Lynda La Plante is Britain's most successful and well known screenwriter and the first woman to win the prestigious Dennis Potter writer's award. Attracting millions of viewers, the popular and critical success of La Plante's work is central to understanding changes that shook the UKtelevision industry in the late twentieth century. This critical introduction, the first account of her work, focuses on three innovative serials: "Widows" (ITV, 1983), "Prime Suspect" (ITV 1991) and "Trial and Retribution" (ITV 1997).In each chapter questions of gender and genre, acting and stardom and authorship and value are mapped against the changing relationship between women and the television industry. The final chapter traces La Plante's metamorphosis from "just a writer for hire" to the astute businesswoman she hasbecome through a focus on the trans-national appeal of dramas such as "Killer Net" (C4 1997) and "Bella Mafia" (CBS 1997). | Lynda La Plante by Julia Hallam, Paperback | Indigo Chapters