ITV ups ITV2's ante

Billie Piper is to star in an ITV2 drama adaptation of Belle de Jour, the blog turned book written by an anonymous London call girl.
The eight-part series will be one of ITV2's first major original drama commissions, marking a significant step up in the digital channel's programming ambitions.

Belle de Jour is being made by independent producers Tiger Aspect and Silver Apples, and talent agency Artists Rights Group.

Michael Foster, the ARG co-founder and Piper's agent, will be an executive producer.

The drama adaptation of Belle de Jour was originally developed for Channel 4, but ITV is understood to have stepped in after the project fell victim to belt-tightening at the rival broadcaster.

If the series of eight, 30-minute episodes is successful, Belle de Jour may become a returning drama, the ITV director television, Simon Shaps, said.

"Belle de Jour is based on the diaries of a working prostitute. It's like a modern day Moll Flanders," Mr Shaps added.

"We're bringing a major star to ITV2, Billie Piper. We want ITV2 to feel like a big channel," he said.

As part of moves to beef up ITV2's original programming, Mr Shaps and the ITV controller of drama, Laura Mackie, have also commissioned Echo Beach, a soap created by Tony Jordan that will be broadcast in tandem with Moving Wallpaper, an ITV1 comedy drama set behind the scenes at the show.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2033799,00.html


Seems Shaps wants ITV2 to be a great channel. I'd say sort out ITV1 first!

Although I do think ITV2 needs sorting too. Its mainly filled with repeats and imports.

I know this point is said a lot, but its one of the most popular digital channels around.

THE most popular.

Remember people watch EastEnders as well though!


I do think ITV2 is now beginning to recover from ITV4 stripping out alot of it's flagship content (i.e. the football) - but I can see them being back at square one if, as expected, ITV Movies launches later in the year.


And now the channel itself has gone, once the phone-in scandal dies down I fully expect ITV Play to sneak into the ITV2 daytime schedule withint the next few months.

ITV 2 would be better of sticking with the chat, soap, import stuff then trying this. CD:UK relaunched would work well on ITV 2 i think. 4pm - 6pm, a mix between TRL and original CDUK.

What's wrong with good original dramas? ITV2 is the most watched digital channel and they should be building on that success by commissioning shows like this. ITV have seen that original programming has worked phenomenally well for E4 with Skins, and BBC Three has also had great success with Torchwood. ITV2's foray into originally commissioned drama (let's not mention the awful Footballers' Wives Extra Time) is long overdue.

The only thing is that they're taking a chance on this, it will be greatly appreciated compared to 80's films and ghost hunting, but Skins is basically shameless for a younger generation, whilst torchwood is a spin off for doctor who's older fans.

I'm unsure of the books/blogs that this is based on though

And thank god for that, because if there's one thing ITV needs to be doing right now, it's taking risks.

That's very true, though I must admit that the programmes coming through so far this year have been fantastic, and hopefully it's the start of things to come from the new commissioning teams.

In my opinion ITV1 does a lot to cater for the mainstream, and therefore tends to cut out the younger generation that others, channel 4 for example, seems to pick up. In a way this is why they should put more effort into ITV2 to hopefully cater for this market, and pick up the audience that ITV1 tends to miss.

Though it doesn't help with ITV1's image.