Tag Archive: BBC One

  1. BBC announces new Richard Gadd drama Lions (w/t)

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    The BBC has commissioned Lions (working title), an original six-part drama about two men across the decades, written and created by the multi award-winning writer and performer Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer, Code 404). Set and filmed in and around Glasgow, the series is made by Mam Tor Productions (a Banijay UK company) for BBC One, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.

    When Niall’s estranged ‘brother’ Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost forty years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city – a changing world, even – and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question… What does it mean to be a man?

    Creator and writer Richard Gadd says: “When I first started talking about this project with the wonderful Tally Garner and Morven Reid, it was love at first sight. For them, anyway. I kept it purely professional. I am absolutely thrilled to be working with them in bringing Ruben and Niall to the screen alongside Lindsay Salt, Gaynor Holmes, and the incredible BBC team. It is a dream come true to be part of such a historic broadcaster with a reputation for bringing the best comedy and drama (and comedy-drama for that matter) to our screens. A dream which will likely wear off when it comes to tight writing deadlines and rainy shooting days on the streets of Glasgow. Just joking. I have never been happier to work on anything in my life and I would like to thank Tally, Morven, and Gaynor for everything – as well as the inimitable Lindsay Salt who has always been my biggest champion and to whom I will always owe a great debt of gratitude.”

    Tally Garner, executive producer for Mam Tor productions, says: “My fellow exec Morven Reid and I are unbelievably excited to be embarking on the journey of making the extraordinarily multi-talented Richard Gadd’s new show. Richard has that rare gift of creating characters who challenge your senses while stealing your heart, and in Ruben and Niall he has created something very special. We can’t wait to watch as director Alexandra Brodski brings them to life. Enormous thanks to the wonderful Lindsay Salt and Gaynor Holmes for their tireless support, and for allowing Ruben and Niall to steal their hearts too.”

    Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Richard Gadd’s hugely imaginative, one-of-a-kind exploration of Niall, Ruben, and their intertwining lives is bold and brilliant storytelling that will make you sit up and lean in. This is a relationship you really haven’t seen before, and we can’t wait to unpack it across six surprising, moving, funny, highly original episodes.”

    Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland, says: “We’re delighted to be working with our BBC colleagues and Screen Scotland on this truly innovative drama. Richard’s writing for stage and for screen has always been visceral, dynamic and captivating and Lions’ youthful exploration of modern manhood is sexy, sad and shocking in equal measure. BBC Scotland is always looking for distinctive talent and projects to support and in Lions we’ve come on board with something very special.”

    Kieran Hannigan, Head of Scripted at Screen Scotland: “We are incredibly excited to be supporting this brilliant new show, Richard is an extraordinary and compelling talent and it’s fantastic that he is teaming up with the wonderful team at Mam Tor and the BBC.”

    Lions (w/t, 6×45) was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, and is created and written by Richard Gadd. The lead director is Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy, Rivals) and the producer is Wendy Griffin (Limbo, The Lost King). Executive producers are Tally Garner and Morven Reid for Mam Tor Productions, Richard Gadd, and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC with Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland. Lions (w/t) is supported by Screen Scotland, and Banijay Rights will distribute the series internationally.

  2. The Adventure Continues for Survivor

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    Banijay today celebrates hitting a landmark 25 years since the original and best adventure reality format, Survivor, debuted in Sweden in September 1997. The milestone achievement follows the format’s most successful year-to-date last year, with 25 productions in 2021.

    Ranked the #1 Best Reality Show Of All Time (Variety), Survivor, a Banijay format created by Charlie Parsons, has been commissioned in 50 territories and is one of the most loved and watched formats around the world. The anniversary follows the recent announcement that Survivor will return to the UK in 2023, with Remarkable Entertainment (part of Banijay UK) producing the series for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Other recent comebacks for the format include Brazil, Norway, Bulgaria and Romania, with all-new first-time adaptations in Mexico and Serbia, as well as an upcoming launch in Canada (French).

    Lucas Green, Global Head of Content Operations at Banijay says: Survivor has all the elements of a hit format, combining jeopardy, reality, strategy and adventure. Whilst each version is unique to its territory, every Survivor season celebrates the core values of this much-loved show. It has been honed through hundreds of seasons of expertise and is head and shoulders above the countless copycats which never quite stand up to the test. We are proud to produce the original – and in our view the best – adventure reality format on television. Most of all, we give thanks to those hard-working production teams around the world, with whom we celebrate this distinguished anniversary.”

    Amongst the hugely successful iterations around the world are the U.S., which is the longest-running version with season 44 confirmed and more than 7.5 million viewers tuning in to the most recent season on CBS; the Netherlands, which has aired every year since 2000; the hugely popular French series, which will air its 29th season next year; and the originating market Sweden, which recently aired its 21st run of Expedition Robinson. The format also enjoys successful companion shows, all-star spin-offs and celebrity versions.

    Survivor has created some of the most iconic moments in TV history over the last 25 years, from an Israeli contestant meeting his child for the first time via video link at the Tribal Council, to a player voting off her Mum so she could progress in series 29 in the U.S, a proposal between two All Star contestants in the U.S. and even a visit to the beach from Ivana Trump in the Italian production, in heels and a sequinned dress!

    Surivor tests the spirit of a group of ordinary, and yet extraordinary, people who are marooned, with little more than the clothes on their backs and their own animal cunning. As they catch their own food, build their own shelter and order their own society, castaways must compete in increasingly difficult tests of strategy and guile.

  3. Survivor will land on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2023

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    Survivor, one of the world’s most successful TV formats, is coming to the UK.

    A new UK adaption of the entertainment phenomenon has been commissioned by BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Banijay UK company Remarkable Entertainment, run by leading entertainment producers Natalka Znak and Claire O’Donohoe.

    The brand new 16 x 60’ series of the ultimate physical and psychological gameshow promises viewers a compelling test of brains, brawn and betrayal as players compete to outwit, out play and outlast their rivals to be crowned the Ultimate Survivor.

    20 people, carefully selected from across the UK will be marooned in a tropical location. They will be divided into two tribes, going head-to-head in a range of physical and psychological challenges. Following a number of eliminations that will take place at the iconic tribal council, the tribes will eventually merge before one person takes away a cash prize and proves that they have what it takes to be the Ultimate Survivor. 

    Survivor, a Banijay format created by Charlie Parsons, is one of the most watched reality entertainment formats around the world. Celebrating 25 years this year, (the format was first employed in 1997 in Sweden), the show has gone on to be ranked as the ‘Number 1 Best Reality Show of All Time’ by Variety. 50 versions have been commissioned around the world to date, and the CBS version of the show from the USA will soon be airing its 43rd series.

    Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted at the BBC says: “Survivor is a global television hit and to be able to bring one of TV’s most successful formats to audiences in the UK in a uniquely BBC way is a very exciting prospect indeed.”

    Natalka Znak, CEO Remarkable Entertainment says; “Survivor is ‘the greatest gameshow on earth’ for a reason – it has everything – reality, adventure, drama, and the ultimate game. I can’t wait to be boots on the ground, working with Paul Osborne, Stephen Lovelock and the fantastic team at Remarkable to make this epic series for the BBC.”

    Broadcast confirmation, presenter information and further casting details for the UK version of Survivor will be announced in due course.

    Survivor (16 x 60) is a Remarkable Entertainment (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer and was commissioned by Kate Phillips in her capacity as Director of Entertainment Commissioning. Natalka Znak from Remarkable Entertainment is Executive Producer alongside Claire O’Donohoe, Paul Osborne and Stephen Lovelock. The format was developed for the BBC by Richard Hague. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Rachel Ashdown.

  4. Banijay Rights Boards the BBC’s The Drop and Extraordinary Portraits

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    Banijay Rights today announces it has acquired global distribution rights to BBC factual entertainment shows The Drop and Extraordinary Portraits, as this week’s MIPTV gets under way.

    Created by Renowned Films for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, streetwear competition The Drop (8 x 60’) sees the UK’s most promising up-and-coming creative entrepreneurs go head-to-head to win the chance to have their first clothing line stocked in a major UK retailer.

    Across the competitive business format, the contestants are mentored by Grammy Award-winning recording artist, style icon and S1C streetwear brand owner Miguel – who also serves as Executive Producer – as they complete weekly themed challenges to help them develop their brand and business. Banijay Rights holds global rights for the finished series and format.

    Meanwhile in Extraordinary Portraits (6 x 60’) – from Chatterbox Films for BBC One and BBC iPlayer – musician and passionate collector of art Tinie (formerly known as Tinie Tempah) matches members of the public with extraordinary stories to a selection of distinctive and celebrated portrait artists.

    The artists are then challenged to turn these personal and powerful experiences into compelling portraits using different mediums of art, from underwater photography to street art, with the final piece unveiled to the sitter and their family and friends.

    Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights, said: “The Drop and Extraordinary Portraits are two outstanding cutting-edge factual shows that showcase different crafts at the highest level, from dazzling streetwear design to intricate portraiture. These factual series epitomise the range and depth that sits within Banijay Rights’ multi-genre catalogue of more than 120,000 hours, and we’re in no doubt they will be a big attraction to international buyers this year.”

    Both The Drop and Extraordinary Portraits join Banijay’s outstanding slate of Spring 2022 highlights, which includes entertainment formats Starstruck, Limitless Win, The Courtship, Language of Love, Your Body Uncovered and Shaolin Heroes. On the scripted front, Banijay Rights is highlighting dramas including Rogue Heroes, Then You Run and Signora Volpe.

     

     

  5. Erin Doherty, Billy Howle, Pippa Bennett-Warner and Jack Farthing to Star in BBC One and Amazon Prime Video Thriller Chloe

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    Filming has started in Bristol on Chloe, an original psychological thriller, from Mam Tor Productions for BBC One and Amazon Studios. The six, one-hour episodes will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and will be available on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    A mystery about obsession, deceit, identity and grief from creator and writer Alice Seabright (director, Sex Education), Chloe stars some of the UK’s hottest young acting talent including Erin Doherty (The Crown), Billy Howle (The Serpent), Pippa Bennett-Warner (Gangs of London) and Jack Farthing (Poldark).

     

    The exciting young cast also unites Poppy Gilbert (Stay Close), Akshay Khanna (Grace), Brandon Micheal Hall (Search Party) and newcomer Alexander Eliot.

     

    Having recently drawn critical acclaim for her portrayal of Princess Anne in The Crown, Doherty plays Becky. Still living with her mum and working as a temp, Becky compares herself to the picture-perfect lives on Instagram, compulsively returning to one account: Chloe’s (Gilbert). Becky obsessively watches her seemingly flawless life through social media. But when Chloe dies suddenly, Becky’s need to find out how and why leads her to assume a new identity and engineer a ‘chance’ meeting with Chloe’s best friend, Livia (Bennett-Warner), and infiltrate Chloe’s group of close-knit friends.

     

    Through her alter-ego Sasha, Becky becomes a powerful, transgressive heroine; a popular, well-connected ‘someone’ with a life, and loves, that are far more exciting and addictive than the ‘no-one’ she is as Becky. However, the pretense soon obscures and conflates reality, and Becky risks losing herself completely in the game she is playing.

     

    Alice Seabright says: “Becky is a complex, courageous heroine and there is no one better to play her than Erin. All these characters have been a dream to write, and it now feels like they’ve found their soulmates in our amazing cast. I can’t wait to start bringing the show to life with them, and with our wonderful crew. Thank you to the BBC and Amazon, to our brilliant writers, Kayleigh Llewellyn, Poppy Cogan, and Bolu Babalola, and to my partners in crime – the powerhouses Tally Garner and Morven Reid.”

     

    Taking full advantage of Bristol’s rich cultural scene from the art to music, Chloe will also feature the work of artists local to the region, including an original score composed by Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) featuring Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Alison Goldfrapp.

     

    Tally Garner, Executive Producer at Mam Tor Productions, says: “Alice is an exceptionally unique talent.  She has built these characters from the ground up and we love them all so much. To see them come to life, played by such a phenomenally talented cast is beyond exciting. They are all amazing. Huge thanks to Ben Irving and Piers Wenger at the BBC, and to Cathy Payne and Simon Cox at Banijay Rights, who have been steadfast partners right from the start, and to the team at Amazon Studios for loving ‘Chloe’ too, and taking her global.  It’s going to be an addictive, emotional rollercoaster of a show.”

     

     

     

    Ben Irving said: “It’s been a joy to watch these characters develop on the page through the incredible work of Alice and the whole creative team behind this drama. We couldn’t wish for a more exciting cast to be taking them on their onward journey to the screen. I can’t wait for audiences to meet them all on BBC One.”

     

    Brad Beale, Vice President, Worldwide Licensing for Prime Video, said: “We’re excited to be working with the incredible Alice Seabright and this talented cast on this audacious thriller, ‘Chloe,’ as well as the teams at BBC One and Mam Tor Productions. We look forward to bringing this gripping and potent series to our Prime Video customers.”

     

    Chloe (6×60’) is a coproduction between BBC One, Mam Tor Productions and Amazon Studios, has been commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama and Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer. It is created, written, and directed by Alice Seabright who also serves as an executive producer. The series producer is Joanna Crow (Giri/ Haji) and second block director is Amanda Boyle (Skins). Executive producers are Tally Garner (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) and Morven Reid (Pure) for Mam Tor Productions, and Ben Irving for the BBC.

     

    Banijay Rights is the international distributor for Chloe, with the business’ Matt Creasey, EVP Sales and Acquisitions serving as broker of the exclusive worldwide SVOD deal with Amazon.