Fifi: Forget the indies please

Just awoke to find this waiting for me in my blackberry inbox:

FROM: Fifi01@Corporation.co.uk
TO: All Channel Controllers; All Senior Commissioning; All Scheduling; Alan Yentob
BCC: Mark Thompson

Dear all,

I know I've mentioned this to many of you personally over the past few weeks, but it is important to remember that we must not forget that we have a core team of extremely talented, creative and passionate programme makers in The Vision Department. These are some of the finest producers, directors and executives that any creative organisation could ever boast of having all under one roof, and I want to remind you that we need to be making the best use of them!

I appreciate - especially for those of you that are perhaps a little new to the Corporation - that it may be very tempting to take some of your better ideas straight to independent suppliers but PLEASE don't ever forget the rich talent-base that exists in-house and is sitting right under your very noses!

Here's to a fantastic Summer - I'm as excited as you are about what we have coming up in the schedules.

Oh, and remember - my door is always open!

Fifi

Is that supposed to be a fucking dig at me? Perhaps I should remind her that when I put out the call for Salopes Anglaises I actually rang Martin Davidson first! And what did he and his gormless team come up with? Nothing but 'ums and errs' and fucking doubts about the idea!

Meanwhile, just down the road in Shepherds Bush, Hincksy bounced back within hours with an exciting premise, a series director attached, three contributors lined up AND a clever "itchy" way of doing it.

I'm not in this job to win friends - or pay lip service to well-paid, lazy staffers who know that fucking up my precious programmes won't affect their civil servant-like pensions in the long run.

I far prefer working with needy, greedy and desperate independents. At least you know where you stand.