daily newspapers The Sun and Daily Mail reported the crew for the BBC show Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents spent 10 days “partying” in Phuket.

The partying allegedly came at the British license fee payers’ expense – as UK residents must pay an annual license fee in order to watch TV – to the tune of 7 million baht.

The news reports claimed a gap was left in the filming schedule after one of the participants of the undercover show pulled out at the last minute.

However, the BBC yesterday said there was “no truth” to the newspapers’ claims.

“No episodes of Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents have been axed in this series and therefore there is no truth to the claim that we have had to write-off 150,000 pounds,” a joint BBC and RDF TV statement said.

The show Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents follows young people on their first holiday abroad alone, unaware their parents have secretly travelled to the same destination to spy on them.

Commissioned by the BBC, the program is made by independent production company RDF, which uses its own crew.

The BBC said in this instance two sets of friends had been due to travel to Thailand in June to take part in the show; however, one pulled out due to personal reasons.

Filming continued with the other group of friends as planned by the TV crew – who had flown out ahead to set up the production – while a new group was recast.

“Production schedules were amended due to a change of contributors but the production team continued to work and film other material for the series,” said the joint statement.

The BBC added it was untrue to say there was a 10-day break in filming or that it was an “all-expenses-paid jaunt”.

It said all scheduling and budget arrangements on location were decided by RDF – whose crew were allocated five days off during the 34-day shoot – and all leisure expenses were paid by the crew themselves.

“As with all productions, staff work very long hours, with the right to some time off,” the statement continued.

“RDF followed all BBC guidelines whilst filming the series and it will deliver in full, and for the original BBC program budget.”

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/BBC-denies-150k-Phuket-partying-claim-21946.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-08-14

[CrisRMenumate]

Judgement by Facebook... will always stand up in court?

[canopus1969]

TV crew partied for 10 DAYS in Thailand on trip which cost £150,000

Depending on the numbers in the Crew that seems quite reasonable for Phuket

[Totster]

"The BBC is financed by British taxpayers" NO it's not, It financed by a TV licence fee the reporter should get their facts right.

Jasus, talk about splitting hairs...

Anyway, I shall file this topic under "don't give a shit"

totster

You filing this post under the others that you have posted?

No, however I will be filing your post under "Wayne Kerr"

totster

Edited August 14, 2013 by Totster

[lee b]

If the BBC denie it, then it must be true

[lifeincnx]

The BBC should just be thankful that Jimmy Savile is dead, otherwise the bill would have been far greater. Although come to think of it, I wish he had been still alive and visited Thailand - then he could have spent all his remaining Golden Years at the Bangkok Hilton where he truly belonged.

[Maestro]

...Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10239133/BBC-crew-spend-150-000-of-licence-payers-money-partying-in-Thailand.html

-- The Telegraph 2013-08-13

Clicking on the above link I get "Sorry. We cannot find the page you are looking for" and I wonder if somebody at the BBC used his influence to get the article removed.

i doubt it seeing as the link works fine for me

Now the link works for me, too.