The Governor was written by Lynda La Plante and told the story about the female governor who is put in charge of a high-security male prison and faces various problems, including hostage situations and escapes from the prison. The series starred Janet McTeer as Helen Hewitt who has to govern the prison and sort out it's problems. The Governor's first series was the first drama to be made solely by Lynda La Plante's production company La Plante Productions after it was created in 1994, and it was a great success when broadcast on ITV, leading to most of her other dramas being made by La Plante Productions , and a second series of The Governor, which was commissioned by ITV after the success of the first series. It was decided not to do a third series, as the ending of the second series was like a conclusion to the series. Two novels based on the series were written: The Governor (1995) and The Governor II (1996).