The inaugural Media Production Show, to be held in London in June, is reflecting the healthy state of the UK drama industry with a line-up of top names.

Held on 9 and 10 June at the Business Design Centre in London”s Islington, the two-day event includes a wide variety of seminars, including several from well-established names in the burgeoning field of drama production.

Giving the keynote is Tony Jordan, founder of Red Planet Pictures and arguably responsible for changing the face of contemporary drama with the seminal Life on Mars.

Red Planet”s output has become more and more diverse over the years, with recent credits including the critically-acclaimed character mash-up Dickensian and the forthcoming Sky adventure series Hooten & The Lady, currently filming in Italy and South Africa.

With the sixth series of Death in Paradise gearing up for a late April shoot at its usual home of Guadeloupe, there are currently three Red Planet projects in development listed on PI: Stop! In the Name of Love, the BBC”s first musical drama; Behind Closed Doors and Legion.

Lewis Arnold is also speaking at the event, on directing UK dramas for an international audience. Arnold has plenty of experience in directing high-profile dramas, with credits including Prey, Humans, Banana and Misfits. He will be returning to Humans when the second series begins filming in April.

The seminar will focus on the ways in which international drama co-productions can affect UK shoots, including the potential impact on the director”s creative freedom.

With the gender divide still rife in many sectors within film and TV production, the show has also planned a seminar with Julia Stannard and Virginia Gilbert about being successful women in the film and TV industry.

Stannard recently produced the BBC”s hugely popular War and Peace. With other drama credits including The Great Train Robbery, The Awakening, Public Enemies and United, Stannard is well-versed in her subject.
Joining her in this session is Virginia Gilbert, whose recent credits include her debut feature as writer/director, “A Long Way From Home” which was nominated for the Michael Powell award for Best British Feature.

Also sharing their expertise at The Media Production Show are directors Bruce Goodison and Edward Bazalgette, whose joint session is on directing award-winning drama. Between them, the two have racked up a considerable raft of credits: Bazalgette has helmed DCI Banks, Poldark, A Mother”s Son and, more recently, ITV Encore”s ambitious new period drama Houdini and Doyle.

Goodison”s TV work spans Our World War, Home Fires and the BBC”s runaway hit of last year Doctor Foster. He is also attached to Born to Kill, Channel 4”s new psychological thriller which films in Cardiff from June.

Details on the above titles can be found on Production Intelligence, whose team is looking forward to meeting as many delegates as possible at the show this summer. For registration details, click here.