The Stage

Broadcaster Five ventures into original British drama

Published Tuesday 10 May 2005 at 13:00 by Liz Thomas

Five is making an ambitious move into home-grown drama, developing a number of shows from leading production companies, as part of a push to redress the poor representation of the genre on the channel.

In a bid to strengthen its reputation in drama and entertainment, the broadcaster has confirmed it is working on programmes for 2006 and has promoted Abigail Webber to the new role of drama editor to oversee the projects.

Ecosse Films, the indie that produces Monarch of the Glen for BBC1, is making a two-hour, two-part drama written by EastEnders scriptwriter Simon Ashdown. Entitled Kitchen, it is based on the rise to fame of a celebrity chef. World Productions, run by This Life creator Tony Garnett, is working on a comedy drama based around a wedding called Perfect Day, while Carnival Films, which makes ITV crime series Rosemary and Thyme, is developing a drama about a recently departed soul who is not ready to move on.

A spokeswoman for Five said Webber’s new role - reporting to director of programmes Dan Chambers - was crucial in leading drama development on the channel. She acknowledged that while budgets for the development had yet to be set, it would require significant investment to produce quality programmes that met audience demands.

She added: “We hope to take home-grown drama on the channel in a different direction. We want to produce distinctive, rewarding dramas, that engage our viewers. We are continuing to look at other scripts for development which may lead to commissions this year.”

The broadcaster has traditionally relied on films and low-budget programming such as reality TV hit The Farm or celebrity-based documentaries including The Truth About… to fill its schedules. While much of its drama slate is made up of imports from the US, such as crime show CSI and and futuristic spy series Alias, Five has commissioned very few original UK productions to date.

• British shows won every award in the sitcom and comedy categories at the prestigious Rose d’Or awards in Lucerne, Switzerland. Little Britain picked up the accolade for best comedy, while its creators Matt Lucas and David Walliams also collected the award for best male performance. Pippa Haywood from Channel 4’s Green Wing won best female performance and Julia Davis’ Nighty Night won the award for best sitcom. Peter Kay was named best actor for Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.