"Outsiders" - How To Make A Second Series Even Better

Following on from this week's Must Watch TV Post, a second series of Outsiders starts this Wednesday 16th at 10pm on Dave. Find out what Exec Producer Victoria Payne's takeaways are for making a second series of a popular show.

5 Reasons Why Making A Second Series Can Be More Fun Than The First.

I absolutely love the challenges of a first series – there’s nothing quite like taking a pitch document and being given the freedom to make the show a reality. But, apart from the joy of getting a re-commission, there’s also something fantastic about getting another crack at the whip with a second series.

In the first series of Outsiders, David Mitchell brought a very clear comedic view, which was that he thought all comedians would fail to survive in a post-apocalyptic society. This year, he’s challenging 6 new comedians to see, if the world ended tomorrow, what kind of society would they build.

It’s a pretty challenging series to make. We shoot an episode a day – so, three ‘badges’ or challenges, two camp life scenes and a studio record in the evening where the comedians find out who has won David’s coveted badges. Pre-production is like a military operation, but you learn so much during the making of a first series that a second series is so much easier! Here are my top tips for making the second series even better than the first…

·       Now that you’ve found your feet and got a better handle on how to make it, double down on what worked and abandon the things you know didn’t.

·       Take time to consider changes in pace and tone and make tweaks to the format. We introduced a tannoy system to the camp this year so that David could talk to the campmates and this helped drive the narrative, as well as streamlining the shooting process.

·       Increase the production values. We improved the whole camp environment with bigger bell tents and more comfortable places for the comedians to hang out and relax. We knew that the environment was appealing to the viewers so we wanted to make it more of a thing.

·       Once you’re into the swing of it you can afford to relax a bit more. Comedians will always be funnier if you can create an encouraging and supportive environment. And if you tune in this year, you’ll get to see David Mitchell dressing up in some very silly costumes!

We had an absolute ball on Outsiders S2. Big shout out to everyone on the team who made it happen 
@MarkIddon @BenBlakey @PhilAshton @DeanGriffiths @RobMorris @RobertCambrook @DexterHarries @EmmaKosminsky @RossBolidai @RosaMulloy 
@EllieBrackpool @KeithGubbins @JennyDrewett @RubyMorris @LewisBaxter @DeanGriffiths @AdamPerkins 

And to the always funny, David Mitchell and our amazing Outsiders: Jessica Hynes and Joe Wilkinson, Phil Wang and Fatiha El-Ghorri and Darren Harriott and Maisie Adam. Outsiders is back on Wednesday 16^th November. Fingers crossed we get the chance to make the third series even more fun than the second!