News round-up: Hulu, BBC3 and Delevigne set course for ‘Planet Sex’; ‘Sweet Diva’ goes global; Channel 5 bulks up history slate

Cara Delevingne

Hulu and BBC3 set course for ‘Planet Sex’ with Cara Delevigne

US streamer Hulu and UK channel BBC Three have jointly commissioned a new documentary exploring human sexuality from Fremantle-owned Naked, to be hosted and co-created by actor and singer Cara Delevingne.

The six-part series, which has the working title Planet Sex, will see Delevingne explore some of the biggest questions about sexuality, such as the popularity of pornography, why sexual tastes vary from person to person and culture to culture and if there is even such a thing as straight.

Delevingne, who is co-producing through her Cara & Co outfit, commented: “As someone who struggled for years to understand my sexual identity, I am so excited to be partnering with Hulu, Naked, BBC Three and Fremantle to be making a series that could change the views of so many people through honest and personal conversations.”

Belisa Balaban, VP of documentaries at Hulu, added: “Planet Sex is an intimate and inclusive portrayal of human sexuality showcasing extraordinary people in a highly authentic way, which is exactly the kind of relevant and thought-provoking content Hulu strives to bring our viewers.”

Sweet Diva

‘Sweet Diva’ goes global

Brazilian telenovela Sweet Diva has been picked up by US Spanish-language network Univisión and is set to air next week.

The show, which is originally titled A Dona do Pedaço, launched on Rede Globo last year, and is also heading for Paraguay, Peru, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras, following an agreement with the Albavision Group channels.

Written by Walcyr Carrasco and directed by Amora Mautner, the telenovela follows Maria da Paz, a dedicated baker who builds herself into a wealthy businesswoman, 20 years after a tragedy strikes on the day of her wedding. Her daughter Jô despises her mother’s humble origins fears her parents might one day reunite and sets out to steal Maria’s fortune.

UK’s Channel 5 bulks up history slate

ViacomCBS-owned UK broadcaster Channel 5 is bulking up its slate of factual programming with the commission of eight new history series.

London-based Lion TV is producing five of the series, with a particular focus on the Tudor period – Anne Boleyn: Arrest, Trial, Execution; Thomas Cromwell; Kensington: The Secret Palace; Inside Hampton Court: The Ultimate Royal Retreat and a third season of Inside The Tower Of London.

Meanwhile, ITN Productions, which is also based in London, will produce three revisionist biographies of notable British historical figures in 3 x120-minute programmes, titled Nelson, Lawrence Of Arabia and Brunel. Each film will explore their achievements and controversies, with experts and historians exploring and reappraising their characters.

“History is a key staple of our schedule and we’re becoming ever more adept at making historical subjects and key figures accessible to a broad audience, creating exciting event programming in the process.” commented Ben Frow, director of programmes at ViacomCBS Networks International.