For an example of the passionate perfectionism of drama producer Damien Timmer, look no further than the press screening of the first episode of ITV drama Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman.
The period drama is set during the Second World War and follows a British family in Singapore during the Japanese invasion in 1942.
Ruthless rubber merchant Walter Blackett (David Morrissey) fears for the future of his firm when his business partner Webb (Charles Dance) falls ill, and concocts a scheme to wed his spoilt daughter Joan (Georgia Blizzard) to Webb’s kind hearted son Matthew (Luke Treadaway).
The plan is far from straight-forward, as Matthew falls under the spell of Vera Chiang (Elizabeth Tan), a Chinese adventurer with a mysterious past.
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.
The first series, which started in late August and now has two episodes left to air, has averaged 7.7 million viewers so far, making it ITV’s highest rating drama this year.
In it, Jenna Coleman stars as the young queen and Tom Hughes as her cousin, and future husband, Albert.
Both have confirmed that they will reprise their roles in the next series. It is not yet known which cast members from series one will join them.
Daisy Goodwin, who wrote and executive produced the show, said: “Even though she reigned in the 19th Century, Victoria is a heroine for our times.”
Fearless is a contemporary thriller about Emma Blunt, a solicitor with a reputation for defending lost causes. Starring Peaky Blinders actor Helen McCrory in the lead role, the show is described as "in the crash zone where law and politics collide.”
"The so-called War on Terror has put serious stress on the ordinary workings of the law. National security justifies all sorts of police and state over-reach – and the great majority of us are prepared to accept this," said Harbinson, who was a soldier before turning his hand to writing TV dramas.
The second series of Poldark has yet to air on television, returning to BBC1's prime Sunday night slot this autumn, but the programme's makers have already been given the go ahead for a third.
Series one was watched by 9million viewers in 2015, and received much publicity alongside the UK general election. “People were asking ‘Where is the Ross Poldark of our time, where is our natural leader?’ Who could have predicted that?” said writer Debbie Horsfeld at an RTS event in April.
In a drama series first, ITV's Victoria will focus on the life of the Queen, played by Jenna Coleman.
It's being produced by the broadcaster's recent acquisition Mammoth Screen, makers of BBC One's Poldark.
“This epic series is a chance to see the Victorian age through the eyes of the Queen herself for the first time," ITV's Director of Drama, Steve November, told the RTS.
