ITV1’s Top Priority Is 9pm Drama

Speaking at yesterday’s Right’s Lab conference, ITV executive chairman Michael Grade said that ITV1’s top priority is to regain its ground in 9pm drama.

Grade said: “Laura Mackie [director of drama at ITV] and her team are raising our ambitions in this area so if you think that we’re only interested in detective dramas or psychological thrillers, think again.

“Mobile, Fallen Angel, Kingdom, the Jane Austen season and Talk to Me have done well for us, but we need more, particularly more returnable series.

“We want the next Life on Mars, the next Spooks and, yes, we’re still in the market for the next Morse, the next Foyle’s War or the next Doc Martin.”

He said: “I am hopeful of an end to ITV’s copycat phase – Simon Shaps is leading the way.

“What I want for ITV1 is for it to be leading the field, not following its competitors, to stop relying on tried and tested formulas and come up with the next generation of world-beating formats.

“I want ITV to be original, not lazy, brave not boring, creative and not complacent.”

ITV recently announced that it had acquired two new dramas set to air on ITV1 next year, Pushing Daisies, which stars former Brookside actress Anna Friel, and Swingtown, which features This Life actor Jack Davenport (see ITV To Beef Up Schedules With US Acquisitions).

Grade has also announced that ITV has commissioned a new comedy show, called Moving Wallpaper, for both ITV.com and ITV1.

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com