Monday, 22 August 2016 UKTVs premium entertainment channel W continues to expand its slate of original programming with The Dressing Room. A UKTV Original, this fly-on-the-wall documentary is co-produced by STV Productions and GroupM Entertainment and will debut in 2017.Every weekend ordinary people across the nation come together to take part in team sport, either in groups of old friends, with work colleagues, or simply to blow off steam and leave their everyday worries behind. Using fixed-rig cameras, The Dressing Room (6x60) invites the viewer into the hidden world of dressing rooms across the entire country, showing all of the off-field drama and focusing on dynamic characters with fascinating lives. The Dressing Room grants unprecedented access to what happens on the other side of the touchline, with a cast of womens teams, mixed teams and mens teams, from football to roller derby to water polo.
Viewers will get access to an intimate and emotionally charged world, witnessing how team mates of all ages interact in the heat of the moment - their shared histories and in-jokes, their reliance on each other, their personal grudges, even their latest relationship dramas. But all these give way to the pre-match nerves and adrenalin, the instant half-time reactions, arguments and motivational speeches, as well as the post-match euphoria of victory and the bitter taste of defeat.
Ordered by Steve North, general manager of W and UKTVs director of commissioning Richard Watsham, The Dressing Room is commissioned by senior commissioning editor Iain Coyle. The Dressing Room is co-produced by STV Productions and GroupM Entertainment.
Senior commissioning editor for UKTV Iain Coyle said,
The Dressing Room is one of those ideas that, when you hear it, you cant quite believe its not been done before. Its so simple but has a unique mixture of the genuinely moving, funny, motivational and, ultimately, life-affirming. Be prepared for the hair on the back of your neck to stand up.
Steve North, Ws general manager, added,
The Dressing Room promises a unique insight into the way we relate as people during our most highly charged moments. By taking a pared down approach with fly-on-the-wall documentary, our viewers will see the human connections that people make on and off the pitch, making this a warm-hearted and life-affirming series.
Gary Chippington, head of entertainment at STV Productions, said,
Were hugely excited to be exploring the passion, warmth and humour that goes on in dressing rooms across the country every weekend. We look forward to working with GroupM Entertainment on this series for UKTV to bring viewers some truly captivating stories of real people, friendship and emotion from the other side of the dressing room doors
Tony Moulsdale, director of programming, GroupM Entertainment said,
The Dressing Room is a very exciting project for us. It is our first with UKTV. It grew out of the immensely productive development relationship we have with STV Productions. Its attracting a lot of attention both domestically and internationally and its been really exciting working with UKTV to bring this to the screen.
The format and finished programme will be sold internationally by Passion Distribution.
The Dressing Room continues Ws investment in original programming, following its launch earlier this year. W launched with authored documentary series ON with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sara Cox and Grace Dent, Nevs Indian Call Centre, Get Me To The Church and Battlechefs with Marco Pierre White, while W also has the forthcoming UKTV Originals John Bishop: In Conversation With... and Ive Got Something To Tell You, hosted by Amanda Holden. In March W exclusively broadcast Dynamos live show at the O2 Arena in a world first, peaking at nearly 1 million viewers.
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W is UKTVs premium entertainment channel, offering audiences a dazzling mix of original factual entertainment formats - ON, Get Me To The Church, Honey I Bought the House - alongside the gold standard of shows from the US including Code Black, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, CSI:NY, Grimm and The Strain plus jewels from the very best of the BBC and Channel 4.
About UKTV UKTV is the biggest multichannel broadcaster in the UK.
The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for 9.31% of the British commercial TV market. The companys most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £319m and EBITDA of £82m. It invested £148m in programming and related launches last year, and is becoming an increasingly significant investor in UK creativity.
UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC, alongside programmes originally shown on ITV and Channel 4. The network embraces technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.
Now celebrating its 23rd year at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the only British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.
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