Writers of 'a working-class Downton' say representation matters for future of TV

The creators of a new "working-class Downton Abbey" drama have said the lack of representative programming is being compounded by the decline of soaps, and "posh older guys" should not have the "monopoly on storytelling".

- Tara Conlan

Made by the producers of All Creatures Great and Small, The Hardacres is the brainchild of the Call the Midwife and Our Girl writers Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlin, who said they chose to make the rags-to-riches period drama because "more working-class people watch telly than any other demographic, but they don't feel like they are represented on the screen".

The series is written and produced by working-class women - unusual for a period drama - and McLaughlin said "one of the most important things for us was the class angle".

It was "rare to see a workingclass family at the forefront of any TV show, let alone a period drama", she said, particularly one with smart, witty characters. "The stories that we tell about working-class people are often quite grim, quite depressing ... patronising [or] caricatures."