Mark Rylance Takes Pay Cut to Fund Wolf Hall Series Amid Streaming Challenges

Peter Kosminsky, director of the BBC's 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light,' revealed that key contributors, including star Mark Rylance, took significant pay cuts to enable the series' production after it was rejected by major streaming platforms. In his written testimony to the UK Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Kosminsky emphasized the challenges faced by British television dramas in securing funding, citing a broader trend of U.S. streamers preferring to wholly own projects rather than co-produce with UK public service broadcasters. He also pointed to a funding crisis in UK scripted content, with many potentially significant projects unable to proceed due to financial constraints. To address this, Kosminsky proposed establishing a cultural fund for British content, suggesting that streamers contribute 5% of their UK subscription revenue, akin to models in France and Germany. He noted that discussions with Netflix's Reed Hastings indicated a willingness to support such a fund if it created a level playing field for all streamers. This situation highlights the precarious state of British storytelling in the current entertainment landscape.