Possessed to open regional base in Manchester

Published: Mon 11 Feb 2019

Possessed to open regional base in Manchester

Man Possessed will produce brand new commission The Switch

Possessed, the fast-growing ITV Studios label, is setting up Man Possessed, a regional base in Manchester's MediaCityUK, with The Switch, a brand-new commission for ITV, the first show to be produced from there.

Man Possessed will be headed up by former BBC Commissioner Caroline Roberts-Cherry, the Creative Director of Saffron Cherry, the award-winning multi-genre production company she established in 2013, which is also based in Manchester. In her capacity as a freelance executive producer, Roberts-Cherry has already worked with Possessed, having overseen three series of the label's ITV daytime quiz show, Cash Trapped.

The Switch is a new quiz show for ITV daytime, fronted by Sanjeev Bhaskar in his first quiz show hosting role. Fast, funny and play-along, the show has more questions than any other ITV quiz show.

During the quiz, all players can accumulate big cash totals by answering super quickfire easy money questions . However, in order to take home that cash, they must survive The Switch , a series of three super hard multiple-choice questions that each have only one incorrect choice. Whichever player selects the single wrong answer is switched out of play and must hope one of the others makes a mistake and switches places with them. Whoever is switched out at the end of the round instantly leaves empty-handed, even if they have the most cash. This means the opportunity to win and go home with your money is up for grabs right up until the very last question in every game.

Glenn Hugill, Managing Director and Founder of Possessed, said: We cannot wait to create more opportunities for regional commissions and The Switch is the perfect show to launch Man Possessed. Its fast, genuinely funny and incredibly tense in equal measure, with Sanjeev proving an absolute revelation as host. Plus, you never know who is going to win until the last question, every single time.

Caroline has the Possessed gene. She is a peerless programme maker and is another outstanding addition to our exceptional team.

The opening of Man Possessed follows the recent announcements that Adam MacDonald and Lesley Davies have joined the label as Chair and Head of Production respectively, and that popular primetime ITV quiz show, 5 Gold Rings, has been recommissioned for two more series.

Prior to Saffron Cherry, Roberts-Cherry was a multi-platform cross genre commissioner for BBC Learning, where she commissioned digital titles such as Our War, The Great British Sewing Bee, Exploring India and Inside the Houses of Parliament, after working as an Executive Producer, including on Mastermind (2003-2012), A Question of Sport (2003-10) and Alesha's Street Dance Stars (2011). In 2016, she won RTS and BAFTA awards for the film Ten Pieces II for BBC2 and cinemas.

As well as 5 Gold Rings and Cash Trapped, Possessed's impressive slate also includes the recent BBC One commission, Catchpoint, a physical quiz show set for Saturday teatime co-produced with fellow ITV Studios label, 12 Yard, and hosted by Paddy McGuinness.

Man Possessed adds to an extensive ITV Studios presence across the nations and regions. Half of its 24 UK labels are based, or have satellite bases, outside of London, including in Glasgow, Cardiff, Plymouth, Manchester and Leeds.

LINK:	https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/possessed-open-regional...
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