Claire Zolkwer, Commissioning Editor, Comedy & Entertainment, ITV

The return of The Only Way is Essex

It's always a good sign when you're happy to rush to an edit on a Saturday night, excited to be seeing the programme before anyone else. That’s what happened to me on the first series of The Only Way Is Essex.

I’d commissioned a series of 10 programmes spanning five weeks, never quite sure whether we would pull it off – new series are always difficult but when they are a new hybrid mix of drama, factual with a little comedy thrown in for good measure, it's scary waiting to see how the audience will react.  

But as I look forward to an extended run for the second series with all the familiar faces that we’ve come to love, countless magazine articles, a spin off book in the pipeline and the possibility of branded vajazzling kits – I look back and think what a brilliant tv moment to be part of.    

Of course, my role as commissioning editor is a tiny part of a huge team – there are producers, editors, camera operators and directors, all working on bringing a new type of television experience to our screens.  And that hasn’t even taken account of the cast!

They were really brilliant at being able to put their lives on camera – it's no easy thing, just think about when the wedding video man points a camera in your face, you suddenly become very aware and self-conscious. They are amazing at just being themselves, which makes the show what it is.   
There are so many people that made the show so watchable but make no mistake, none of this happened by accident – we spent hours talking with the team about how we would cover the casts' lives in the series.  

Believe me, even as we go into series two, there is still so much to talk about – now that Mark and Lauren appear to be finished, what's going to happen in their lives to drive us to watch them?  Arg was such a hit in the last series, what elements of his life are the audience interested in now that he has grown beyond just being Mark’s friend? And what other recipes might Nanny Pat whip up?

Thankfully, there is, of course, loads for the cast to be getting on with – although some of them are now experiencing showbiz moments and becoming something of celebrities themselves, they still live normal lives and in the second series we will be seeing them in their usual haunts, doing the things that we’ve come to love of them.  

Amy will still be giving out vajazzles, Mark is still ducking and diving and Harry is still saying “Shutupp”.  

And the most exciting thing?  The most exciting thing is deciding on the potential new cast –and I’m delighted to tell you, there are some amazing new characters that are going to come and brighten up our Sundays and Wednesdays and I’m the very, very privileged person who gets to have a sneaky peek at them first.

You won't be disappointed!