ITV orders Mercurio drama ITV in the UK has ordered crime thriller DI Ray, which has been written and created by Maya Sondhi (Line Of Duty), stars Parminder Nagra, and is being produced by Jed Mercurio’s HTM Television. The four-parter is set in Birmingham, UK and follows a police officer who takes on a case […]
‘Iconic’ format reboots have become a regular event over recent months but as Tim Dams discovers, the risk threshold is changing as broadcasters and streamers employ new strategies to get fresh IP onto screens Broadcasters have long focused their spend and schedules on formats with a proven track record, a trend that has only cemented itself over […]
AMC+ launches on YouTube TV US-based AMC Networks has launched its AMC+ subscription bundle on YouTube TV. Providing content to programming from across the company’s networks, including AMC, Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited, YouTube TV customers will now have access to marquee AMC titles such as horror shows The Walking Dead and Creepshow […]
The BBC has extended crime drama Bloodlands, following the Jed Mercurio-produced show’s first season finale in the UK yesterday. The second season will again come from writer Chris Brandon and is being exec produced by Line Of Duty’s Mercurio, with his recently launched firm Hat Trick Mercurio (HTM) Television attached to produce. The show is set in […]
Locked down audiences are craving new environments and the content business is doing its best to deliver them. Helen Dugdale explores how the UK industry is embracing the travelogue With international and domestic travel currently off the cards for swathes of the world’s population because of the pandemic, a surging demand for onscreen escapism has […]
UK-based Hat Trick International has acquired distribution rights to Livewire Pictures celebrity game show format TV Showdown. The show is an updated version of entertainment format Telly Addicts, which Livewire has licensed from owner and creator Unique Television. Its UK version, Paul Sinha’s TV Showdown (6 x 45-minutes) airs in a prime-time Saturday night slot […]
All3Media shops ‘Extraordinary Escapes’ All3Media International has acquired distribution rights to factual series Extraordinary Escapes With Sandi Toksvig. Produced by Tuesday’s Child Television for Channel 4, the four-part series is set to premiere in the UK tomorrow (10 February) and follows comedian, writer and broadcaster Toksvig as she joins familiar faces from the worlds of […]
Discovery orders Sydney Harbour obs-doc Discovery UK and Discovery Australia and New Zealand have commissioned Sydney Harbour Force, a new obs-doc from Australian indie WTFN. The 10-hour series will follow the work of the men and women who control every aspect of Sydney Harbour, one of the largest and busiest natural harbours on the planet. […]
Hat Trick International, the distribution arm of UK indie Hat Trick Productions, has signed a first-look deal with Pat Younge and Narinder Minhas’ recently launched outfit Cardiff Productions. The multi-year agreement, which was brokered by Hat Trick International acquisitions executive Hana Zidek, will see the distributor represent all future factual and scripted programming from the […]
Hat Trick sells its Dinner UK-based distributor Hat Trick International has struck a raft of format sales for its long-running entertainment show Dinner Date. ZDF in Germany has ordered a second season from local prodco Seapoint, while new format deals have also been signed in South Africa, Australia, Finland and France, although broadcaster details have […]
