Jane Tranter Tells Rome Producers to Swim Against the Crowd
Jane Tranter told European producers on Tuesday that the way to get through uncertain times is to head the opposite way from everyone else. She made the point at MIA Market in Rome, according to Variety.
MIA is an international film and TV trade market. It runs from 19 to 23 October 2026, alongside the Rome film festival, which lasts until 25 October. Tranter spoke in conversation with Paolo Ciccarelli, MIA's head of drama content.
Tranter is chief executive of Bad Wolf, the production company she launched with Julie Gardner in 2015. Before that she rose through British television to become head of drama at the BBC. The session covered that path, from the BBC to founding Bad Wolf, as MIA's own website describes it.
Tranter also spoke about her early days. She said that as a drama script editor at the ITV franchise Carlton Television in the 1990s, she was told that no drama with a female lead would ever draw an audience. She said she wanted drama that was inclusive of everyone, and that she in particular wanted to watch shows with women in them.
As an example of backing an idea that went against conventional wisdom, she pointed to The Other Bennet Sister. Bad Wolf produced the period drama in association with the BBC and the streaming service BritBox.
Variety also reports that the future of Doctor Who has been uncertain since Disney+ stopped co-financing it in 2025. A co-financier is a partner that helps pay for a series. In September 2026 the BBC launched a competitive tender, a formal call for producers to pitch plans for rebooting the show. Tranter's team said she would not take questions about Doctor Who after her MIA appearance.
The session fits into a busy week in Rome. Variety and Deadline both listed Tranter among the headline names for this year's market, alongside director Edward Berger. Variety also reported that the kick-off guests included Asif Kapadia and Kim Longinotto.
For the wider industry, the message was simple. Tranter urged producers not to follow the crowd when the outlook is unclear, and she offered her own career as the example.
