But that might not be the only reason it’s been cancelled, as the BBC have said they wanted to concentrate on doing quality drama rather than just always using viewing figures as a yardstick, though this obviously does come into any consideration to justify the licence fee. The key cast members of The Hour are probably not getting any cheaper. Ben Whishaw is enjoying cinematic success in roles in the James Bond franchise and Cloud Atlas; Dominic West has appeared in John Carter, Johnny English Reborn and Arthur Christmas, as well as major TV roles; and Romola Garai has enjoyed various television show lead roles in Emma and The Crimson Petal and the White. Though it has the benefit of not being built around costly CGI, something that affects other shows such as Primeval with the axe hanging overhead, the cost of the cast balanced against the viewing figures doesn’t probably stack up.

How important is drama to television schedules now?

It’s difficult to deny that there are other forms of programming that prove more popular to the masses on television, with reality and talent shows, cooking programmes and other much cheaper genres proving good for balancing the books and drawing in in the viewers. Channels such as Watch have spent lots of money commissioning exclusive dramas and importing North American shows, which have boosted their viewing figures but equally not pulling in huge, justifiable audiences.

The BBC has often gone on record to say they don’t want to judge shows on their audience figures but to create niche, varied programming but as heavy investment in shows such as The Voice proves, they are understandably still aiming at times for the mass market.

There is of course, still a heavy investment in drama. ITV’s Broadchurch has been an enormous succes, Call The Midwife‘s second series was wildly popular and perhaps the money that would have been spent on a third run of The Hour is to be invested in new talent, an undeniably worthwhile cause. With global successes like Sherlock and Doctor Who, as well as promising new commissions such as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell on their way from the BBC, we’re certainly not being short-changed.