WBD taps Ricochet, HCA & Dragonfly for expanding factual slate for UK linear nets & Discovery+

Aussie Gold Hunters (Source: Discovery)

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) UK & Ireland today has made five commissions for Discovery+ and its linear channels, including three new shows and two returning titles.

Among the new factual titles is Fatal Flight: Shoreham, which delves into a story of a fighter jet that crashed into a busy main road during The Shoreham Air Show in 2015, killing 11 people and injuring many more.

The pilot who survived the crash soon faced questions on whether his flying was to blame for the disaster. The film, produced by Ricochet, will drop on Discovery+ in December.

Also new is the Quest series Shed & Buried: Classic Cars, featuring Henry Cole and Fuzz Townsend as they go on the hunt for classic cars.

Produced by HCA Entertainment, and airing early next year, each episode will feature a different vehicle, from beach buggies to classic minis and Land Rovers as the hosts will buy them, restore them, have fun with them and hopefully sell them on for a tidy profit.

Meanwhile, The Face Doctors (w/t) is a new 8 x 60-minute medical series for Really, following patients as they undergo life-changing surgery and cutting-edge treatment to fix their serious facial conditions. Produced by Banijay-owned Dragonfly, the series will air on Really mid next year.

Aussie Gold Hunters return

Returning WBD titles include Aussie Gold Hunters, which is back for season 10 , following intrepid gold hunters as they take on the Australian outback in the quest for a life-changing fortune in gold. Produced by Electric Pictures, the 20 x 60-minute new episodes will air in 2025.

Also returning for a sixth season is Help! My House is Haunted, which is back on Discovery+ next year with more tales of paranormal phenomena, produced by Back2Back Productions.

Clare Laycock, SVP, head of content, networks & streaming at WBD UK & Ireland, said: “Fatal Flight: Shoreham is an ambiguous and engrossing story with many questions on the truth behind the fatal crash left unanswered. On the other hand, Shed & Buried: Classic Cars is a great new addition to our linear portfolio, appealing to petrol heads, vintage lovers as well as treasure hunters.”