London, Tuesday 6 September 2016 UKTVs award-winning entertainment channel Dave continues to expand its entertainment slate with brand-new commission Lizard Lick Touring (10 x 30), featuring the hit series Lizard Lick Towings eponymous hero Ron Shirley and produced by Znak & Jones and Rapture Productions. Fans of former college football player and ordained minister Ron Shirley and his ex powerlifter and MMA fighter wife, Amy, will already be familiar with their free-wheeling, colourful world in rural North Carolina where they jointly run their hugely successful motor business, Lizard Lick Towing.
Now Ron has decided to head east and try his luck in the UK - and hes given Dave full-on, unrestricted access.
While Amy keeps the wheels turning back home, Ron hits the road on the hunt for classic and luxury autos to ship back to his US clientele. And some American buyers have a car to send off to the UK, too. Crammed bumper to bumper with sumptuous classic British and American cars, juicy deals and unexpected detours, Lizard Lick Touring invites you to buckle up for Rons raucous rides across Britain as he immerses himself in his new world and gives it the all American treatment.
Iain Coyle, UKTV senior commissioning editor, said,
Im very excited, and ever so slightly terrified, that Ronnie is bringing his brand of four-wheeled mayhem to the UK. I think its unlikely that British car dealers will have ever experienced anything like his unique negotiation skills before.
Steve North, Dave general manager, said,
Ron and Amy are forces of nature and we already know that Dave viewers love to watch their exploits. Therefore, it seemed a perfect fit to bring Ron to the UK, get him to hit the road and see what happens. Dave is the natural home for this hugely entertaining show.
Lizard Lick Touring has been ordered by director of commissioning, Richard Watsham and Dave general manager, Steve North. The series has been commissioned by Iain Coyle who will also executive produce for Dave.
Lizard Lick Touring is produced by both Znak & Jones and Rapture Productions and executive producers include Natalka Znak, Jo Inglott and Jen Ducker.
In 2015, Dave successfully reformatted US import Storage Hunters for the UK. The series brought in over one million viewers for its premiere episode. Lizard Lick Touring will air on Dave in 2017, following a continued commitment to the channels early primetime programming.
For all press enquiries and interview requests please contact: Gem Pinkney, UKTV Publicity Manager or
Kerry Parker, UKTV Head of Network Comms
About Dave Sky 111/246, Virgin 128/194, Freeview 12, BT & TalkTalk 12 On demand on Sky, Virgin and UKTV Play
Daves had a haircut and shave in recent years as it grows from awkward teenager to fully-fledged commissioner of new and original shows. And its not just comedy these days but entertainment and even some knock-out live sport. Hit UKTV Original commissions include Taskmaster, Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled and Crackanory, all laden with the biggest names in British comedy. Dave enjoyed critical success with two series of Hoff the Record, a mockumentary ensemble comedy led by the living legend David Hasselhoff.
As well as home-grown delights Dave also goes stateside, cherry-picking cult US Shows including the sharp-witted and sharp-suited Suits and much-loved Parks and Recreation along with Emmy-nominated The Last Man on Earth. This all contributed to Daves award win at the 2016 Broadcast Digital Awards for Best Entertainment Channel.
Dave is the UKs most watched non-PSB channel broadcasting to over 27 million people per month, and viewers continue to enjoy the ludicrously addictive American Pickers and UK remake of Storage Hunters. The channel continues to grow its original commissioning slate with political show Unspun With Matt Forde, Red Dwarf XI, Dara O Briains Go 8 Bit, fantasy comedy Zapped and Celebrity Storage Hunters airing later this year.
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.
corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press
About Znak & Jones Formed in 2014 and with offices in Los Angeles and London, Znak & Jones has co-production partnerships with Jenny Dalys T Group Productions, and Electus International.
The company has over a dozen projects in production and development with a wide range of networks in both the UK and US including TLC, E!, Sky, Channel 4 and UKTV. Recent productions include the ground-breaking 19-part music documentary series Trailblazers for Sky Arts, the format Bible Bowl for TLC and Danny Bakers Christmas Hits for Sky Arts.
