Ahmed uses Iranian cinema as a global example of how creative limitations — restricted resources and market access — can paradoxically spur exceptional storytelling.
Where this was said
At 11:57 · chapter starts 10:15
When Mendoza asks about the differences between working in the UK and Hollywood, Ahmed begins with the observation that the lines are increasingly blurred — Bait itself had a LA writers' room, a London production, and a Los Angeles commissioning office. But the more interesting divergence is creative: when you're a smaller fish, you have no choice but to lean into the hyper-specificity of your subculture and experience. Ahmed argues this is why British television keeps producing shows like Fleabag, I May Destroy You, and Baby Reindeer — left-field, particular, specific — that break out globally precisely because they don't try to appeal to everyone. He extends the point to Iranian cinema, where extreme resource limitations and restricted market access have produced exceptional storytelling. Creativity, he argues, is bred from necessity. [1] — Riz Ahmed "UK creativity bred from fewer resources: Ahmed argues that the UK's smaller film budgets force hyper-specificity, which paradoxically drive…" 10:58
When you can't afford to appeal to everyone, you have no choice but to go niche — and niche is exactly what breaks out. Fleabag, I May Destroy You, Baby Reindeer: all proof that UK television's resource constraints are secretly its greatest creative asset.
Although Bait is a British-set show, its writers' room was held in Los Angeles, commissioned by the LA office of Prime Video and then produced by Prime's UK office — illustrating how globalized the industry has become.
Ahmed argues that the UK's smaller film budgets force hyper-specificity, which paradoxically drives breakout hits like Fleabag, I May Destroy You, and Baby Reindeer.
The music conservatory Mark Manson attended had a dropout rate of approximately 87–90%, illustrating how few people reach the 'religious' stage of commitment to a creative calling.
A novel called 'Call Me, I'll Hide the Body' triggered a 14-publisher bidding war and sold for $2.4 million before critics alleged it was predominantly written by AI.
John Mulaney cold-texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere to offer to produce her Netflix special, which became Wake Up.
Robby Hoffman posed as a courier to hand-deliver her spec script directly to the president of HBO Canada early in her career.
Robby and Mulaney filmed two shows in one night for the Netflix special; after the first they knew they had it, so the second was a victory lap.
Jimmy Carr performs up to 300 shows a year, often doing two shows per night, which he says reduces nerves rather than increasing them.
Jimmy Carr says that speaking at roughly 92 beats per minute is the optimal cadence for comedy and public speaking, including political speeches like Obama's.
The oldest recorded joke appears in a Roman book called 'The Lover of Laughter' and is still funny — a barber asking how a man wants his haircut, who replies 'in silence'.
Jimmy Carr argues that comedians like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Dave Chappelle have permanently expanded the conversational Overton window on sex, politics, and taboo topics.
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