Created by Emily Mortimer, daughter of Rumpole author John Mortimer, and Dolly Wells, whose father was satirist John Wells, this semi-improvised series could be dismissed as an exercise in self-indulgent showbiz nepotism. However, while not wildly funny, it is richly nuanced and observational, drawing on a deeply embedded real-life friendship between the pair. In the final episode of the current series, it's the opening night of the off-Broadway play the pair have been planning. Inevitably, however, crisis strikes at the last minute.

Dolly Wells interview

As season two of the sitcom Doll & Em begins, Dolly Wells talks about her best friend on and off screen, Emily Mortimer, and her tangled relationship with her father, the satirist John Wells.

HBO cues up US version of Shameless

US cable network HBO is to develop an American version of Channel 4 drama Shameless after striking a deal with John Wells, the writer and producer behind ER and The West Wing. Wells, who also executive produced Oscar-nominated movie Far From Heaven, is currently writing a Stateside version of the Bafta-winning drama series. The development deal follows years of negotiations over a US version by Shameless's creator Paul Abbott, with NBC previously linked to the project. The UK version has aired on BBC America and the Sundance Channel in the US.