The Media Club · 22 August 2025 · 50 min
Was This The Bitchiest TV Festival Ever?
- Edinburgh TV Festival Bitchiness
- Streamers vs PSBs
- BBC Independence
- Last One Laughing
- MasterChef Birmingham Move
- Channel 4 Drama Strategy
- YouTube and Creators
- Channel 5 Sale
This special episode of The Media Club, recorded live at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, covers the festival's key themes: the perceived 'bitchiness' and sniping between broadcasters and streamers, the debate over Netflix's 'TV tourism' (coined by Louisa Compton), and the decision to have newspaper editor James Harding deliver the McTaggart lecture. Guests including Boyd Hilton, Rebecca Cooney, Jake Kanter, Faraz Osman, Heather Fallon, and Jordan Laird discuss sessions on Channel 4, Channel 5, and the streamers' reduced presence. Leon Wilson from Banijay UK reveals the new Last One Laughing line-up and discusses MasterChef's move to Birmingham. The episode also includes a media quiz and news round-up.
Key takeaways
- The Edinburgh TV Festival was marked by public sniping between broadcasters and streamers, with Louisa Compton coining 'TV tourists' for Netflix.
- James Harding's McTaggart lecture warned that the BBC could cease to exist if its Royal Charter is not renewed in 2027, and called for safeguards against political interference.
- Leon Wilson revealed the new Last One Laughing line-up and discussed MasterChef's move to Birmingham, with two series already filmed there.
- Channel 4 announced it is doubling its drama spend, while Channel 5's Ben Frow confirmed the channel will not be sold as part of the Skydance merger.
- Wondery cut nearly its entire workforce (110 layoffs), and Reach is moving its overnight team to Australia.
In this episode
- Intro and Festival Gossip
- Last One Laughing and MasterChef
- Channel 4 and Channel 5 Sessions
- Small Indy Fund and Studio Something
- News Round-up
- McTaggart Lecture Discussion
- Media Quiz: The Weakest Format
Notable quotes
“the bitches, the bitches of the local festival.”
“He's a genius. I think he's completely reinvented television. And I take my hat off to his originality and creativity.”
“If Parliament chooses not to renew the Royal Charter in 2027, the BBC will just cease to exist.”
“I consider it to be Stephen Moffat's West Wing.”
Discussed
James Harding · BBC · Channel 4 · Channel 5 · Netflix · Amazon Prime Video
Mentioned or recommended
- Edinburgh International TV Festival
- Last One Laughing
- MasterChef
- The Traitors
- Celebrity Traitors
- Adolescence
- Toxic Town
- The Night Manager
- Big Brother
- A View from the Terrace
- Hunted
- The Summit
- Francis Bourgeois astronaut show
- Number 10
- Danny Dyer saves a caravan park
- The Weakest Format
- British Scandal
