This document summarizes several British television dramas and discusses their target audiences. ITV targets 16-34 year olds and produces mainstream dramas like Downton Abbey and Broadchurch aimed at broad audiences. Whitechapel and Ripper Street, set in historical times like the Jack the Ripper murders, likely appeal more to adults aged 30+. BBC One aims for all adults but drama focuses on big characters and stories. E4 targets those aged 16+ with shows like comedies, while Skins and Misfits featuring teen issues are best for viewers 16-18 years old.

1. TV Drama
Research

2. ITV
• ITV is a commercial public service TV network in the
United Kingdom. ITV is the home of popular
television from the biggest entertainment events, to
original drama, major sport, landmark factual series
and independent news and targets 16-34s.
•
• ITV is the home of mainstream drama. They make
series, serials and single films for a broad, heartland
audience. Their output has variety and depth,
including period series Downton Abbey, female
cop duo Scott & Bailey, event serials like Mrs Biggs,
and popular crime dramas like Whitechapel and
Broadchurch.

3. Whitechapel
• Whitechapel is a British television drama series in
which detectives in London's Whitechapel district
deal with murders which replicate historical crimes.
The first series depicted the search for a modern
copycat killer replicating the murders of Jack the
Ripper. Because of this, it is most probably aimed at
adults who are 30+ because it will suit those with
more of a historical understanding.

4. Broadchurch
• Broadchurch is a British television crime drama
broadcast on ITV, involving the death of a young
boy and the search for his killer, starring David
Tennant and Olivia Colman and set in the Dorset
Coast. Because of murder, crime, violence and
distressing scenes, the target audience is most likely
to be adults aged 18+.

5. BBC
• On BBC One, there is a wide variety of programmes that
are broadcasted, such the news, quiz shows, soaps, chat
shows and dramas. Because of this, it appeals to family
audiences, but mainly adults of all ages. BBC One has
the widest reach of all the channels, with nearly 80% of
the population tuning in to the channel every week.
Drama aims to be for and about the BBC One audience,
providing something for everyone and always accessible
to a broad audience.
•
• Drama on BBC One maintains a mix of established,
returning favourites and new and original ideas in either
contemporary or period settings, always telling big stories
through big characters.

6. Ripper Street
• Ripper Street is a BBC TV series set in Whitechapel in
London's East End in 1889, six months after the
infamous Jack the Ripper murders. The series stars
Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam
Rothenberg. Similarly to Whitechapel, it is aimed at
adults mainly of the ages 30 and above, purely
because of the historical element to the
programme.

7. The Paradise
• The Paradise is a British television costume drama
series on BBC. The series is an adaptation of Émile
Zola's novel Au Bonheur des Dames that relocates
the story to North East England. It begins in 1875 and
portrays the lives and loves of the people who work,
shop and trade in and around the first English
department store. Again because of the historical
element, I think the programme is aimed at
audiences from 30-40+.

8. E4
• E4 is interested in the making of relevant media
content that appeals to the tastes and interests of
older children and young adults (16 years old +) by
broadcasting programmes including the making of
relevant media content that consists of news and
current affairs to appeal to this audience. Popular
E4 shows are comedies, such as How I met your
mother and The Big Bang Theory.

9. Skins
• Skins is a British teen drama that follows the lives of a
group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England,
through the two years of sixth form. Its controversial
storylines have explored issues such as dysfunctional
families, mental illness, adolescent sexuality, abuse,
death and bullying. The show went on to be a
critical success as well as a ratings winner within its
target demographic. Because of distressing, violent
and sexual scenes, this drama is most suitably aged
towards teenagers and young adults of 16 years
old+.

10. Misfits
• Misfits is a British comedy-drama television show
about a group of young offenders sentenced to
work in a community service programme, where
they obtain supernatural powers after a strange
electrical storm. The characters and the comedy
mainly just appeals to teenagers aged 16 - 18 years
old.