
1 July 2021 UKTV continues to grow its portfolio of original commissions with Scouting for Toys (10x60), a new observational documentary series set to air on Yesterday channel in 2022.
Produced by BBC Studios Documentary Unit, Scouting for Toys follows internationally renowned Vectis Toys Auctioneers in County Durham, where buyers and sellers from all over the world come to trade every toy imaginable, from Star Wars figures to vintage dolls.
In the surprising world of toy auctions, no two days are the same - some toys will smash the guide price while others may fail to meet their reserve. The series discovers how toys are valued and catalogued ahead of their weekly auctions. Along the way, well meet passionate people selling the treasured collections theyve amassed over decades.
The UKTV Original series has been commissioned by deputy director of commissioning Hilary Rosen and ordered by Yesterdays channel director Gerald Casey. Richard Watsham is UKTVs director of commissioning and Steve North is genre general manager for entertainment and comedy. The series is produced by BBC Studios Documentary Unit, known for high quality, thought-provoking and award-winning factual television. The executive producers for Scouting for Toys are Alan Holland and Ben Mitchell for BBC Studios.
UKTVs Hilary Rosen said,
At UKTV, were delighted to commission Scouting for Toys from BBC Studios Production, taking our viewers on a nostalgic journey back to their favourite childhood toys, from Sindy dolls and Thunderbirds figures, to Matchbox cars and treasured teddies.
Yesterday channels Gerald Casey said,
Yesterday viewers will enjoy learning how toys from their past are valued and witnessing the moment they go under the hammer. The show sits perfectly within Yesterdays growing catalogue of factual observational series, such as our popular UKTV Original Bangers & Cash.
BBC Studios Head of Documentary Unit Alan Holland said,
This is the Documentary Units first commission for Yesterday channel and we are delighted to collaborate with UKTV for the first time. Scouting for Toys is being made out of our Salford production base as it was important to us that we had northern film makers telling this brilliant story through a unique northern lens.
Scouting for Toys has started filming, adhering to all COVID-19 procedures and regulations. The series will air on Yesterday in 2022 and will also be available to catch-up on UKTV Play. Other recent UKTV Original commissions for Yesterday include, Hornby: A Model World, Secrets of the London Underground, The Architecture The Railways Built, and a further series of Bangers & Cash.
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For more information please contact:
Neelam Rhodes, UKTV Publicist
Image available here
About Yesterday
Freeview 26 | Sky 155 | Virgin 129 | Freesat 159 | YouView 26
On demand on UKTV Play | @yesterdaytweets | yesterday.uktv.co.uk
Fascinating factual stories from the world around us.
Yesterday showcases original series such as Abandoned Engineering, The Architecture The Railways Built and Warbird Workshop as well as new and exclusive observational documentaries including Bangers & Cash, Secrets of the Transport Museum, and Train Truckers.
The channel also features stunning nature and science programming including David Attenboroughs Natural Curiosities and Planet Earth 2, plus seminal war documentaries such as The World at War.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UKs most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the worlds leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
corporate.uktv.co.uk |press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress
About BBC Studios Productions: The Documentary Unit
BBC Studios Documentary Unit is the home of high quality, thought-provoking and award-winning factual television. Its distinctive, ambitious and informative output ranges from observational access documentaries, crime, history and arts to popular specialist factual, formats and factual drama.
Spanning five bases across the UK in London, Cardiff, Salford, Glasgow and Aberdeen, its programming is critically acclaimed, with titles like the BAFTA-winning Basquiat: From Rage to Riches, Thatcher: A Very British Revolution, A Life In Ten Pictures, and the multi-award-winning Arts strand Imagine....Working with some of the most highly regarded talent in the UK, on and off screen, The Documentary Unit entertains and educates audiences with distinctive authored content driven by bold storytelling, a strong sense of purpose and a breadth of specialist knowledge.
BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Award-winning British programmes made by the business are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, including factual, drama, entertainment and comedy. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including six production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes around 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UKs independent sector.
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