Bradley Bell

October 2008

Executive Producer and Head Writer

The Bold and the Beautiful

When The Bold and the Beautiful hit the airwaves in 1987, it brought a new look to soap operas. Slick and glossy, depicting the world of high fashion with beautiful, glamorous people, the show featured high-end production values not usual for a daily serial drama. Very quickly it became the best-selling U.S. soap around the world, achieving high ratings in Italy, South Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. Bradley Bell, the executive producer and head writer of the show, talks about his passion for storytelling.

WSW: There have been changes in the production values of the show, giving it an even more contemporary look.

BELL: Yes, in addition to adding a new generation of characters, we are making a lot of technical changes that will enhance the overall viewer experience. We are adding more exterior shots of Los Angeles, edited together to bring the city alive and into the action. We created a new semipermanent outdoor set with natural light here at the studio, and we’re experimenting with different camera angles, editing, lighting. But don’t worry, the stories will still have that soulful feeling that’s our signature. We are still very committed to keeping our core audience and giving them the brand of entertainment they come back for year after year. Many of our viewers have been with us since day one, and they are precious to us.

WSW: What prompted some of the changes? Did your 14-year-old daughter have anything to say about the show?

BELL: My kids did have something to do with it. They would watch the show and would be a little bit ho-hum about the production. They started saying, “You need to get more real life in there, you need to get more action, it has to be a little more upbeat.” So I started watching the show and saw the same theme and the same exterior shots, and I said, “We have to freshen it up.’” So we’re going through a stage of growth and of freshening up the show, staying true to our storytelling techniques but really just experimenting a bit and, in the end, I think it will be a more exciting and a more contemporary product.

WSW: How much does viewer reaction to the show influence the direction of the story lines?

BELL: We pay attention to every piece of information about how we are doing, such as ratings and demographics, and to every person who communicates with us through letters, informal surveys, and yes, sometimes even the message boards. As well as my daughter! But the loudest and most persistent do not always represent the majority. We are grateful that people care enough to respond in any way. Some characters people just relish hating!

WSW: Do you have plans for boosting the website?

BELL: In the U.S., CBS.com is our main presence and Internet users within the U.S. can view entire episodes there after they have aired on CBS. Watch for changes on our own website, www.boldandbeautiful.com, which is available to everyone around the world. Its main focus will be on video features, and our goal is that we create a really fun place for fans around the world to come to extend their entertainment pleasure. We have added a blog section, as well. We are inviting celebrities and other compelling writers who watch the series from around the world to share their daily reaction to what’s going on on screen. We’ll be opening up this experience through YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and many other international social-networking sites.

WSW: Do the characters tend to live in your head at all times, or do they just come into focus when you have to plot out the story lines?

BELL: The characters are always with me. Before I go to bed, when I wake up in the middle of the night, when I wake up in the morning, when I shower, get dressed and drive to work! When you’re in storytelling mode, there’s no turning them off. And sometimes when I’m thinking about real life, I just have to push it aside because I know that the more I think about and obsess about these characters and get inside their heads, the better the product will be. The characters become a part of your life and sometimes more a part of your life than your real life.

WSW: You’re on the air every single day. How do you keep the momentum going and how do you motivate your cast and your writers?

BELL: It never stops. We do eight episodes a week and 250 episodes a year. It’s a lot of caffeine and it’s a lot of communication! You have to surround yourself with people who are genuinely excited about what we do every day, who love the characters, who want to make the show exciting and fresh and who have a positive attitude. It’s so important, because those are the people in the cast and in the staff that make you excited about coming to work every day.