ITV fed up with 'negative' talk, says Elliott

Tara Conlan

Thursday February 15, 2007

MediaGuardian.co.uk

The ITV director of drama, Nick Elliott, says the broadcaster is "fed up with being talked about negatively" and pulling out all the stops to restore its position as "the nation's most popular channel".

Unveiling ITV's new Jane Austen season, Elliott said that "about a year ago ITV could never be mentioned without putting the words 'beleaguered' or 'ailing' after it", but now things were changing.

"We're fed up with being talked about negatively. We're very determined to have only positive, good interesting things said about ITV. We've been working hard towards that goal of restoring ITV to the nation's most popular channel. I don't think it's a boast we can't justify," said Mr Elliott.

He said the ITV drama department had "cleared out a lot of old series", making way for new programmes such as Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis and the forthcoming John Prescott-based drama Confessions of a Diary Secretary.

The Jane Austen season - which features new productions of Mansfield Park, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey and a repeat of Emma, starring Kate Beckinsale - was one of the first things Simon Shaps approved after he became director of television at ITV.
Elliott said he wanted to do an Austen season because each generation needs its own version of the classics.

"About every 10 years all the great stories need retelling. These films will be very much 2007 films. With Laura [Mackie] and Sally [Haynes] we've asked and pushed the production team to make them young."

Mr Elliott said ITV dramas were having a good run, pointing out Wild At Heart was drawing big audiences and Coronation Street is up six points.

He also highlighted that Trial and Retribution has just finished its run and BBC1's Life on Mars had only just managed to draw with its rival in terms of audience share.
The Jane Austen season features stars such as Billie Piper, Anthony Head and Jemma Redgrave alongside the cream of young British acting talent.

Spooks star Rupert Penry-Jones' position as a successor to Colin Firth seems assured thanks to his brooding performance and a lingering kiss with co-star Felicity Hawkins in Persuasion.
The Jane Austen season will air on ITV1 mid-March or April, along with a behind-the-scenes show on ITV3.

ITV has other classic adaptions in the wings, including A Room with a View and Sense and Sensibility - both of which are being adapted by Andrew Davies.

Comments:

ITV has lost alot of its audience but i do find they only air boring programmes. I rarely watch it and only if the footbal or F1 is showing. ITV 2 and 3 however do show more films and sometimes you might find something on there that interests you. I feel that though competition is really high and that ITV will end bankrupt if nothing new and innovative is created.