Netflix and Amazon Prime 'can't compete' with BBC drama

Welsh screenwriter Andrew Davies has said subscription streaming services cannot compete with the BBC for drama.

He spoke at a preview screening of the final episode of his adaptation of War and Peace, which was produced by BBC Cymru Wales.

The Cardiff-born writer, 79, said "almost everybody agrees" the BBC should do drama.

Online providers, such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, do not attract similar audiences, he added.

'Tiny'

He said: "They (online streaming services) have huge budgets but until now they still have tiny audiences.

"People say 'everybody's watching Mad Men, everybody's watching the American version of House of Cards'. They're not, it's just people in the business are watching it. Most people are watching Call the Midwife and War and Peace."

Addressing the ongoing discussions over the renewal of the BBC's Royal Charter, Davies said drama was an intrinsic part of the corporation's output.

Davies, who was made a Bafta fellow in 2002, has written numerous adaptations for the screen, including Little Dorrit, Sense and Sensibility and Bleak House, as well as several novels.

Last year, he was honoured at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.

"I think that serious drama, or drama that makes an impact, is something that almost everybody agrees is one of the things that the BBC should be doing," he added.

"A lot of the arguments (about the BBC's future) tend to come over expensive entertainment shows, and bought-in shows and that kind of thing.

"But I think something like War and Peace is a great thing to get everybody on the BBC's side. It couldn't have been done without the BBC; who else would have done it?"

Davies's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel has attracted favourable reviews and he said he had been "thrilled" by the reaction.

In a question-and-answer session after Monday's screening, Davies revealed that his next projects involved a planned adaptation of Les Miserables "with no music and no singing", and a drama based on Aneurin Bevan and the creation of the NHS.

He also praised the increased levels of drama production in Wales since Doctor Who began filming in Cardiff in 2005.

'Pathetic'

He said: "BBC Wales drama 20 or 30 years ago was pathetic. They couldn't do anything, and other people's productions would use BBC Wales' money because BBC Wales couldn't think of anything," he added.

"It's been an incredible last 10 years, starting off with Doctor Who. It's thrilling for me, coming from Wales, as I've been working for the BBC for ages but was rarely able to work with BBC Wales because over the years they were just so dozy.

"Now it's a powerhouse, it's extraordinary, and we should be terribly proud of it. But make sure to keep it going."

The final episode of War and Peace will be broadcast on BBC One Wales on Sunday 7 February at 21:00 GMT.