ITV: Michaela Hennessy-Vass, commissioning editor, comedy

Sketch shows are pretty well covered by a handful of development projects and instead the focus is on broad appeal - something that viewers could grasp if it was summed up in one line, such as the package holidays of Benidorm or the call centres of Mumbai Calling.

While she wants universal ideas, they need to be modern - not things that could have worked on ITV 10 or 20 years ago.

The available slots, almost exclusively 30 minutes, are post-watershed, but that doesn't mean the shows need to be rude, Hennessy-Vass says. She's open-minded about single camera shows or studio sitcoms, despite the latter being out of fashion.

She is clearly enthused to have Peter Fincham's strong comedy reputation guiding the network, but says he is still taking stock, rather than setting out new parameters for commissions.

One area in which he may be able to help is with talent. Hennessy-Vass says it is essential that the ITV1 audience already recognises a show's lead, with ITV2 providing more opportunities to break new faces.

The Friday slots of 9pm, 9.30pm and 10pm are up for grabs and are seen as distinct, with more opportunities to take risks for a dedicated comedy audience at 10pm rather than the Corrie fans who make up the lead-in at 9pm.

Five may be poised to revive Minder, but she is unlikely to raid the network's archive.

“It's easy to see things through rose-tinted spectacles and classics need to be treated carefully. If they work, they can be fantastic, but they have to be absolutely right.”

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