British summer broadcasting has traditionally been (light) entertainment focused and has been the subject of lower expectations from producers, reviewers and audiences, to the extent that a summer broadcasting slot might be considered to impair the viewing figures and critical acclaim of a series. This article examines the decisions made by the British broadcaster ITV during 2004–2009, in the first years of its unification as a single plc, to reschedule the screenings of several drama productions – including my case studies Jane Hall (2006), Monday Monday (2009) and Mister Eleven (2009) – and considers the impact of their summer scheduling in relation to gender, genre and institutional strategy. It draws on Bennett’s work on genre, television, gender and distinction, company reports, critical reviews and audience responses to argue that ITV’s historical dependence on and appeal to a populist, often feminine, audience can be seen to create friction with its ambitions. The article concludes that the default association of ‘quality television’ with masculine interests and values, as well as concerns about financial risk in a challenging economic climate, led ITV into risk-averse scheduling decisions where contemporary female-orientated comedy-dramas series are concerned, which reinforce traditional notions of scheduling and programme quality.
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