The people behind today's biggest shows – in conversation with C21's Mark Rowland

There's usually a big, simple idea behind an unscripted hit. Race Across the World certainly has one – but that's where simplicity stops. It has to be the most fiendishly difficult production challenge in unscripted television.

The people behind today’s biggest shows – in conversation with C21’s Mark Rowland My Kitchen Rules is an Australian phenomenon. Yes, it’s a cooking competition, but it’s also very much a people show that spans the country, featuring likely and unlikely pairs of contestants who are not only good in the kitchen but fancy having all the other competitors round for dinner to pass judgement.

ITV Studios’ Huub van Ballegooy and La Voz showrunner Encarna Pardo on casting from 10,000 hopefuls, why Spain has a regret button - and what keeps the format in more than 70 countries. The people behind today’s biggest shows - in conversation with C21’s Mark Rowland

As Peacock and A24 horror prequel Crystal Lake debuts, showrunner Brad Caleb Kane explains why Pamela Voorhees (played by Lina Cardellini) deserved a story of her own and how he traced her journey from camp cook to killer in the eight-part series. He also discusses blending emotion with creative gore, recreating scenes shot for shot from the original film, and drawing on 1970s thrillers for the show’s look. The screenwriter also recalls the challenges of filming in New Jersey’s heat, and why TV horror is no longer niche.

Sky's executive director of unscripted Phil Edgar-Jones on the five years it took to bring SNL to Britain, how 30 sketches become 7 in a week, and why the cast are told not to learn their lines.

Mike Beale, MD of the global creative network at ITV Studios, on the power of the Love Island fandom – and the growing challenge of breaking new shows.

Co-creator Richard Cowles on how it began, how they cast from 130,000 applicants and how his team handles round-the-clock production.

C21 INVESTIGATES: While showrunners traditionally oversee the creative vision of a scripted project in the US, how is this role evolving – and how are series being developed and produced away from Hollywood while ensuring everyone is reading from the same script? Executives from Rivals, Appetite and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier share their insights into the creative process to reveal how they ensure everyone is on the same page.