Drama Commissioning

Q&A with Laura Mackie: Director, Drama Commissioning

Published: Wednesday, 23 April 2008, 12:48PM

What’s your top TV show at the moment and why?
Coronation Street for its continually strong storylines. Katie and Peter – Next Chapter. They're brilliant to watch and always entertaining. Britain’s Got Talent – a quintessential ITV1 show, big, bold, colourful, noisy, and fun!
 
Have any recent imports stood out and why?
Dexter, previously on FX and now on ITV1, is bold and original and slightly creepy!
 
What are the buzzwords that best describe what you’re currently looking for?
Clarity, confidence and originality.
 
Please give a short quote to define ITV Drama at the moment.
ITV Drama should always aim to capture the mood of the nation and to provide a really entertaining or challenging or ideally an entertaining and challenging viewing experience.
 
What programme are you most proud of to date and why?
Torn, a powerful, emotional domestic thriller and The Fixer, a really classy, well executed returning series.
 
What programme on another channel do you wish you had commissioned and why?
Sorry to be predictable but Series one of Life on Mars.
 
Which programme you love to see back on our screens?
The Prisoner – and I will next year!
 
What’s been your biggest inspiration in television?
The pleasure and envy of seeing something really original e.g. the first Prime Suspect, Edge of Darkness and the Ken/Deirdre/Mike love triangle in Coronation Street in the '80s
 
What would be your talent on Britain’s Got Talent?
Playing the recorder very badly!