Channel 4 denies nepotism over The Couple Next Door
Channel 4 has denied accusations of nepotism after it emerged that the writer of its new relationship thriller is married to its head of drama.
The Couple Next Door, a racy tale of middle-class swingers, is written by David Allison. The broadcaster announced the show earlier this year as a commission by Caroline Hollick, its drama boss.
According to Deadline, the industry website, it has become a “talking point” in television circles that the writer is Ms Hollick’s husband, at a time when drama commissions for Channel 4 are scarce.
In addition, Channel 4’s most recent scheduling announcement – that there will be a second series of Suspect, a psychological thriller about a serial killer – also names Allison as one of its two writers. That show will be broadcast next year.
Joining the dots
Allison said on social media: “Fair to say my career of the last few years has been like waiting for a bus that never arrived … and then two came along.”
Channel 4 said that Ms Hollick had recused herself from The Couple Next Door and was not involved in decision-making for the series, which stars Sam Heughan and Eleanor Tomlinson as neighbours whose night of passion has serious repercussions.
The broadcaster added that Ms Hollick was not involved in the commissioning process for Suspect.
Deadline said that the relationship between Ms Hollick and Allison “has been a talking point in the British drama community in recent days after producers joined the dots” between them.
“Channel 4 only commissions a handful of high-end dramas each year, meaning there are limited opportunities for producers to win business,” a source said, adding that the broadcaster “had failed to fully consider the optics of The Couple Next Door commission. This feeling has been exacerbated by Channel 4’s fragile relations with the production sector.”
Ms Hollick and Allison met while working at Yorkshire Television and live in Leeds, where The Couple Next Door is set. Allison’s credits include the ITV series Marcella, and The Case, a daytime series for BBC One.
The six-part thriller is a co-production with STARZ, the US network. When the series was announced, Ms Hollick described it as “an addictive, emotional rollercoaster with something to say about modern sexual mores, with an electrifying cast that will set our screens on fire”.
It is loosely adapted from a Dutch series, New Neighbours, and is supposedly set in Leeds, although it was mostly filmed in Belgium.
A Channel 4 spokesman said that, despite their initial announcement, “Caroline Hollick was not involved with the commissioning or editorial management of The Couple Next Door. She registered a conflict of interest at the early stages of the project’s development and recused herself from any decisions related to it.”
A source said that Channel 4 joined the project when it was already under way, after another partner dropped out, and Allison had already written a number of scripts by that point.
The drama launched with ratings of just over one million.
