News round-up: C5 orders Yeti special at Osborne House; Hollywood stunts explored in ‘Action’; MNET & BBC Studios buy from Abacus

Osborne House

C5 orders Yeti special

Channel 5 in the UK has ordered a special from Yeti Television exploring Queen Victoria’s former home.

Osborne House: A Royal Love Story (working title) will provide “intimate access to the house and gardens, interviews with experts and contributions from Osborne staff” to paint a picture of the house during Victoria’s life.

The documentary was ordered by commissioning editor for factual Kit Morey, and is being produced and directed by Rebecca Whyte.

Hollywood stunts explored for Action

Director/producer David Leitch and his producing partner Kelly McCormick have teamed up with Universal Pictures Content Group (UPCG) to reveal the true lives of Hollywood’s top stunt performers.

Action will be produced through Leitch and McCormick’s production and action design company, 87North, and gives an insight into the art of action and some of the stunt teams working in movies today.

The 6 x 60-minute series follows the performers as they push themselves to the limit and risk personal sacrifice for professional success. NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling international sales.

MNET & BBC Studios buy from Abacus

Companies including MNET and BBC Studios have picked up shows from Abacus Media Rights (AMR), ahead of MIP Africa next month.

The sales outfit has sold 250 hours of programming across multiple genres to broadcasters and platforms in Africa, with BritBox, Arena Broadcasting, SuperSport Africa and CBS AMC also snagging rights to shows such as Line Of Duty and Maxine, biographical shows including Boris Becker: The Rise & Fall and crime series The Footsteps of Killers.

All deals were brokered by Abacus sales manager, Ali Phelan.

Abacus Media Rights’ head of sales, Hana Palmer, said: “AMR’s goal since its launch three years ago has always been to acquire and co-produce a curated collection of diverse programming with broad appeal to audiences throughout the world.

“This sale of a significant number of hours to leading broadcasters and platforms throughout the African Continent emphasizes the strong interest our brand-new series and library titles deliver across all genres.”