'Life on Mars' scribes set up own indie

The growing trend towards a showrunner culture in British TV drama continues: Broadcast reports that Life on Mars co-creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh have set up their own independent production company. Among the objectives for Monastic Productions is giving the scribes a greater degree of control over the shows they create, particularly in areas like casting.

Future projects will be run through Monastic Productions, initially with help from larger independents, until the company becomes established. The pair are already in talks with ITV and the BBC about its first project, a new show which the start-up could begin shooting next summer.

Life on Mars' other co-creator, Tony Jordan, announced back in April he was setting up his own indie, Red Planet, a writer-led production company hiring top writing talent to work with Jordan. Last month Red Planet announced its first drama commission, a pre-watershed police drama series for the BBC with five other scribes attached. Let's hope Monastic is equally enthusiastic about involving other writers.