Turkish TV Proves a Hit Abroad

Following in footsteps of American and Scandinavian series, Turkish TV programs are now making their mark overseas. Throughout the Middle East and the Balkans, viewers are tuning in to Turkish productions which draw on the country's history, and Turkish adaptations of American hits such as 'Desperate Housewives' and 'House.' The phenomenon is helping Turkey spread its influence throughout the region.

Published

4 months ago

Categories

Entertainment, Arts & Society

Topics

Television, Arts & Culture

Places

Turkey, Istanbul

Transcript

SCRIPT: Many TV viewers will know them as Brie, Susan and Gabrielle, but in Turkey, the main characters of fans of Desperate Housewives are called Nermin, Yasmin and Zelis. On a typical night in Turkey, prime time viewers have a choice of more than 40 different TV series - many of them adapted from American favourites and given a Turkish spin. SOUNDBITE 1 Fatih Aksoy, CEO Medyapim, Producer of Turkish "Desperate Housewives" (Turkish, 13 secs): "In my version of Desperate Housewives, the women are Muslim, they read the Quran for example - when someone dies, they cover their heads, they live like Muslims." Intended for family viewing, and rubber-stamped by authorities on the lookout for scenes "contrary to family values", scriptwriters and producers avoid anything which could offend local sensibilities. SOUNDBITE 2 Songul Oden, Actress in Desperate Housewives (Turkish, 16 secs): "The homosexual boy from the original series isn't mentioned, he's disappeared from our version. The reason he has family problems is because he's a hoodlum, not because he's gay." In recent years, Turkey has become the world's second biggest TV exporter behind the United States. Almost eighty countries, from Saudi Arabia via the Balkans to South Korea broadcast the country's programmes. Even here in Athens, the heart of Turkey's historic foe, two channels broadcast Turkish series at prime time, complete with Greek subtitles. SOUNDBITE 3 Lilian Fragia, Greek pensioner (Greek, 7 secs): "I would never have thought these series would be so well done, and they'd affect me so much." For Turkey, that means not just money - around 80 million dollars a year - but also priceless cultural influence. SOUNDBITE 4 Ulya Tanriover, Sociologist, Galatasaray University (French, 23 secs): "It shows a country which considers itself Muslim in terms of its constitution, but also Western, Europeanised, and relatively developed, with institutions which allow for a far greater diversity of lifestyles than in certain other countries." It's a form of soft power which can only be welcome for the Turkish authorities, and a sign of the country's increasing influence throughout the region. SHOTLIST: ISTANBUL, Turkey, December 2012 and January 2013 Source: AFPTV unless otherwise stated NO RESALE ON MEDYAPIM IMAGES -Extracts of "Umutsuz ev kadinlari", Turkish version of "Desperate Housewives" ( Source : Medyapim) -Extracts of "Emir'in Yolu" (Source: Meyapim) -Extracts of "The Doctors" (Source: Meyapim) -SOUNDBITE 1 -VAR set of of "Umutsuz ev kadinlari" in TV stuios in Beykoz district of Istanbul -SOUNDBITE 2 -VAR set of of "Umutsuz ev kadinlari" in TV stuios in Beykoz district of Istanbul -VAR Lilian at home in Athens -SOUNDBITE 3 -VAR set of of "Umutsuz ev kadinlari" in TV stuios in Beykoz district of Istanbul -SOUNDBITE 4 -Songül Oden havin make-up applied on set