Tag Archive: Four Kings

  1. Banijay Unveils Compelling Slate Ahead of London TV Screenings

    Comments Off on Banijay Unveils Compelling Slate Ahead of London TV Screenings

    Media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay, today announces a compelling offering for its dedicated London TV Screenings event – Banijay @ BAFTA.

    Hitting the 2024 line-up is the highly-anticipated high-end scripted series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light; and premium documentary Front Row. Elsewhere, the powerhouse will also be celebrating travelling formats with adventure reality, The Summit; and spin-off, Deal or No Deal Island. Packed with distinct, high-quality programming across all genres, the group’s event will span three sessions on Wednesday 28 February.

    On the scripted front, Banijay’s premium offering includes UK dramas Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light for the BBC and Masterpiece PBS, based on the final novel of Hilary Mantel’s multi award-winning trilogy; The Hardacres for Channel 5; Steven Knight’s This Town for the BBC; Welsh drama The One That Got Away (Cleddau) for S4C; and Invisible Boys for Stan. Buyers can also expect a preview of eagerly-awaited second seasons of Marie Antoinette for Canal+ and the BBC, and Rogue Heroes for the BBC and MGM+.

    Supercharging its documentary offering, Front Row takes centre stage with Anatomy of a Murder and Four Kings for Prime Video.

    To complement the scripted and documentary offering, Banijay will showcase a blend of fresh and highly-entertaining formats including adrenaline-fuelled travelling success The Summit for Nine Network; new spin-off, Deal or No Deal Island created for NBC; adventure reality format and ratings winner Shaolin Heroes for TV2; recent Channel 4 factual reality VOD hit Banged Up; innovative game show Upside Down for RTL4 and The Fortune Hotel for ITV1 and ITVX. A light will also be shone on global superbrands and prized returning formats like Survivor, Big Brother, Star Academy, and reality formats Love Triangle and The Fifty.

    Cathy Payne, CEO at Banijay Rights says:This year’s line-up for Banijay @ BAFTA truly illuminates the breadth of our catalogue and ability to showcase outstanding content across multiple genres. From high-end dramas to acclaimed factual series, we look forward to coming together later this month to celebrate great talent, captivating storytelling and stand-out IP. We really do have something for everyone…”

    James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development and Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations at Banijay comment: “The London TV Screenings provides an incredible opportunity for Banijay to demonstrate its commitment to delivering exciting emerging IP as well as tried and tested formats and reboots, which continue to compel audiences globally. From Shaolin Heroes to The Summit, and iconic format Deal or No Deal, we are sure to enthral buyers seeking fresh, innovative, and proven formats.”

    For its scripted slate, Banijay Rights is highlighting Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a Playground and Company Pictures co-production directed by Peter Kosminsky, and adapted for television by Peter Straughan, which follows Thomas Cromwell as he navigates the moral complexities of the Tudor court following the execution of Anne Boleyn. Another period drama from Playground in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions and Newgrange Pictures is new returnable six-part series –The Hardacres- based on CL Skelton’s novel series, The Hardacre Saga.

    Meanwhile, from Kudos and Nebulastar, and co-produced with Mercury Studios, in association with Kudos North, Stigma Films, and Nick Angel for the BBC, the much-anticipated This Town tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of the ska movement and two-tone music.

    BlackLight Television (a Banijay UK company), in collaboration with Banijay Rights and Creative Wales for S4C, are delving into Welsh drama with The One That Got Away (Cleddau), which combines a gripping murder mystery with an electrifying love story.

    Crossing over to Australia, Invisible Boys from Feisty Dame Productions, Screenwest and Lotterywest, WA Regional Film Fund, Screen Australia, and Banijay Rights for Stan Originals, is a powerful drama created for television by director Nicholas Verso on the challenges faced by a group of gay teens in the remote coastal town of Geraldton.

    In factual, the feature-length premium documentary from Scenery and Pretty Matches, Front Row, Executive Produced by award-winning actor and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, and directed by Miriam Guttmann (Sundance Film Festival selection Seeds of Deceit), highlights the resilience of Ukrainian ballet dancers during wartime, where an unlikely friendship forms between a dancer and a front-line soldier.

    From Workerbee comes two gripping documentaries, Anatomy of a Murder, a feature length true-crime story centring around the daughter of an Iranian family, who has spent over thirty years and millions of her fortune to try and find her mother’s killer; and Four Kings for Prime Video, exploring the history of British boxing through four men coming from the same London neighbourhood who heralded a golden era and changed the way Britain viewed its black athletes.

    Meanwhile, on the reality competition front, The Summit, a 9Network and Endemol Shine Australia original series, produced by Endemol Shine Australia, continues to climb through the ranks with a second season in the works, and a first international adaptation for CBS by Endemol Shine North America with more to come soon.

    From Endemol Shine North America, Deal or No Deal Island completely reimagines the iconic game show as an epic adventure. This new spin-off series for NBC is set on the Banker’s private island as he searches for his ultimate opponent in a high stakes competition with over $200,000,000 up for grabs.

    From Metronome is Shaolin Heroes for TV2 Denmark, where celebrities undertake the ultimate test by embarking on a transformational journey alongside world-class Shaolin Masters.

    Joining Banijay’s factual offering is Banged Up, created by Shine TV for Channel 4. In this fact-ent format social experiment, which veers into the documentary space, six male celebrity inmates are incarcerated in a UK prison environment alongside their reformed criminal cellmates. The series explores the question, ‘does prison work’?

    From EndemolShine Nederland, Upside Down sees two celebrity teams undertake all kinds of topsy turvy challenges and Q&A games unlike anything they have seen before, because everything in this innovative format, is upside down.

    Highly-anticipated reality series The Fortune Hotel from Tuesday’s Child for ITV1 and ITVX invites viewers into a luxury Caribbean resort filled with glamour, opulence and deception. Contestants are paired up and compete to win a briefcase, one holding the ultimate cash prize and another an Early Checkout Card.

  2. Banijay Unveils Compelling Documentary Line-Up for MIPCOM 2023

    Comments Off on Banijay Unveils Compelling Documentary Line-Up for MIPCOM 2023

    Media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay today reveals its formidable line-up of premium documentaries for MIPCOM 2023. Showcasing the best new titles from its in-house collective of filmmakers and acquisitions from Banijay Rights, the slate reflects its growing commitment to this field and burgeoning portfolio of leading titles.

    The diverse new offering includes Banijay’s Four Kings (w/t) and Moulin Rouge: Yes We Can Can; as well as third-party Banijay Rights-distributed titles, The Other Mrs Jordan, Sharon and Ozzy: Home to Roost, Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, and The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson.

    James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development at Banijay comments: “Accompanying an expansive development slate, these latest hot picks represent our rapidly expanding documentary portfolio, which is brimming with new, high-end programming, showcasing world-class talent and offering broadcasters and viewers an insightful, visual journey into some extraordinarily thought-provoking and fascinating subjects.”

    Simon Cox, EVP Content & Acquisitions at Banijay Rights says: “This year’s slate is packed with engaging and eye-opening content, from unbelievable true crime to stimulating takes on food through its importance in global cultures to insights in globally recognised individuals. This selection of new titles along with the rest of the expansive slate continues to elevate our premium factual offering.”

    During one week in 1993, half a billion people tuned into the biggest week in the history of British boxing.Four Kings (w/t), from Workerbee, part of Banijay UK, for Amazon Prime Video, is the story of four men from the same London neighbourhood who heralded a golden era and changed the way Britain viewed its black athletes. 30 years on, the documentary series will revisit the notorious rivalries of Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn; and Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno, combining archive footage of the clashes, and newly-captured exclusive interviews that reveal their tough struggles with mental health issues outside the limelight. The series is Executive Produced by Kevin Macdonald (Whitney, Janet, Bruno V Tyson).

    Moulin Rouge: Yes We Can Can is a Dragonfly (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC Two and explores one of the most iconic cabarets in the world, and while synonymous with Paris, is actually run by a Brit… This six-part arts documentary follows artistic director Janet Pharaoh as she recruits a new cohort of dancers from Britain, all desperate to be cast in the Moulin Rouge’s high-kicking spectacular shows. Viewers are given a sneak-peek behind the scenes of the specular world-famous home of cabaret, to tell the story of the 450 staff members and creatives who meticulously ensure each night runs smoothly.

    Banijay Rights internationally distributes third-party title The Other Mrs Jordan, a unique three-part documentary boxset for ITVX that explores the cat-and-mouse tale of a serial bigamist, fraudster, father, and psychopath who left a trail of destroyed lives all over the world. The title is produced by Circle Circle Films and October Films.

    Famous family The Osbornes are used to cameras following their every move, but in Sharon and Ozzy: Home to Roost, we will see a different side to notorious heavy metal singer, Ozzy, and television personality and music manager, Sharon Osborne, as they return to Britain after over 20 years living in the US. This series documents their move home, as well as their children Kelly and Jack’s efforts to support them as they restart their lives in rural Buckinghamshire. The series is produced by Expectation for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Banijay Rights holding global distribution rights.

    Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, are CNN Original series produced by Raw TV, following the award-winning actors as they explore the rich culture, landscape, and cuisine of their ancestors. Banijay Rights handles global distribution for these globe-trotting travelogues outside the US.

    The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson chronicles the events that shaped British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his meteoric rise to power, and his extraordinary premiership. Hearing from his friends, enemies, and through rare archive footage, the 72 Films production for Channel 4 will give insight into his actions, his ambition, and the real events that have influenced modern British politics.

    Banijay is supercharging its documentary offering by bringing together the best in-house Banijay productions from across the footprint, with premium third-party titles, all available to broadcasters and platforms around the world. The diverse catalogue includes titles like Lara from BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning director, Mags Gavan, and produced by Scenery, part of Banijay Benelux; and That Peter Crouch Film from Workerbee for Amazon Prime Video, an in-depth look at one of modern football’s most unique and beloved stars.