Rant against meddling execs

Jennifer Saunders has fired a broadside against TV executives – saying the industry is full of interfering ‘idiots’.

In an interview with The Scotsman to mark the return of Absolutely Fabulous, she said she had managed to ‘sidestep’ most of the broadcasters’ meddling but said: ‘I had a bit of interference on Jam & Jerusalem. Not script-wise but format-wise.

But she repeatedly branded them ‘just idiots, actual idiots’ with increasing gusto, adding that they were ‘people who don’t understand the creative process, who have never been programme makers yet are suddenly sticking their oar in.’

‘Someone rang up and asked me if we could put the Ab Fabs on pre-watershed and I was like, have you ever seen the show? Could we put Ab Fab before the watershed? Are you an idiot? Yes you are, you’re an idiot!

‘Why are there so many idiots? They don’t understand how television works, that’s what I can’t bear. It’s that kind of management theory that if you can manage a chain of shops then you can manage a television company and you want to go, no you can’t, actually. They are just IDIOTS.’

Published: 19 Dec 2011