Death in development usually just means you haven't found the right life support yet.
Development Roulette: When Projects Die After Years of Work (And Why That's Not The End)
Let's talk about the producer's version of Russian roulette aka development hell.
That soul crushing limbo where projects go to die slow deaths by a thousand "close but we have that already". Where years of your creative life vanish into the ether of "it's not quite right for us at this time."
I've been there. You've been there. Every working creative in the UK has a creative graveyard full of almost was projects collecting digital dust. That BBC pitch you nurtured through three different channel controllers? The Channel 4 script that got "enthusiastic passes" from everyone? The ITV development deal that evaporated during a restructuring?
Welcome to the club. The membership fees are your tears and sleepless nights.
Small comfort, but your project is in good company during the mourning period. Some of today's biggest British hits were yesterday's reject pile refugees.
* Fleabag - was initially developed with a different broadcaster before finding its home at BBC Three
* Gavin & Stacey - was rejected by multiple commissioners before BBC Three took a chance
* The Great British Bake Off - was losing momentum at the BBC before Channel 4 jumped in and made it a ratings winner
* Derry Girls - spent years in development before Channel 4 greenlit it
* Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio famously developed multiple failed projects before hitting gold
The UK entertainment industry runs on two currencies: talent and persistence. And guess what? Only one of those has a 100% success rate if you apply enough of it.
The Three Stages of Development Grief
1. Denial - "They just don't understand Northern voices"
2. Anger - "How tf is ‘another’ middleclass London drama getting commissioned?!"
3. Acceptance - "Right, how can we repackage this for Sky Arts?"
Most people get stuck between 2 and 3. The smart creatives live in stage 3.
Case Study: The Zombie Project That Wouldn't Die
Earlier this year, a client came to me with a drama series that had:
Been through BBC, ITV and Sky without landing
Endured notes from 5 different commissioners
Survived the collapse of an indie producer
Outlasted one complete broadcast strategy overhaul
We did a forensic audit and realised that the core characters were solid, but the format was all wrong.
Three months later, we:
Retooled it as a returning documentary drama because we worked out that the factual elements, boosted the storytelling further than the fiction.
Repackaged the treatment for a factual commissioner, looking for steps into affordable dramatic re-enactments
Targeted and therefore triggering a different funding pot
It's now in production with a digital first broadcaster. The lesson?
Death in development usually just means you haven't found the right life support yet. Which makes me proud as a former commissioner turned script doctor, I can turn the paddles on and shout CLEAR!
So to keep the medical metaphors going…
Here is my Five Point ‘Autopsy’ for when a project stalls (or dies), you should ask yourself:
1. Is it the idea or the exec? (Many great ideas get lost in commissioner musical chairs)
2. Who actually said no? (A pass from BBC Drama isn't a pass from ITV or Sky)
3. What's the BFI/Arts Council angle? (Sometimes public money can bridge the gap)
4. What elements have legs? (Characters? Format? Social relevance?)
5. What's the lowest-lift way to prove the concept? (Pilot shoot? Podcast version? RTS pitch?)
When to Walk Away (And When to Double Down)
The cold hard truth is that some projects ‘should’ die. The trick is knowing which ones.
Signs it's time to move on:
The broadcaster's priorities have clearly shifted so your gritty NHS themed post-pandemic drama is not the flavour of the month
The passion is gone (if you're not excited, no commissioner will be)
The core premise has fundamental flaws, you may have missed early notes and now find yourself in a tangle.
Signs you should keep fighting:
You keep getting ‘good passes and feedback (i.e., "We love this but our slate is full")
The material still excites you after all this time, it feels evergreen
You can see multiple potential iterations (returning series? One off? podcast?)
The Resurrection Playbook
1. The Format Flip - Failed drama? Try an Audible original or stage version
2. The Regional Angle - Reposition for Northern Ireland Screen or Screen Scotland funding etc
3. The Side Door - Use the material to enter comps or get staffed on a similar show
4. The Time Capsule - Put it away until the next commissioning cycle.
My two cents… If the story is truly evergreen, it will keep!
All of this reminds me of the Chewing Gum story.
TL;DR - Chewing Gum Dreams was Michaela Coel’s senior graduation project at Guildhall in 2012. It was later produced by five different theatres including the National, it got tangle in development at the BBC, before making it to screen as Chewing Gum on Channel 4 - to critical acclaim in 2016/17.
Fleabag also started life as a stage monologue in 2012/13 followed by some development hopscotch over at Channel 4 before making it to BBC Three in 2016 and then returning for series two and winning everything in 2019. Notice how Phoebe Waller-Bridge didn’t ever tell us the characters real name?
Now that’s a bold af strategy!
I mention the script to screen journey of these powerhouse women to say, even those we deem to be the best among us had to bide their time in development hell, wait for the right commissioning partners, then pivot and pounce when the time was right.
No one ever knows when they have that ‘killer project’ in their inbox. As commissioners, “we are all prospectors, panning for gold” as Shane Allen (former Head of BBC and C4 Comedy) used to say. I joined the BBC comedy team in 2015, at the height of their success with hits like Inside No. 9, Peter Kay’s Car Share, This Country, Mum and of course - Fleabag. We always hoped for the best and even with incredible instincts, no one really knew the scope of these juggernauts on the slate, until they made their presence known.
These examples aren’t just theoretical and my consultancy exists specifically to help UK creators navigate the exact crossroads to choose the right path.
In our sessions, we:
Audit stalled projects for hidden potential
Identify the right UK funding and TX avenues
Build concrete resurrection plans even if that includes a temporary pivot from the target to gain traction
Because in this business, the difference between a ‘failed’ project and a future hit is often just one stubborn creative refusing to take no for an answer like Mr Adjani Salmon when I sent back the first draft of Dreaming Whilst Black with lots of homework and headaches for him to iron out. And Iron he did.
He even took the time to shout me out when talking about his long road to TV excellence.
Everyone deserves a creative champion.
So come on then, let's dig into your so called ‘failed’ project and find its second act. Reach out via this questionnaire and let me know how I can help.
BTW - the project you're most embarrassed about, might be your best asset.
Just ask the team behind Gogglebox. Did you know the original pitch was version of The Royle Family but with real people covered by a deadpan TV Burp style narrator? Sounds unmake-able until the vision fell into the right creative hands.
The show has held a prime-time slot for twenty-five series, until it wrapped in May 2025!
If you want to dig a little deeper to get out of your own development hell, why not book a 1:1 call here? I’ll bring the shovel.