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March 31, 2023March 31, 2023

Holby City finale – one year on

Holby City cast and crew at a special screening of the final episodes of the show, March 2022

It’s been a year since Holby City aired its final episode after 23 years on the BBC. It’s a bittersweet moment to reflect on the end of an era. Liberty842 ran the social media for the programme for seven years. We worked closely with the production team to connect with the show’s passionate fanbase, from live-tweeting during each episode to creating engaging content for the show’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

I remember the excitement and trepidation leading up to the show’s final episode, and the mixed emotions that came with saying goodbye to the characters and storylines that had become such an integral part of so many people’s lives. As we prepared to close the social media accounts, we were flooded with messages of love and support from fans who wanted to thank us for our work and express their appreciation for the show.

Holby City’s brilliant fan base

One of the most rewarding parts of working on Holby City’s social media was engaging with fans in real-time. During each episode, we would monitor the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and respond to viewers’ questions and comments. It was amazing to see the passion and dedication of the show’s fanbase, who would live-tweet each episode, create fan art, and share their favourite moments with each other.

I was blown away to be tweeted this from Holby’s brilliant fans who’d got together to send their thanks to us and the Holby team. If I wasn’t tearful at the end of the final episode, this tipped me over the edge!

Anyone need a hug? 😢 #HolbyCityFInale HR
— BBC Holby City (@BBCHolbyCity) March 29, 2022

As well as engaging with fans, we were also responsible for creating content that would keep them interested and invested in the show. We would share behind-the-scenes photos and interviews (huge thanks to Ali Liddle for her sterling work on the amazing #BTS content and cast and crew interviews which always rated top for engagement with our audience), and sneak peeks of upcoming episodes. We would also create graphics and videos that would highlight key moments from the show and encourage fans to tune in each week.

Kudos to the Holby City team

The time it took to develop and create the content can’t be underestimated, and kudos to the Holby team and their brilliant producers for investing in it. It was an incredibly rewarding job, and I feel so lucky to have been a part of such a talented and dedicated team. The one-year anniversary of Holby City’s finale has reminded me of the impact that the show had on so many people. Its ground-breaking representation of LGBTQ+ characters to its nuanced portrayal of mental health and medical issues (I know more about resuscitation, heart attacks – which present differently in women, and rare diseases than I ever thought possible!), should be applauded.

While it was sad to say goodbye to the show and the characters that we grew to love over the years, I’m grateful for the experience of working on the social media team. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the dedication and creativity that goes into producing a successful television show, and it allowed me to connect with a passionate and engaged fanbase.

I’m excited to see what the future holds for the talented cast and crew. I’m sure that they will continue to create amazing work that will inspire and entertain audiences for years to come. And as for me, I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so special. Here’s a lovely video put together by Ali and the team with us all saying goodbye to Holby and to the brilliant fans. 😢

👋 This is #HolbyCity HR, #HolbyCam and the team signing off for the final time ♥️ We couldn’t have done this without you. Goodbye, and thank you for watching 💙 (There are spoilers for our final episode in this video) pic.twitter.com/3VQi2ByjnX
— BBC Holby City (@BBCHolbyCity) March 29, 2022

June 16, 2016May 11, 2017

Twitter delights – the Thames Brexit flotilla story as-it-happened

If you missed yesterday’s story of the Brexit camp’s flotilla sailing down the Thames with Bob Geldof in hot pursuit, never fear, it’s all saved for posterity in the Storify below.

I sat and watch the story unfold on Twitter as two journalists, Michael Deacon from The Telegraph and Marina Hyde from The Guardian, tweeted every hilarious moment. So much better than the fairly dry news stories that were shown on telly later. This is why I love Twitter. It is brilliant at bringing you in-the-moment events. Particularly when they’re told by people who are great at telling stories.

April 28, 2014

#TheArchers’ wedding lights up social media

Tweet about The Archers wedding that never was

Last week’s The Archers gave its audience plenty to talk about. As Tom Archer left Kirsty wailing at the altar, listeners took to Twitter and Facebook to have their say.

I created a Storify (below) that shows all the anticipation and reactions during Friday evening’s episode on Twitter. It’s a great example of how audiences engage with a real broadcasting moment as it happens.

August 16, 2013

Guess who’s back at Social Media Week 2013?

Liberty842 returns to Social Media Week for the third time with a session called Guess who? – all about brands, identity and reputation.

It may seem hard to imagine a time before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to name a few platforms, but we’re still at a relatively early stage in the social media game and the rules remain a work in progress.

Thanks in no small part to some notable slip-ups from individuals and brands, the sometimes unruly world of social media is getting to grips with much clearer guidelines on what is and isn’t permissible for organisations as opposed to individuals. Those rules are relatively recent additions so we’ve asked Gateley LLP Partner Lisa Logan to explain the latest developments, including the all important new Defamation Act as well as the CAP code.

Legal matters aside, there is no single set of instructions about what your content should be and how you should manage it – which makes it all the more exciting to try new things out.

Two people with no shortage of experience in that department are Darren Groucutt – Creative Director at Relative, award-winning animation director and man behind the digital content for London 2012 – and James Deeley – Creative Director and strategist at Amaze who has previously worked on Harry Potter website Pottermore and multiplatform project The Utopia Inquiry for Channel 4.

Darren and James will show you the possibilities for engaging your audience using content, giving a taste of the creative opportunities for getting followers genuinely involved in a one-off campaign or for the long term.

Demonstrating how fictional characters from TV drama can step outside the boundaries of a show and draw the audience in further, Somethin’ Else Head of Development for digital projects Trevor Klein will talk about the work he’s done with broadcasters on projects including Skins, Emmerdale and new US drama Hit the Floor.

Taking another angle on the characters theme, Liberty842 Co-founder and Editorial Director Tayler Cresswell will talk about identity on social media, using case studies such as Alan Carr Chatty Man and Mr Selfridge to explore how a distinctive tone of voice can have a powerful effect in strengthening the relationship between a brand and its audience.

With some help from me, Writer and Content Producer, Tayler will also look at some of the ways you can protect your brand in the event of negative feedback or if another social media user is damaging your brand’s reputation by assuming its identity.

Go to the Guess Who? event page on the Social Media Week website to book tickets (if the event is listed as fully booked then simply use our contact form to join the waiting list in case of any cancellations). Follow Liberty842 on Twitter for updates from Social Media Week and on the industry in general.

We look forward to meeting you on Monday 23 September at 6.30pm.

July 22, 2013

Twitter’s “social tsunami” – banter builds audiences

Online, conversation, debate and comment about The Archers reaches a peak on Sunday mornings when many join the regular tweetalong as the show’s omnibus is aired.

Listeners share their thoughts and feelings – good, bad and indifferent – about the characters and storylines on Twitter and offer an amusing, often irreverent, take on events in the fictional village of Ambridge where the show is set.

I spotted this tweet yesterday from a new listener to BBC Radio 4’s The Archers. If you’ve noticed #TheArchers trending on Twitter most Sunday mornings, you might not be too surprised.

“@nick_hubert: I didn’t think anyone listened to The Archers until I joined Twitter.” I’ve started listening again BECAUSE of Twitter. — Jane Duke (@stoneflowerjane) July 21, 2013

The tweetalong, as it’s affectionately called, started in 2009-10 when two listeners, @JaneSoup and @LucyLyons, would tweet their amusing and sometimes sweary commentary to the omnibus. They picked up a following and it certainly got people talking. Today it centres around the hashtag #thearchers, and tweetalongers follow tweets about the programme and join the conversation with fellow listeners. They demonstrate a pretty sophisticated use of Twitter, with many using tools like Tweetdeck to exclude the hashtag to avoid spoilers until they’re ready to listen and chat.

Of course, the official account for the show, @BBCTheArchers, joins the regular tweetalong around broadcasts, answering queries and adding an extra layer to the listening experience. But it’s the listeners who really make the difference, not only giving valuable and timely feedback about the programme, but enticing others to join in the fun and become regular Archers listeners.

Find out about the world’s longest running soap opera, The Archers

July 4, 2013

Soundbites from the Broadcast Commissioning & Funding Forum

I suspect we were the only social media practice to attend the Broadcast Commissioning and Funding Forum on Tuesday at BAFTA – which was surprising given the amount of time given over to the digital environment and its effect on traditional “linear” TV.

There was an impressive speaker line up from the big broadcasters: the top Televison boys at the Beeb (Danny Cohen), ITV (Peter Fincham), Sky (Stuart Murphy) and C5 (Ben Frow) – Murphy and Frow in particular gave highly entertaining accounts of what they do at their respective broadcasters.

C5’s Ben Frow hilarious. When asked which commissioner to approach he says “draw straws.. If it’s got sequins in it, talk to Greg” #cfforum

— LIBERTY842 Ltd (@Liberty842) July 2, 2013

Interesting to hear Danny Cohen say that “we’re fighting for screen time rather than TV audience time” in a nod to the multiplatform world.

And All3Media‘s Gary Woolf said that they are having to think about apps earlier and earlier in the development cycle. It may have been the calibre of the speakers, but we came away with the feeling that broadcasters and producers are trying to move towards a more integrated approach to multiplatform content. Less of a ‘bolt-on’ mentality – *hopeful face*.

Rachel Ball from YouTube gave a highly informative speech about how YouTube is working to encourage more content owners to use their platform “to make money” (through Content ID tagging and advertising). However, the big take out was that it’s unlikely that YouTube will continue to fund channels after the last round of funding which was aimed at proving YouTube “was a place for sustainable businesses” rather than a long term strategy.

Ball said that YouTube offers production companies “a chance to work in a retail environment… business to consumer”. Using Content ID, companies can track their own content and if others appropriate it, they can either block it, or collect data and ad revenue against it.

She spoke of the core YouTube audience as “Generation C… curation, creation, community and connection” and went on to say that “80% of millenials are members of Generation C”.
For production companies, Ball said that clips had found new life on YouTube and were particularly successful for chat shows, citing Ellen in the US as an example. Ellen’s YouTube channel has 5.9m subscribers and has been highly successful in using clips from the TV show to engage with audiences online.

Giving an on-the-ground account of creating content for YouTube was a panel of speakers: Zoe Collins from Fresh One (they’re behind Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube channel); Darren Devitt from the awesomely successful Machinima; Selma Turajlic from Little Dot Studios and Derren Lawford from youth engagement agency, Livity.

In creating content for YouTube, they agreed that the process was unlike traditional broadcasting. Collins said it was a “swift process” that had to strip back “fluffiness”. There’s no time for fancy title sequences or recaps – your audience is easily distracted by other content. It was, she said, “the audience’s channel” – they’re going to tell you very quickly what they think and “you need to tell them that you’re responding”.

On audience feedback, Machinima’s Darren Devitt said that they particularly monitor what’s said in the first two days of the video going up, and then again on day 24.
Whilst most said that YouTube wasn’t yet providing a real return on investment through advertising on the channel, sponsorship deals and product tie-ins seem to be filling the gap.
An interesting aside was discovering how many of the YouTube talent – “bedroom producers” – already have agents.

There was also a panel discussion about defining new audience relationships. They talked about the “rise of participation TV” and the all-important data that’s available at a fairly granular level from online platforms.

Zeebox’s Anthony Rose said that today’s “bunch of smart tech kids thinking up stuff around someone else’s show” was something that wouldn’t last. Ashley Mackenzie from rights management company Base 79 added that YouTube is a “performance based industry” as opposed to Television which was “brand-based”.

They spoke about marketing being “clip by clip” and Rose spoke about the power of ads synced to the second screen in line with what was being shown on broadcast TV.

There were some nice examples of better brand engagement, notably Ogilvy’s Ford tie-in for The Endless Winter and Chanel 4/Sainbury’s What’s Cooking.

All in all a really interesting day – though we would have liked to see more women speakers at these kind of events. Three out of 17 isn’t good enough.

June 3, 2013

The future of TV? It’s already here

Screenshot of smart TV internet services menu

I recently came across an Observer supplement entitled “The Future of TV” from back in 2007 which predicted that “The broadcasting dinosaurs like ITV, Sky and the BBC will be challenged by newer, more nimble opponents, including YouTube, MySpace and Google.”

While we can probably count MySpace out of the running (for now at least), it’s clear that YouTube in particular is acting more like a TV broadcaster than ever before thanks to its Comedy Week programming (complete with peak-time ads on Channel 4 and an accompanying print campaign) and its increasing commitment to web-only content for its Original Channels project.

YouTube’s Original Channels first launched in 2011 and have enabled over 100 partners, including Pitchfork, Vice, The Onion, Jamie Oliver and Mixmag to create standalone video content that has the potential to reach a huge audience in a way that hadn’t been possible unless you were on traditional TV.

According to Advertising Age’s YouTube Original Channel Tracker, the top 20 channels regularly achieve more than a million views a week (an impressive 10million in the case of SoulPancake for the week ending May 25 2013) and have subscriber numbers between a considerable 100,000 (EntTV) and a highly covetable 2.2million (RedBull).

The opportunities are certainly huge, though success is by no means a sure thing, as Robert Kyncl, YouTube Global Head of Content, pointed out in an interview back in 2012: “We are in uncharted waters, and of course failures will come with that. If we don’t have failures, then clearly we are not trying hard enough.”

In which case, what are the best ways to minimise the risks when getting started with your YouTube channel? It’s important to consider three fundamental factors.

Content
Getting an audience to watch your programming and keep coming back to it requires good material that’s consistently relevant. High quality production values are certainly desirable – not obligatory in all cases – though you do need to know your audience, what content they’re after and how you can provide it.

It’s particularly heartening to see that many of the most successful channels currently broadcasting online have capitalised on what might usually be considered niche content by the TV industry so it certainly doesn’t hurt to deviate from the mainstream.

Funding
Even low-fi productions take time and money to create so you’ll need a model that will pay its way – and ideally make a profit. The launch of paid subscriptions on YouTube is an interesting development to keep an eye on, though advertising and sponsorship will continue to play an important role for most content publishers.

Promotion
So Jamie Oliver can just move across to YouTube and expect an instant hit and boost in income? He’s already working at it, though it’s not necessarily guaranteed. While established TV brands undoubtedly have an advantage thanks to their existing visibility, they still need to put in the effort to increase awareness and build engagement using all available means, especially social media. The web is full of distractions demanding your attention after all.

And where does this leave traditional TV if its shows and stars can go it alone online? Despite the growing number of alternative entertainment platforms, TV remains the most powerful medium to reach a large audience quickly and that’s not going to change any time soon.

When it comes to shows or people that already have a TV presence then think of it as a head start that can be used to great effect, though is still no substitute for a sound multi-platform strategy that gets the most out of all your digital properties.

At this early stage there’s plenty of scope for experimenting, whether you’re working with a known brand or a complete newcomer. You’re not limited by a remit or by country boundaries so once you’ve got the basics covered, get broadcasting.