Adapting to each market has made All Together Now an international success, says James Fox

I’ve just watched Knees Up Mother Brown cockney pub singer and Rob Beckett’s ‘showbiz nan’ Lili Davies standing proudly on the set of All Together Now Romania, which is currently shooting in Warsaw.

There’s a lot to get your head around in that sentence, but that’s just another day in the weird and wonderful world of the international rollout of the format.

Now in 12 territories around the world in the 12 months since its launch on BBC1, it’s been a thrilling, fascinating and often hilarious adventure for us all at Remarkable and across the Endemol Shine Group. Winning the award for International Programme Sales at last week’s Broadcast Awards was the cherry on top.

Roll back three years and it all felt very different. As our creative director Dom Waugh and I arrived at New Broadcasting House with two bits of cardboard and a very simple pitch, we weren’t quite sure what commissioner Rachel Ashdown would think. Fortunately, she saw through our shoddy Photoshop skills and immediately thought we were on to something.

We headed to Mip TV to try out the idea on our friends from around the Endemol Shine Group: a feisty and opinionated mix of experienced producers and creatives, who will tell you instantly and bluntly if they don’t like an idea, unlike us Brits, who say ideas are “interesting” – or “really interesting” if we really hate them.

Luckily, everyone thought we had something truly universal. It turns out we all love a singalong, no matter what the language.

Fast-forward six months and we were prepping a pilot thanks to a real show of faith from Kate Phillips, then newly arrived as BBC controller of entertainment, BBC content director Charlotte Moore and the team at BBC1.

We were all excited but, in a media landscape dominated by new platforms that make shows global in one click, we wondered what the market truly was for another singing format. Could the traditional ‘format rollout’ still work? Step forward Lisa Perrin and her unstoppable team at Endemol Shine Creative Networks.

Working closely with our local companies, we decided on an ambitious strategy to pitch All Together Now globally from the off, rather than wait for the full commission.

By the time the first contestant stepped on stage for the pilot, we had an unprecedented 10 potential buyers gathered at the back of the gallery with us in Salford. We all took a deep breath and as ‘the 100’ started joining in, we thought, “this might just work”.

From there, the past year has been a whirlwind: delivering the first series for BBC1; launching it into the white heat of the Saturday night schedules; and doing it all again with our second series that starts in the coming weeks.

Undoubtedly, original British content and the kudos of a BBC commission remains enticing for other markets around the world. From Sao Paulo to Sydney, we’ve seen some amazing versions of the 100, our larger-than-life (and, indeed, larger than most studios) judging panel.

We’ve worked hard to keep the creative DNA of the show in place, with all the joy, laughter, generosity and madness of the original. But we’ve also moved away from the ‘one-size-fit sall’ approach to formats, embracing the various slots, format twists and casting needs of each market. Adaptability has proved vital.

As we look ahead to the next iteration of the format business, it seems the same rules still apply – whatever network, platform or market you’re selling to: find those passions and pastimes we all love; be global but local; and create something that makes us all smile.

There are more opportunities than ever, which brings us back to Lili. Resplendent in another extraordinary outfit, banging out Romanian classics, it really does seem everybody loves to join in – wherever you are in the world. ­

 

As seen on Broadcastnow.co.uk