 Series producer Anna Hall and director Kevin Sim, both former students at the university, developed the idea for the series.They felt a documentary should be made that would show the reality of life as a student at Oxford rather than the clichéd image seen in shows such as Brideshead Revisited.It was felt that choosing St Hilda's would be of additional interest as it would allow "an examination of women at the beginning of the 21st century".