Showrunner - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The concept of a "showrunner", specifically interpreted as a writer or presenter with overall responsibility for a television production, began to spread to the British television industry in the first decade of the 21st century. The first writer given the role of showrunner on a British primetime drama was Tony McHale, creator of Holby City, in 2005. However, it was Russell T Davies' work on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who that brought the term to prominence in British television (to the extent that in 2009 a writer for The Guardian wrote that "Over here, the concept of 'showrunner' has only made it as far as Doctor Who"). Davies explained to Mark Lawson that he felt the role of the showrunner was to establish and maintain a consistent tone in a drama. Doctor Who remains the most prominent example of a British television programme with a showrunner, with Steven Moffat having taken over the post from Davies. However, the term has also been used in reference to other writer/producers, such as Tony Jordan on Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach, Ann McManus on Waterloo Road, and Adrian Hodges on Primeval. The first British comedy series to use the term was My Family, which has had four showrunners since its debut in 2000. Initially, the show was overseen by creator Fred Barron from series 1–4. Ian Brown and James Hendrie, the show's most prolific writers, took over for series 5, followed by American writer Tom Leopold for series 6. Former Cheers showrunner Tom Anderson has been in charge since series 7.