Aha! Emailing a chum, I’ve found a new, stark way of describing SciCast. I think this may be the new elevator pitch:
Five years ago, the UK spent about £1m a year on science video aimed primarily at children. The bulk of that money was spent by me, on two television series, The Big Bang, and How2. They were good shows; lots of people watched them; they came back year after year. However:
Today, we spend – nothing at all.
I think we can achieve similar impact for about 10% of the spend initially, rising to 20% through a five-year expansion plan. That plan is called ‘SciCast.’
The big issue is: that original million quid came from ITV, who were essentially forced into spending it by the government (public service TV, blah blah). So nobody else has ever had to face up to whose responsibility it might be to do this.
My generation talks about Johnny Ball and his shows. The generation of ten years ago won’t talk about my shows in quite the same way – we didn’t have a ‘face’, and what we were doing wasn’t as radical a departure – but they’ll still talk about the shows I made.
What will the current generation of kids talk about?
That’s what SciCast is for.