When Wong Cho Lam was named Chief Creative Officer of TVB in January, all eyes were on him and Eric Tsang, who was appointed Deputy General Manager of the broadcaster. TVB had reported a loss of S$50mil in the first half of 2020, and the two stars were roped in to help bring the company out of the red.

Cho Lam, 41, recently spoke to Hongkong media about how he’s coping with his new responsibilities. In the span of two months, he has launched six variety shows, though they've been met with mixed reviews and ratings.

“I hope audiences can give [these shows] more time and watch them without any bias,” he said.

He then brought up new variety show Case Unclosed, where guests play detectives and solve fake murder mysteries every week. The show started airing less than a month ago.

“Is it the fault of my colleagues if viewership is poor? No, it isn’t. I feel that it’s a good concept,” he said.

Another issue Cho Lam has had to deal with is multiple artistes complaining about not having any projects on hand.

“We used to focus more on dramas, but now it’s shifted to variety shows. [That's because] I hope my colleagues will have opportunities to grow, he said.

Cho Lam added that the impression the general public has of actors is that if they aren't leading actor or actress material then they are “no better than mud”.

“There's no in between,” Cho Lam said. “But I hope those who were regarded poorly in the past can be given a chance to gain respect through variety shows.”

Cho Lam was then asked if his work in China had been affected by his new position.

The actor, who had shifted the focus of his career to China before returning to TVB, said: “I’ve given up everything that I was supposed to do there. At the same time, I hope I can maintain a good relationship with the broadcasters in China so I can secure projects for TVB artistes there.”

It's also no secret that celebrities are paid handsomely in China, and Cho Lam was asked about how he felt giving all that up.

He chuckled, “I’ve never felt that money is the most important thing in life. If I thought of nothing but money, I would never have come back [to TVB]. I’ve learned a lot about management in the last couple of months, and it’s something that I would never have experienced as an artiste, so the experience itself is priceless (…) Loyalty to TVB is more important than money anyway.”

Photos: PBE Media