BBC Two

BBC ends Robot Wars for the second time

UK broadcaster BBC Two has killed off its mech-on-mech battle format Robot Wars for the second time. The series, which is from Mentorn Scotland and SPJ Media and counts Passion Distribution as its international vendor, has run for three seasons. The original run came 1998 and 2004, and its revival was greeted with a widely […]

Show of the week: Letterbox

The Weakest Link creator David Young realised there was a format in Letterbox when his two sons managed to involve an entire restaurant in a game of hangman while on a skiing holiday. “People were shouting out answers, and I realised competitive hangman could be very fun and accessible as a format,” he says, adding: […]

TBI Weekly: the Mouse chases the Fox

It was revealed this week that Fox has been in talks with Disney about selling some of its content assets to the Mouse House. Fox would put most of its entertainment business on the table, including the Hollywood studio, FX and National Geographic, its stake in European satcaster Sky and Indian pay TV business Star. But, why […]

Fremantle invests in factual indie Label1

FremantleMedia is set to invest in ‘fast-growing’ UK indie Label1. Fremantle will take a 25% stake in the factual producer, the same amount it has invested in a spate of other prodcos in recent years. Label1 has created and produced series such as The Job Interview for Channel 4 and Hospital for BBC Two. It […]

BBC Studios poaches Boundless MD for factual

BBC Studios has hired Boundless managing director Hannah Wyatt as the new genre director for factual entertainment and events. Wyatt will leave FremantleMedia UK-owned Boundless in early 2018, and Liam Humphreys, CEO of unscripted at Fremantle, will oversee the role until a replacement is found, according to a company spokesperson. Her hire comes after BBC Studios […]

BBC Two buys US drama Snowfall, unveils originals

EDINBURGH: UK channel BBC Two has acquired John Singleton’s US crack cocaine epic Snowfall, and unveiled its latest slate of originals. Snowfall is a 10x60mins drama exploring the impact the crack cocaine epidemic had on 1980s America. Damson Idris and Gustavo Zapata are among the stars, with Boyz n the Hood director Singleton the driving […]

Street homed in new BBC commissioning cross-over role

UK pubcaster the BBC has appointed Jo Street to the newly created role of commissioning editor for entertainment and daytime, a cross-over title that includes development and commissioning for both teams. Entertainment and daytime recently worked together on the BBC Two early-peak quiz Letterbox with Mel Giedroyc. As a result it has created the new […]

BBC wants ‘demonstrably broader’ channel

UK pubcaster the BBC wants its flagship network, BBC One, to have a “demonstrably broader range of genres in peak time” than its rivals. The pledge was one of a number the BBC made yesterday in its Annual Plan, whose most notable takeaway was the extra £34 million (US$44 million) handed to BBC Children’s over […]

BBC orders Farmer Wants a Wife-inspired format

The BBC had ordered a new take on the much-travelled Farmer Wants a Wife format back to the UK, and has commissioned an historical crime series from Chalkboard TV. Farmer Wants a Wife originally aired on ITV in the UK in 2001, but is now headed for BBC Two, which has ordered a six-part series. […]

BBC to examine FX’s Feud

UK channel BBC Two has acquired Ryan Murphy’s FX drama about the legendary spat between Hollywood icons Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The network has tapped Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution (TCFTVD) for Feud: Bette and Joan, which stars Jessica Lange as Davis and Susan Sarandon as Crawford. BBC Two has been pushing into acquired […]