\nAYECH: <\/strong>Growth on Drama has come from a few different places. The channel has an incredibly loyal core audience and a very consistent offering; people know they can come in for their classic soaps in the mornings, nostalgic drama in the afternoons, classic comedy at teatime and
![\"***Image***\"](\"http:\/\/newsletters.worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/img\/2022-01-31-Emma-Ayech-Profile-Hi-Res.jpg\")
their favorite detective shows in peak. It\u2019s a winning formula, and the channel has been a reliable friend to viewers through the various lockdowns. However, we have also worked hard to keep Drama feeling fresh for our viewers. Key additions have been contemporary classics like Happy Valley<\/em> and Luther<\/em>, more free-to-air premieres for the likes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke <\/em>and Dial M for Middlesbrough<\/em>, on top of our usual U.K. premiere, and Drama-exclusive series like New Zealand-based crime drama The Brokenwood Mysterie<\/em>s. We have also brought some \u201cnoughties\u201d classics back to people\u2019s screens, with all of Bad Girls<\/em> showing on linear as well as being boxset-dropped on our VOD service UKTV Play.<\/p>\nTV DRAMA:<\/strong> What\u2019s guiding Drama\u2019s programming strategy at present? Our aim is to continue to grow our linear channel by always refreshing our archive content, as well as focusing more on premiere drama for our viewers. Alongside that, we want to continue to grow our on-demand service UKTV Play and make sure it offers viewers a deeper archive library to complement the linear channel, as well as a wider choice of content that can stretch the brand into new areas to satisfy all tastes in drama. Our goal for Drama on both linear and nonlinear services is unsurpassed curation, bringing viewers a wide range of quality drama, both old and new.<\/p>\n TV DRAMA:<\/strong> How much of the drama slate comes from acquisitions? TV DRAMA: <\/strong>What have been some of the most successful acquired dramas for the channel as of late? TV DRAMA:<\/strong> What\u2019s on your wish list for drama acquisitions at present? We buy a lot of archive from a few key suppliers; however, we continue to engage with a range of distributors to ensure our peak content remains fresh.<\/p>\n TV DRAMA:<\/strong> Anything you\u2019re not seeing enough of in the market that you\u2019d like to see more of? TV DRAMA:<\/strong> Will originals and\/or co-productions be more of a focus for the channel looking ahead? The channel director for UKTV’s Drama and Alibi discusses the \u201cwinning formula\u201d that\u2019s driving the Drama channel’s gains, current programming strategy and wish list for acquisitions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":16246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,70],"tags":[4852,979],"class_list":["post-16245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-emma-ayech","tag-uktv","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nAYECH: <\/strong>We listen to our audience, with regular focus groups and a close eye on social conversations around the channel. We know they love the trusted archive curation we give them, but they also have a huge appetite for new drama.<\/p>\n
\nAYECH:<\/strong> The majority of Drama\u2019s slate comes from the incredibly rich archive of the BBC, however, around one-fourth is acquired, and these are hugely important titles for us. We are looking to have the best content\u2014not just the best BBC content\u2014so that means acquiring classic archive as well as finding new titles that can sit well alongside the great, quality BBC shows we have.<\/p>\n
\nAYECH: <\/strong>The Brokenwood Mysteries<\/em> has been one of our most successful acquisitions, and it was the highest-rating show on the channel last year, with season seven averaging over a million viewers. It is loved by our viewers and sits well alongside the rest of our peak lineup. We also acquired all seasons of Bad Girls<\/em> last year, which has been very successful on both linear and on UKTV Play, and it has driven a lot of conversation and excitement on our social channels.
\nA Place to Call Home<\/em> has also been a highlight, particularly on UKTV Play.<\/p>\n
\nAYECH: <\/strong>U.K.-premiere soft crime and U.K.-premiere period drama, with high production value and good British talent. Also looking for iconic archive content and volume archive.<\/p>\n
\nAYECH: <\/strong>We know our viewers love soft crime, and we are always on the lookout for more of this. We have a number of series that are exclusive to Drama in the Freeview space (Frankie Drake Mysteries<\/em>, Harrow<\/em>, Miss Scarlet and the Duke<\/em>), but we will always consider more.<\/p>\n
\nAYECH: <\/strong>We are ambitious about what Drama can achieve, and we are exploring all routes to continued growth. That is likely to mean giving our viewers more new and exclusive content and growing our reputation as more than an archive channel. I think to deliver on that goal to the level we want to, it will mean being active in the originals and\/or co-productions area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"