Caitlin Moran: if fans don't want to save Raised By Wolves, that's democracy
The writer needs to raise another £207,000 by 20th November to reach her £320,000 crowdfunding target and revive axed Channel 4 comedy Raised by Wolves. She's confident, but admits, "It’s a really terrible way to work"
Raised by Wolves fans – you have 17 days to raise more than £200,000 to keep Grampy, Germaine and Aretha’s dream alive for a third run of the comedy.
The Kickstarter fundraising campaign has reached the sum of £113,000 in its first two weeks, leaving around the same period of time to reach the target of £320,000 and save the comedy which was axed by Channel 4 after two series.
If successful, the Save the Wolves campaign aims to fund brand new material featuring the cast of Helen Monks, Alexa Davies, Rebekah Staton, Philip Jackson et al, in the comedy written by Caitlin and her sister Caroline Moran and loosely based on their early life.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Moran confessed to not fully understanding the complex funding structure which is being overseen by the comedy’s producers Big Talk, but she seems quietly hopeful.
“There are various business shenanigans which I don’t understand. Basically if we raised [£320,000] then we go to Phase 2. Other funders will kick in if the campaign is big enough because we sold the show all over the world. We have foreign broadcasters who are watching the campaign and at a certain point will kick in. The initial thing is to raise as much as possible and see who else kicks in.
“Let’s just see if the fans do want it back and if they don’t, that’s democracy," she adds. "No one has done this before, we are just crazy pioneers going, ‘Will this work…I dunno…?'
“Whether we go to a one-off Christmas special or a whole series depends on the amount we raise. We are obviously hoping to do a series and we can definitely say we will make a bare minimum of one," Moran says. “It’s like buying a DVD of a show after you liked it. We’re asking to get the money up front.”
Those pledging money to the project will be guaranteed a DVD or download of the new comedy, with fans already making pledges for extra goodies.
Rewards for backers start with a thank you message gif from Staton in the character of the show’s matriarch, Della, for those who pledge £5 or more. Other funding packages include £1,000-plus for a 30-minute Skype call with Moran and the chance to appear as an extra on the show for those paying £600 or more.
Asked whether she was hopeful of success Moran said, “It feels like a bit when I was pregnant with my first child. It seemed absolutely inconceivable that I could have a living child [emerge] though my pelvis and survive. But at the end of it a baby came out. I am hoping roughly it’s a similar situation.”
As for what the new adventures will be, she said that she and writing partner Caroline have sketched out the plans for a new series but have so far not committed to writing it.
“It’s better not to plan a party until you have the RSVPs, I find,” she laughs.
But if it does get the go ahead she promises that Della becomes an entrepreneur while Germaine [Helen Monks] will have a “countdown clock” on a destructive quest for losing her virginity.
She adds: “Let me be clear: it’s a really terrible way to work, It’s definitely preferable to have a load of media oligarchs saying, ‘Here you go here’s some money for a series’. It’s in the spirit of working class pluck we say we love this crew, we love this cast, let's try and do it.”
As for her feeling about Channel 4 which eschewed a third series she has this to say: “I’m 41 and I have had a 36-hour labour before now so everything’s kind of in proportion. It’s like when you have been dumped, you can’t go round [C4’s HQ at] Horseferry Road and shout through the letterbox and shout ‘Why?! Take me back!’ You have to go, 'Great, I’m back on the market'.”
