I Hate Suzie creator says drama was initially dismissed by broadcasters: 'We already have our woman having a breakdown show'
The Sky Atlantic drama co-created by Billie Piper and Lucy Prebble was rejected by broadcasters who claimed they had already filled their quota of shows about 'women having breakdowns'.
Succession writer Lucy Prebble has revealed that she initially pitched her upcoming drama I Hate Suzie to a number of broadcasters, who all said that they "had their 'woman having a breakdown show' already".
I Hate Suzie, which found its home on Sky Atlantic, stars co-creator Billie Piper as an actress whose phone is hacked, resulting in 'compromising' images of her leaking onto the internet - and jeopardising her career and marriage.
Speaking at the virtual Edinburgh TV Festival on Tuesday, Prebble said the broadcasters' dismissive attitude to I Hate Suzie revealed deeper issues within the industry.
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"I went to a lot of channels with the show I've just made, I Hate Suzie, and was told that had their 'woman having a breakdown show' already. Right. So that show ended up getting made, so it's not relevant in terms of having anything being held from me, but the equivalent that happens all the time is, 'We have our Asian show', 'We have our show about Black people from London,' and that's the conversation that happens all the time that nobody really talks about."
She continued, "And [there's] also that pressure to only talk about the subject matter from a racial perspective, or, if you're a woman, from a woman's perspective. So that that question always comes to you, or that show always has to do with that topic. When if fact, that's not the entirety of anyone's existence, and that fact that it keeps becoming about that means that it does become the entirety of someone artistically, which basically makes the vicious circle go round again."
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All episodes of I Hate Suzie will arrive on Sky and NOW TV on 27th August 2020. Sign up for a seven-day free trial of NOW TV's Entertainment Pass, autorenews at £8.99 a month until 31st August 2020, £9.99 thereafter unless cancelled. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide.
