Strangers Abroad (1986)
Contrary to popular belief commissioning programmes is all about people - great producers have good ideas. So when I learned that André Singer was leaving Granada Television, where he had pioneered Disappearing World, I leapt at the chance of our working together and invited him to produce Strangers Abroad at Central .
Here's are a few paragraphs from a fascinating academic paper I found recently via Google. Read all eight pages by clicking 'THE MAKING OF STRANGERS ABROAD.
'Strangers Abroad' is an innovative experiment in broadcasting. It is a six-part documentary series which ... differs from its more illustrious cousins (e.g. 'Disappearing World', 'Tribal ') in that it is not another 'human zoology' programme; the emphasis is not on exotic peoples, places or customs, but rather on the activities and ideas of the anthropologists themselves.
At the time of conceiving this project, there was no anthropological film unit active anywhere in British television. The BBC did not have such a unit, and Granada Television of the Independent Television Network had recently run down the team that had made its award-winning 'Disappearing World' series. (Granada's loss proved to be 'Strangers' gain, as it acquired its director-producer Andre Singer and its cameraman Mike Thomson.)
Central Television, which made the series for Channel 4, took a risk, and a freelance team to make this production was brought together on the strength of Bruce Dakowski's original idea for the series.
I am delighted to say André and I are still working together.
