Sherlock was a risk, says BBC drama boss

In my opinion, if you take risks with stories and writers, you will actually drive big audiences. For example, the tone of Sherlock only works on the BBC in this country. The risk we took with that tone drove the success of it internationally. And that is a massive show internationally. It is in hundreds of territories internationally, is a hit in America and has made Benedict [Cumberbatch] a star. That came out of the same approach and attitude that goes into our other work. Being popular is absolutely at the heart of what the BBC does. The minute we become niche and only for a particular audience is when we are dead. Every single member of the license-fee paying audience who enjoys drama must find enough drama across the course of the year to be really excited and be able to say, “That’s a good use of my license fee.”

Links: Hollywood Reporter, Digital Spy, Serien-Load