How long should a one hour episode be???
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're going to say, but I'm being serious.
What I mean is this:
How long do you make your one hour episodes (just the script, not estimated credit rolling times) that should fit a one hour slot.
Do you make them 57.30 minutes because you think they're going to be on BBC1?
Or do you factor in commercial breaks (thus making it possible to be broadcast on the commercial channels) and make them the average 42.00 minutes?
In the past, I've tended to go for the 42.00 minute script so that it wouldn't matter whether it ended up on the Beeb or a commercial channel.
Of course, the downside is that, on the Beeb, it would be 45 minutes in total including credits, ads for other Beeb shows, etc.
Although Doctor Who is 45 minutes, so does it matter?