There’s a good reason James Norton is in virtually every drama on telly Stand by for a ban on Olivia Colman, an embargo on James Norton and a veto on Sheridan Smith. They […]

Stand by for a ban on Olivia Colman, an embargo on James Norton and a veto on Sheridan Smith. They are just getting too many parts, say some actors who aren’t getting quite as many parts.

At its conference last week, the actors’ union Equity passed a motion calling on the BBC and Channel 4 to cast more new talent in leading roles in their dramas. Performer Stephanie Greer proposed the motion, saying she found it “dull and incredibly frustrating” to see the same actors in every TV drama.

She said drama producers are taking a “safe” approach, “which doesn’t seem to be interested in discovering the next big thing”.

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“It’s a good thing our best actors do not immediately disappear from the small screen as soon as they taste success; they should be held on to, there should be parts written for them.”

The motion to pressure broadcasters to cast more fresh acting talent was overwhelmingly carried by Equity members. Well, I mean, of course it was. There is something to this.

Switch on one of the four main channels to watch a drama and it’s likely you will stumble across Colman, Norton or Smith before long. Or if not them, then Tom Hollander, Suranne Jones, Alison Steadman, Aidan Turner, Jodie Whittaker, Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker, Adeel Akhtar, Maxine Peake, Joanna Scanlan or Roger Allam.

There’s another thing all of these actors have in common: they’re excellent at their job. So you could look at it as a lack of risk-taking on the part of broadcasters, or you could call it giving viewers what they want.

I love it when I turn on a new drama and spot a familiar, brilliant face. It’s a good thing our best actors do not immediately disappear from the small screen as soon as they taste success; they should be held on to, there should be parts written for them.

It can be predictable and I’m sure if you’re a 42-year-old actress with brown hair, big eyes and an equal talent for dizzy comedy and searing tragedy, then the ubiquity of Colman must be annoying. There is an element of safe bet to much casting; there are undoubtedly bright young things who slip through the net.

Drama producers ‘are taking a safe approach’

The main channels, though, have a fine record in bringing new talent to a wider audience. Benedict Cumberbatch’s earliest small screen leads were in Cambridge Spies and Hawking, both on the BBC. Tom Hiddleston first leapt to attention playing Wallander’s sidekick on the BBC, while Colman began in comedies – on Mitchell and Webb’s sketch show (BBC) and then Peep Show (Channel 4).

There is a steady stream of new faces. Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael and Michelle Dockery have gone from occasional stage actresses to superstars. Shane Meadows plucked actors from non-traditional backgrounds for This is England and has made the careers of Vicky McClure, Chanel Cresswell and Michael Socha, among others.

Where TV does have a “same old faces” problem, I’d argue, is in light entertainment. The same roster of presenters and judges – Ant & Dec, Graham Norton, Simon Cowell and his gang – have ruled the roost for decades now. They are excellent at their jobs, too. But I can’t remember the last time I saw the next big thing clutching a mic or running the show.