ITV commits to more drama

ITV will broadcast more drama in the early evening and on Saturdays, in an overhaul of how the genre is presented on the channel.

Controller of drama Nick Elliot has promised a move away from the network’s traditional topics and time slots as part of the bid to boost flagging viewing figures. He told The Stage: “There is a lot of police drama and detective drama, which is fine, but we have started to look at a wider range of subjects or new ways of presenting old ones.

“We have a lot of good returning series, such as Doc Martin or Foyle’s War, that people come to the channel for but ideally we will mix new programmes into the schedule at different times, both single dramas and series. We spend around £1 million a day on drama and we have got British stars, British productions and British talent in way that no other channel can really match.”

More from Liz Thomas in The Stage.