Jane Tranter

An enormously influential television producer, Jane Tranter specializes in epic historical productions like the cable series "Rome" and the British miniseries "David Copperfield." Tranter was an English literature major at King's College London and began her career in TV at the BBC as a floor manager for the long-running daytime drama "EastEnders" and the crime drama "Bergerac." She was then promoted to script editor, a role she performed on the mystery shows "Screen One" and "Screen Two" in the early 1990s. Her first production credit came on the drama "London Bridge" in 1996 and eventually she became head of drama serials at the BBC, where she oversaw productions such as the Rachel Weisz TV film "My Summer with Des" and the Charles Dickens adaptation "David Copperfield." In 2000, she became the controller of drama commissioning, which gave her enormous influence over programming at the national broadcaster. During this era she oversaw shows like the dramatic comedy "Linda Green," the TV movie "Night Flight," and the 2002 adaptation of "Crime and Punishment." She was executive producer for the United States-U.K. co-production "Rome," which began in 2005. She was given even more authority in 2006 when she was made head of fiction at the BBC, adding comedy series, films, and foreign programs to her portfolio. The horror thriller "Jekyll" was one show she commissioned in her new role. In 2008 she joined BBC Worldwide and since then has produced the historical biography "House of Saddam" and the nonfiction show "Bama Belles" in 2010.