ABC orders Irish gameshow

US network ABC has ordered six episodes of Take The Money and Run, an adventure gameshow produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Amazing Race creator Bertram van Munster, that is based on an Irish format for the BBC.

The show was originally created by Irish production company Wild Rover Productions, which is run by Phil Morrow, and was piloted by British public broadcaster the BBC.

Wild Rover, which is represented by talent agency CAA, took the show to the States and closed a deal with Bruckheimer and van Munster. Former ABC boss Steve McPherson ordered a pilot and current ABC chief Paul Lee greenlit six episodes. The show will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer TV, van Munster’s Profiles TV and Warner Horizon Alternative TV, where Bruckheimer has an overall TV deal.

Morrow told TBIvision that the show is a big adventure gameshow. “We met Jerry Bruckheimer and Bertram van Munster separately and they were both great and had obviously both collaborated before on The Amazing Race. It felt that they fit with our format.”

Wild Rover Productions has retained the UK and Irish rights to the series and Warner Bros will distribute to the rest of the world. The show was created by Morrow and his formats development team including Matthew Worthy and Kieran Doherty.

Wild Rover, which is based in Belfast, is currently producing a Saturday night primetime gameshow for the BBC, Secret Fortune, which will air next year and is being distributed internationally by DRG.