It’s clear who is the star of the forthcoming BBC comedy Big School: David Walliams. And Catherine Tate. Oh, and Philip Glenister. Similarly, Matt Smith is the star of the 50th anniversary Doctor Who Special in November. And David Tennant. And Billie Piper. And, um, John Hurt. Once the province of disaster movies and Poirot, multicasting — loading the dramatis personae with heavyweight thesps — now reflects the broad reality of British TV.
“There’s been a move towards ensemble drama — Call the Midwife, Broadchurch, The Syndicate — all of which contain more than one big name,” says Andy Pryor, casting director of Doctor Who and Dancing on the Edge. Multiple stars can help a show compete in a world where there are “more channels and content available than ever before”. Chris Chibnall, creator of Broadchurch, says: “Because it was on ITV, a mainstream channel, it had to be cast for excellence, with actors people love.”
What’s more, with British film ailing and theatre cutting back, actors are more willing to sign up for TV now: John Simm, Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson committed to the planned 42 episodes of BBC1’s The Village. And in an era of increasing international co-production, multicasting can enhance worldwide appeal, as proved by Homeland. Pryor cautions, though, that you need the right famous faces, with the ability to back up their crowd-pulling celebrity. Or, as Doctor Who supremo Steven Moffat puts it: “Talent is a necessity but fame is a bonus.”
