Jonathan Pope

Jonathan Pope is an arrogant, egocentric and ruthless TV producer. He says things to people's faces that other people wouldn't say even behind their backs. He's also quite inept at his job.

He does have moments of genius, but certainly no morals - he'd prop a dead actor up at the bar if he thought it'd help the scene. He once told a young child actress that her parents had died... just to make her cry on camera.

Although he suffers from status anxiety, Jonathan likes to think of himself as chilled and loved by all. But he's not. His writing team are frustrated by his constant meddling with their scripts and all the last minute cast and storyline changes he brings in. They sometimes tell Jonathan how frustrated they but, but he's not just thick skinned, he's armour-plated... so it just doesn't sink in.

When in doubt Jonathan asks 'What would Simon Cowell do?'... that probably tells you more about his personality than anything else.

Sam Phillips

As the script editor on the team, Sam is in the middle of all the problems. She must try and juggle Jonathan's demands with the polar opposite demands coming from the neurotic writers.

TV writing is Sam's life, she wouldn't know how to go out and be sociable. But she does know how to persuade everyone to do exactly what she wants. She is very good at manipulating and motivating Jonathan... and getting him out of trouble.

She's definitely got a soft spot for Jonathan - but she'd never admit it, not even to herself.

Tom Warren

Scripts come easily to Tom. As do most things, especially women. Tom is fearless, because ignorance is bliss. He's comfortable in his own skin and parties hard. He likes annoying Carl, specially by flirting with Kelly... although that does make him a bit shallow.

As far as Tom's concerned, Echo Beach and Renaissance are good, easy pay cheques. It's a great job for him as in the process he also gets to have a laugh seeing just how much he can get away with.

Carl Morris

Carl's the oldest of the writers and he's been battered a bit by the industry. He put things from his own life into the mouths of the people in his scripts.

One day he hopes to make it big in Hollywood, but right now he's in the real world of TV soaps and dramas. He's a bit jaded, but being around Kelly - whom he clearly fancies big time - makes it all bearable. The more she inspires him, the more his writing becomes a love letter to her.

Gillian McGovern

Gillian is the conscience among the writers. To her, the episodes they are working on are all about living, breathing people with real problems. She's a politically correct flower in an un-PC wilderness. Jonathan's whimsical brash changes and sexing up of the scripts frustrate her no end, but she's always loyal.

Gillian is definitely, in her eyes, the head writer. She thinks she is the one who is the cultural, political and social freedom writer. Instead she's the least well paid and most exploited of them all.

Kelly Hawkins

Kelly's very new to the world of media, but she's delighted to be there. She loves her job although she doesn't quite know what it is, and neither does anyone else. The closest description is probably Jonathan's PA, the general office secretary, and production runner all rolled into one. She tries to do the job well, but she messes up regularly.

Young Kelly is excited to be working in TV and is obsessed by celebrity. She's young and naive, but does sometimes let slip pearls of wisdom. She has no idea what's important - for example, she'll spend hours choosing fonts for an urgent memo!

Mel Debrou

Mel is the go between for the production company and the actors. It's probably not the job she hoped she would end up doing. She does what needs to be done or blames who needs to be blamed to get by.

Mel has no qualms about lying, begging or borrowing if it means pacifying an actor and getting the job done. She'll go to any lengths to keep the cast happy, even if it means picking mushrooms out of the stroganoff from the catering van! It doesn't mean she cares about them though... in fact, she hates the entire cast. The actors annoy her no end with their over-the-top demands and generally make her life one long never-ending stress.

Nancy Weeks

Nancy is the Head of Continuing Drama at ITV. She is a complete ice queen who has no doubt ruthlessly back-stabbed her way to the top of the corporate ladder.

She is Jonathan's nemesis. Unfortunately for him, she is inflexible to his slippery Teflon nonsense and wants revenge for the way he treated her as a minion many years ago. Now she's his boss, and so his future is very much in her hands. The trouble is, she can't fire him until he screws up - so she's currently watching his every move very carefully...