The Hippies TV Show - Lessons to be Learned
I sometimes get asked why you would call a company Atrier given that clients look for results and not effort. Well I try to be up front with people and from experience I know one can only try. Success in life is never guaranteed.
When I think of a good example of lots of effort but not much success I think of “The Hippies”, a sitcom that was on BBC for one series in 1999. The series was about of clueless British Hippies who ran an underground magazine out of a basement in Notting Hill. The Hippies was created by Father Ted writing partners Arthur Matthews and Graham Linehan who were at the time riding the crest of a wave. The show had a great cast including Simon Pegg, Sally Phillips, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Darren Boyd who were the four main characters.
I remember watching it at the time and thinking it was genius, but it was panned by the critics and largely ignored by the public. Trawling Youtube only brings up a limited amount of film but it’s worth the effort.
The Hippies had the best writers in the business, with a fantastic cast, the support of the BBC and still failed. It wasn’t as if the show wasn’t funny, it was. Sometimes the public can be very fickle with regard to their taste and pleasing the critics is nearly always a game of guesswork. Pretty much everyone involved in this show found success elsewhere but this combination of talent did not garner much.
Always remember if someone does not like your work that it might not be your fault and might not be theirs. If this TV show can fail, anything can. All you can do is try your best to succeed.
Episode 1 (Part 1)
Episode 1 (Part 2)
Episode 1 (Part 3)