Patrick Walters, the Brit exec producer of Netflix hit series “Heartstopper” and recent Sky/Stars show “Sweetpea,” landed in Series Mania in France amid what is being described as a crisis in the U.K. drama space, with scripted commissioning falling as broadcasters cut back on spend and take less risks.
The TV exec — who in 2023 set up his own Fanboy label as part of See-Saw Films (where he’s worked for the last decde) — said that it was something he’d felt.
“It’s really difficult and it’s something I’ve seen season on season with ‘Heartstopper’ and all the production complexities in TV at this moment are a lot,” he said.
“I think the challenge is that what you need to be pitching in that moment are things that feel so specific that there isn’t a precedent, that moves the conversation… but that’s a risk. Often I find I’m wanting to work towards risky material in order that you’re going to broadcasters and saying, ‘hey, we’ve got to do this, it’s so exciting.’ It needs that passion.”
Walters was also speaking at Series Mania shortly after See-Saw Films sold a majority stake to French powerhouse Mediawan, a move he said he hoped would help spearhead more investment and resources into bigger projects.
“We’re really excited,” he said. “It’s early days, it happened just weeks ago. But See-Saw has always really valued very independent creative work, so I’m looking at their other companies that Mediawan has and seeing the same currency through there. So we’re excited to see how it plays out.”
One subject Walters couldn’t elaborate on was an update on the fourth season of “Heartstopper,” which Netflix is yet to have greenlit. “Afraid I don’t have any to say,” he explained. “But as soon as I do, the update will be updated.”
