News round-up: C4 says ‘au revoir’ to ‘Escape To The Chateau’; Casta Diva hires; TF1 returns to ‘Star Academy’

Escape To The Chateau

C4 says ‘au revoir’ to Escape To The Chateau

UK pubcaster Channel 4 is bringing the curtain down on long-running lifestyle show Escape To The Chateau but expanding the franchise with a new spin-off.

Escape To The Chateau debuted on C4 in 2015 and is now in its ninth season. It has tracked the lives of Dick and Angel Strawbridge as they renovate a dilapidated French chateau to its former glory.

Producer Two Rivers Media said that following the end of the ninth run, the Strawbridges would be saying “au revoir” to the chateau to “focus” on Escape To The Chateau: Secret France (working title) for C4.

Its commission comes a year since Two Rivers and the Strawbridge’s prodco Chateau TV revealed they had stuck a programming deal with C4. The new show will follow the duo and their young children as they travel across France. All3Media International distributes.

It will be the third Chateau format to be made by Two Rivers and Chateau TV for the broadcaster, in addition to Escape To The Chateau and Escape To The Chateau: Make Do And Mend.

Casta Diva expands senior team

Italy’s Casta Diva Entertainment has rejigged its senior management team following the acquisition of formats such as France’s Incroyables Transformations and the UK’s This Is My House.

The prodco, which launched in January 2021 and has since been behind original formats such as Come Una Volta – Un Amore Da Favola (Once Upon a Time – A Fairytale Love), has named Francesco Gorgoni as head of creative, with a remit across original and international format adaptations.

Giuseppe Colella, who was previously at newswire service La Presse, will head up documentaries; Andrea Vetuschi is head of production; and Francesca Panigutto leads all branded content as chief marketing officer.

They all report into CEO Fabio Nesi and chief creative officer, Massimo Righini.

TF1 returns to Star Academy

France’s TF1 is rebooting Star Academy after almost a decade’s absence in the country.

Endemol France’s DMLS TV will produce the show, with Nikos Aliagas hosting the format, which tracks contestants as they face an intensive training programme across the performing arts.

The format was originally created by Endemol France and has sold to 19 territories, including Italy, French Canada and a regional deal in the Middle East. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the show in France, with special episodes attracting an audience of over four million for French broadcaster TF1.