I think that “The Promise” was an outstanding drama that achieved exactly what Channel 4 was looking for it to do. If Channel 4 was looking for an ambitious and edgy but well done drama that would help legitimize their network as more than just “Big Fat Gypsy Weddings” and the former home to “Big Brother” then I think it has succeeded. That’s not to say that “The Promise” doesn’t fit with Channel 4’s image. The drama has been criticized and complained abo0ut all over Britain as portraying British-Jewish relations negatively. It also opens up discussion about events which not a lot of people were familiar with (Channel 4 encouraged its viewers to read up on the historical events that happen in the show on their website http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-promise/articles/further-reading). Channel 4 is no stranger to dealing with controversy surrounding its shows and in that sense, “The Promise” fits right in on Channel 4.
But what makes “The Promise” such a unique show for Channel 4 was the quality of the program. It was a well produced and well researched and when compared to something like “Gypsy Weddings,” it completely blows it out of the water. I can see why Channel 4 wanted “The Promise” and was willing to deal with the controversy surrounding it. “The Promise” received rave reviews about its production and narrative, despite the controversy surrounding the portrayal of the British role in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It seems like the show brought in viewers to tune in to critically acclaimed show rather than a show that has exploitative aspects surrounding its characters like “Gypsy Weddings.”
In my opinion I don’t think “The Promise” would have fit well with BBC. Even though Channel 4 did not have a reputation for having a show like “The Promise” I think that ultimately it ended up being the best fit. I’m not sure that other networks would have been able to handle the controversy it created. The risk/reward factor made the drama distinctly “Channel 4” even though it was initially pitched to the BBC. If “The Promise” is the first of many high quality drams on Channel 4, then they are off to a good start.
I could not agree more, with respect to the quality as the main separator for The Promise. The show is not constrained by its budget as, in my opinion, it seems more realistic than Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, even though the former is scripted and the latter is supposed to be “reality.” I also agree, that despite the high quality, The Promise could not fit with BBC because of its controversial and biased views. Overall, 4 definitely made a wise choice in funding and airing the production, if only for the controversy surrounding it alone.