Kudos is one of the few British independents that manages to pump out high concept returnable dramas year after year. The enormous success of MI5 drama Spooks, now gearing up for its seventh season on BBC1 was proved to be in no way a fluke as the company launched the equally successful, slick and returnable conman drama Hustle. Add to that the strange genius of Life on Mars (that itself wins the Bulldog for best drama series) and now the Life on Mars follow up Ashes to Ashes, and it’s hard to see where Kudos has put a foot wrong in recent times. 2007 was also the year that the company found itself under new ownership, joining the indie consolidation race after being bought by Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine in a deal thought to be worth around £35m. The joint managing directors are Stephen Garrett and Jane Featherstone, the commercial director is Daniel Isaacs and the director of drama is Simon Crawford-Collins.