period drama

Andrew Davies adapts Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon for ITV

Jane Austen

Sanditon, written just months before Austen’s death in 1817, tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, an impulsive and highly spirited young woman, and her spiky relationship with the wild and charming Sidney Parker.

After an accident sees the Heywood family transported from the rural hometown of Willingden to the up-and-coming seaside town of Sanditon, Charlotte is exposed to the intrigues of a town on the rise, and the people whose fortunes depend on its commercial success.

ITV commissions Vanity Fair adaptation

Olivia Cooke will star as heroine Becky Sharpe in Vanity Fair (Credit: ITV)

Vanity Fair tells the story of Becky Sharpe, a young woman attempting to claw her way out of poverty and scale the heights of English Society.

Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, Becky climbs all the way to the court of King George IV, via the Battle of Waterloo, breaking hearts and losing fortunes as she goes.

Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel) will play Thackeray’s heroine Becky Sharpe.

Filming starts on Agatha Christie adaptation starring Toby Jones

Bringing together the creative team behind the broadcaster's recent retelling of Christie's And Then There Were None, the new two-part drama will be produced by Mammoth Screen and written by Sarah Phelps.

Starring Toby Jones as solicitor John Mayhew, the plot follows the court case of Leonard Vole, heir to a large fortune, who is charged with killing his benefactor Emily French.

ITV’s big drama: Television speaks to drama boss Steve November

On 18 September 2016, Steve November has a problem. At 9:00pm that night, the slot arrives in ITV’s schedule that would normally be filled by the season premiere of Downton Abbey.

As Director of Drama for the ITV network, November has to find a replacement – Downton is ending, with the last ever episode to air this coming Christmas Day. And, given Downton’s blockbuster ratings performance, it’s going to be a fiendishly difficult act to follow.