Tuesday 23 January 2018 Award-winning broadcaster UKTV today announced a significant increase in commissions following the success of its 2017 UKTV Originals slate. The network saw record viewing figures in 2017, including Gold enjoying its highest ever ratings for Murder On The Blackpool Express and UKTV Originals making up eight of Daves top ten rating shows.
UKTV will increase its total of commissioned hours by around a third from independent producers in 2018 versus 2017. UKTV is also expanding its co-productions and moving into commissioning drama for the first time.
The first new format to be revealed, for UKTVs entertainment channel Dave, is Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier (8x60), a new comedy format hosted by obsessive worrier and organiser Jon Richardson, as he attempts to analyse, assess and log every single one of his many, many worries. Will his wife replace him with a sex robot? Will he ever make a jacket potato as good as the one he made in May 2009? What the hell are we going to do about Morrissey? Which of his worries should he worry about the most? To help him with this colossal task, Jon is joined each week in studio by comedians and a range of experts. Using a mix of bespoke VT, funny studio set-pieces and archive Jon and his guests will explore exactly how severe each worry actually is before filing it accordingly in Jons very own Worriedness Index - a high-tech Minority Report-style digital log of every anxiety in existence. Produced by Talkback Thames, the series has been commissioned by UKTV senior commissioning editor Iain Coyle.
Also new for 2018 is another big-name talent-led format: Romesh Ranganathan becomes Judge Romesh (10x30) for Dave, holding court over real-life disputes, casting his trademark acerbic wit over each. Each week Romesh will preside over genuine disagreements and mete out comic judgement in his own inimitable style. Judge Romesh brings all the drama of a court room with a triple-dose of funny. Produced by Hungry Bear Media, its commissioned for UKTV by Joe McVey, commissioning executive.
Extending UKTV Original factual commissions As well as planning to significantly increase comedy entertainment shows, UKTV is also ramping up its factual commissions with two new documentary series, the first Cop Car Workshop (10x60) from Blink Films where, for the first time, viewers will see inside one of the Britains leading police car workshops.
Following the car-mad team at Cheshire Police as they build bespoke vehicles and repair ones that have been out in the field - from cars to lorries to bikes to boats, the series is a mix of dramatic footage of modern-day police work and a human look at the characters in the workshop as they outfit the vehicles in the very latest technology and equipment. Cop Car Workshop is executively produced for UKTV by Joe McVey, commissioning executive, for Dave.
Also commissioned is Inside the Vets (15x60), building out Ws Popular Inside the....franchise from Brown Bob Productions. This brand-new documentary series follows the daily challenges faced by the dedicated team at one of Britains busiest veterinary clinics looking after some extraordinary animals. Inside The Vets will use fixed-rig cameras to give a unique perspective of the incredible work undertaken by veterinary surgeon Clive Munn and his team of specialists in Kent, who go to extreme lengths to care for some of Britains most exotic pets and promises to be heart-warming television. Commissioned by deputy director of commissioning, Hilary Rosen with UKTV commissioning executive Natalie Rose as executive producer.
Inside the Ambulance, a fixed rig show filmed with paramedics of the West Midlands Ambulance Service, attracted audiences on W of 276k.
These factual shows sit alongside other UKTV Originals Helicopter ER on Really and Cops UK: Body Cam Squad, from Raw Cut Television, which has also been commissioned for a third and fourth series. The series is commissioned by deputy director of commissioning, Hilary Rosen and executive produced for UKTV by Arch Dyson.
All of the commissions have been ordered by Richard Watsham, director of commissioning and Steve North, genre general manager, comedy and entertainment.
Richard Watsham commented,
2018 will see UKTV operate increasingly as a full-service broadcaster, with year on year growth in the volume of original hours and the breadth of genres we cover. Expanding our output further allows us to work with a larger than ever pool of on and off-screen talent and provide some of Britains best producers a different route to get their ideas to air.
Were particularly excited to be working with Jon Richardson and Romesh Ranganathan, two fantastic Taskmaster alumni, who will help us continue to lead in the development of bold, new comedy entertainment formats. With another significant push into original programming this is a genuine statement of ambition for UKTV.
January Schedule
The new commissions join the growing slate of UKTV Originals. January saw the launch of high-octane gameshow The Wave fronted by Rylan Clarke-Neal on W, social media star Yianni Charalambous launched his first show, Yianni: Supercar Customiser and Unspun with Matt Forde returns to Dave with an extra three episodes commissioned and a brand new extended in-depth version, Unspun XL with Matt Forde.
Victoria Wood retrospective dinnerladies diaries airs on Gold in March, while Reallys factual slate of UKTV Originals includes all new firefighter access documentary, Into the Fire - and next month Ws Celebrity Haunted... franchise returns with Christine Lampard and Matt Richardson at the helm.
For more information, please contact:
Justine Bower, Director of Comms, Consumer & Social
Tessa Matchett, Head of Network Comms
About UKTV
UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching over 40m viewers every month. The award-winning independent
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
Tuesday 23 January 2018 Award-winning broadcaster UKTV today announced a significant increase in commissions following the success of its 2017 UKTV Originals slate. The network saw record viewing figures in 2017, including Gold enjoying its highest ever ratings for Murder On The Blackpool Express and UKTV Originals making up eight of Daves top ten rating shows.
