Neil Anthony |
"Neil Anthony started in the business as a dancer. Writing and choreography were natural stepping stones to becoming a producer. Since forming The Bright Thoughts Company in 1981 they have produced many shows, mainly in the music and entertainment areas."
(Goldcrest Films & Television) |
Bryan Izzard |
"Bryan Izzard has worked in television for many years as a producer director in the Light Entertainment areas. He has worked on such Arts programmes as Aquarius and The South Bank Show and has held the post of Head of Entertainment at Scottish TV and Southern TV."
(Goldcrest Films & Television) |
Creative Collaboration
|
The night Southern TV lost its franchise Neil and Bryan were at dinner with Jeremy Wallington, Director of Programmes at Southern and the news changed everything. Some of the ideas they had been developing for Southern, were too good to discard. They were encouraged to contact the newly announced Channel 4 to see if they would be of interest.
Their first meeting with Channel 4 was at the temporary offices in Knightsbridge opposite Harrods. They were both stunned, not to come out with one commission but four of the very first entertainment commissions. Their first shows were all low-budget, small cast, and relatively straight forward to produce. |
Agent Roger Hancock advised that this would at least get some track-record before getting too ambitious in these early. The operetta shows and the Chorus Girl format had been first discussed at Southern but Jeremy Wallington and Roger Hancock thought they might both be offered for Channel 4 and, even if they are too costly for C4, they may just have the UK rights as both shows would make ideal co-productions!
The early strategy was for the one-man-shows to be the 'bead and butter' along with other formats that would be low-cost and relatively easy to produce. This would enable them to not only establish track-record, but also to find co-production partners and nurture bigger projects for international markets and other exploitation. It became clear they were not going to get rich from the production and producer fees from Channel 4, but they were regularly incentivised to create product that had secondary marketing potential.
Neil and Bryan were extraordinarily prolific at a level which was unsustainable other than in short bursts. With their production budgets continually being screwed-down to the bare minimum by C4 they were never allowed the luxury to take-stock and work on developing our other projects and coproduction partners. Financially, they continually had to keep running just to stand still.
When the 'political wind' changed at Channel 4, they decided not be a part of it. They both had enough, and it seemed the C4 promises of 'jam tomorrow' from the marketing of the Bright Thoughts product was never likely to happen.
Choosing different directions, they collaborated on each others projects for many years. The two creative minds enjoyed time together dreaming up new ideas and fresh concepts. Sometimes Neil worked uncredited assisting Bryan at HTV, when working on a South Bank Show and other projects. Similarly, if Bryan advised on any of Neil's projects it was largely off the record.
Neil and Bryan remained life long friends and creative collaborators. Bryan sadly died in 2006.
The early strategy was for the one-man-shows to be the 'bead and butter' along with other formats that would be low-cost and relatively easy to produce. This would enable them to not only establish track-record, but also to find co-production partners and nurture bigger projects for international markets and other exploitation. It became clear they were not going to get rich from the production and producer fees from Channel 4, but they were regularly incentivised to create product that had secondary marketing potential.
Neil and Bryan were extraordinarily prolific at a level which was unsustainable other than in short bursts. With their production budgets continually being screwed-down to the bare minimum by C4 they were never allowed the luxury to take-stock and work on developing our other projects and coproduction partners. Financially, they continually had to keep running just to stand still.
When the 'political wind' changed at Channel 4, they decided not be a part of it. They both had enough, and it seemed the C4 promises of 'jam tomorrow' from the marketing of the Bright Thoughts product was never likely to happen.
Choosing different directions, they collaborated on each others projects for many years. The two creative minds enjoyed time together dreaming up new ideas and fresh concepts. Sometimes Neil worked uncredited assisting Bryan at HTV, when working on a South Bank Show and other projects. Similarly, if Bryan advised on any of Neil's projects it was largely off the record.
Neil and Bryan remained life long friends and creative collaborators. Bryan sadly died in 2006.
Neil Anthony
Neil’s love of performance has been a lifelong passion. In the late 1970s he relocated to Australia and trained as a professional dancer with his ballet master being ex-Australian Ballet. He returned to the UK at the prompting of composer Stephen Oliver, who encouraged him to gain professional experience on the West End stage. He appeared in a variety of shows, and gained his Equity card along the way.
Seeking to expand his horizons, he founded his own dance troupe, performing a weekly gig at the Empire Ballroom, Leicester Square, exclusively to the synthesized music of the New Romantic movement. Whilst booked to appear for a live appearance at the former ITV company, Southern Television, he befriended the station’s head of entertainment, Bryan Izzard. Effectively becoming the resident choreographer for a short while, he found himself increasingly involved in the production of a number of primetime ITV shows, including devising the Scarecrow Dance for Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs in Worzel Gummidge.
In 1981 Neil and Bryan formed The Bright Thoughts Company, independently producing programming for the fledgling Channel 4. Working from offices at the heart of Soho, he produced and devised much of the station’s performance-based entertainment output for many years. Using some of the cream of British and American talent, Neil worked with such comic legends as Arthur Askey, Leonard Rossiter, Julie Walters and Barry Cryer. Other highlights included filming in the USA with the renowned avant-garde jazz group, The Art Ensemble of Chicago; working with some of the early “alternative” comedians, including Ben Elton and Jim Barclay; and recreating the life and stage act of the inimitable music hall comedian, Max Miller.
His proudest success was the hugely acclaimed Top C’s & Tiaras™, first broadcast in 1983, which presented operetta and musical comedy in a manner never seen before on television. Recorded on location at a neo-Palladian country house, with all performances recorded-as-live, it featured the American soprano Julia Migenes, along with Peter Morrison, Marilyn Hill Smith, and Benjamin Luxon, and was one of Channel 4’s first critical and popular hits. Very much ahead of its time, Top C’s & Tiaras™ anticipated the explosion of interest in classical music as popular entertainment, from the 1990s to the current day.
In later years, whilst continuing to keep a hand in the world of television (advising on a number of editions of the ITV arts programme, The South Bank Show, as well as various regional ITV productions), his love of Britain’s built heritage came to the fore. Now based on the Kent coast, he founded a Building Preservation Trust and been instrumental in saving a number of Buildings At-Risk which are of historical significance. He is also actively involved with a number of charitable causes.
Neil retains his strong creative vision. The relaunched Bright Thoughts Company will be looking both to develop new partnerships to further exploit existing brands and formats, such as Top C's & Tiaras™; and to distribute the back catalogue to the many streaming and broadcast platforms dedicated to archive programming.
Seeking to expand his horizons, he founded his own dance troupe, performing a weekly gig at the Empire Ballroom, Leicester Square, exclusively to the synthesized music of the New Romantic movement. Whilst booked to appear for a live appearance at the former ITV company, Southern Television, he befriended the station’s head of entertainment, Bryan Izzard. Effectively becoming the resident choreographer for a short while, he found himself increasingly involved in the production of a number of primetime ITV shows, including devising the Scarecrow Dance for Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs in Worzel Gummidge.
In 1981 Neil and Bryan formed The Bright Thoughts Company, independently producing programming for the fledgling Channel 4. Working from offices at the heart of Soho, he produced and devised much of the station’s performance-based entertainment output for many years. Using some of the cream of British and American talent, Neil worked with such comic legends as Arthur Askey, Leonard Rossiter, Julie Walters and Barry Cryer. Other highlights included filming in the USA with the renowned avant-garde jazz group, The Art Ensemble of Chicago; working with some of the early “alternative” comedians, including Ben Elton and Jim Barclay; and recreating the life and stage act of the inimitable music hall comedian, Max Miller.
His proudest success was the hugely acclaimed Top C’s & Tiaras™, first broadcast in 1983, which presented operetta and musical comedy in a manner never seen before on television. Recorded on location at a neo-Palladian country house, with all performances recorded-as-live, it featured the American soprano Julia Migenes, along with Peter Morrison, Marilyn Hill Smith, and Benjamin Luxon, and was one of Channel 4’s first critical and popular hits. Very much ahead of its time, Top C’s & Tiaras™ anticipated the explosion of interest in classical music as popular entertainment, from the 1990s to the current day.
In later years, whilst continuing to keep a hand in the world of television (advising on a number of editions of the ITV arts programme, The South Bank Show, as well as various regional ITV productions), his love of Britain’s built heritage came to the fore. Now based on the Kent coast, he founded a Building Preservation Trust and been instrumental in saving a number of Buildings At-Risk which are of historical significance. He is also actively involved with a number of charitable causes.
Neil retains his strong creative vision. The relaunched Bright Thoughts Company will be looking both to develop new partnerships to further exploit existing brands and formats, such as Top C's & Tiaras™; and to distribute the back catalogue to the many streaming and broadcast platforms dedicated to archive programming.
