Current Affairs
What we do
Current affairs on ITV cover a broad range of issues and include many differing styles and sub-genres within it. In the widest sense we're interested in the stories and ideas that graphically illustrate what is going on 'out there' - among our audience. That includes the social, the political and the economic but it is fundamentally about the way we live our lives and the issues and challenges that face us in the every day world.
Most important of all we look for stories, strong narratives based firmly around people at the heart of events. Access can be an important element in any coverage but it has to be access with a point, access that drives a narrative and tells a powerful tale.
Most of our commissions are firmly rooted in UK-based stories but we have commissioned and will continue to commission overseas stories remembering all the time that this is ITV and whatever we do has to resonate with and be relevant to our audience.
Current commissions
Four series sit at the heart of ITV's current affairs schedule.
The weekly Tonight is Britain's most-watched current affairs programme and leads with an agenda of domestic stories and issues, the things that count most of all to our audience. We take a small number of independent half-hour films outside of our core providers ITV Studios and ITV News
Exposure is the investigative strand which ran the RTS award-winning The Other Side of Jimmy Savile as well as the Emmy Award winners Saudi Arabia Uncovered and Banaz: A Love Story. Running around 5 one-off episodes a year, we're looking for investigative and high impact hour-long documentaries.
Peston, the agenda-setting weekly political talk show hosted by Robert Peston and made by ITV Studios.
The high-rating, popular strand The Martin Lewis Money Show and its Live Specials, also made by ITV Studios, complete the four.
Range is one of the keys to ITV's current affairs. So, this core schedule is supported by returning series such as the world affairs programme On Assignment; The Kyle Files and Fraud Squad. These are complemented with new, short series such as The Investigator; After The News; The Paras; The Harbour; Eat, Shop, Save and School Swap: The Class Divide.
Throughout the year there will also be a number of single films. These could be tied to significant events, exclusive interviews, fast-turnaround reactive pieces or long-planned 'event' shows. They include titles like Lord Lucan: My Husband, The Truth; The Forgotten Children; and John Pilger's The Coming war on China. In 2017, ITV won the RTS History Award for the single documentary The Aberfan Young Wives' Club.
We commission throughout the year and are always particularly interested in stand-out ideas for Exposure and ideas that have the strength to make it into short, possibly two-part, current affairs series.
How to submit an idea
We are very open to offers and suggestions and while always excited by ideas that have real form and clarity we are also happy to work with you on the germ of an idea that has promise. We will, above all, give you the quickest feedback we can and can be contacted on CurrentAffairs.Commissioning@ITV.com or email tom.giles@itv.com
Please note we only accept submissions from production companies.
Current Affairs programmes
Key People
Commissioning areas
Entertainment & Daytime
Factual
Drama & Comedy
Sport
Digital Channels
Online