• “The best part for me is when you show the cuts to children, before you send them to broadcasters, when you see them smile. Then you know, yes, it is working.”
• “The success of Teletubbies was amazing, it went out to 156 countries which is astonishing.”
• “To get into the industry you have to do the nitty gritty, being a runner, you have to attach yourself like glue to any company you want to be a part of or where you think you can get a foot in the door.”

Last week children’s television producer and founder of Ragdoll productions Anne Wood was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Warwick.

Anne Wood CBE has received nearly 50 years of awards in recognition for services and achievements in the field of Children’s entertainment, be it books or television programmes.

Creator of Ragdoll productions her creative genius is behind some of the most iconic children’s television of this generation including Brum, Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden and DipDap to name a few.

Anne reflected on the best parts of the creative process when producing film and television,

“The best part for me is when you show the cuts to children, before you send them to broadcasters, when you see them smile. Then you know, yes, it is working. We have tapes of children responding laughing and that’s absolutely wonderful, I love that part.”

“Though as the artist Sir Anish Kapoor once said, the best moment when creating anything is the beginning, when anything is possible.”

What made Ragdoll productions so successful?

“Look at the market you are in. Is there something that will be appealing globally and that will translate into many different cultures? The success of Teletubbies was amazing, it went out to 156 countries which is astonishing.”

“Young children everywhere recognised themselves. Ultimately you are looking for that point of emotional engagement that children will have with a character.”

She also gave some valuable advice for graduates considering a career in film and television,

“You need to be especially brave and very dedicated. You have to really really want to do it. You have to put yourself about shamelessly. Working as a runner, assistant, anything you can do to get some experience. To get into the industry you have to start from the bottom. To get into the industry you have to do the nitty gritty, being a runner, you have to attach yourself like glue to any company you want to be a part of or where you think you can get a foot in the door. Then through that experience you discover what part of the industry you want to be in. You simply cannot go straight from university to being a producer for instance, to be a producer you have to know how all the processes are and how they work. So it’s a long hard apprenticeship but it’s worth it if you really want to do it.”

Listen to the full interview here:

AB 25/01/2017

Contact:

Alex Buxton
Media Relations Manager
Tel: 02476 150423
Mob: 07876 218166
a.buxton.1@warwick.ac.uk