UKTV unveils new season of UKTV Originals at annual showcase

Porters: a brand new scripted comedy written by Dan Sefton

Wednesday 13 September 2017 David Haye, Christine Lampard, Dara O Briain, Alex Jones, Greg Davies, Craig Charles and Nish Kumar attend high profile Claridges launch: UKTV Live 2017

UKTV, Britains biggest multichannel broadcaster, today revealed its largest ever slate of UKTV Originals at its annual showcase event.

CEO, Darren Childs said:

Im incredibly proud of the programmes were presenting today. It represents a five-fold increase in the number of UKTV Original Productions over the past five years, building the biggest commissioned slate in our 25-year history. Our investment into new content across the network has given us a stable of entertainment commissions, successful launches, and award-winning returning series that has underpinned our strong growth over the last five years. And that means we can continue to strengthen our position as the UKs third commercial broadcaster.

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We have broadened out into sports, gameshows, factual programming alongside original scripted comedies and lifestyle. Our viewers across traditional broadcast and TV streaming service, UKTV Play are watching UKTV Originals more than ever and we are investing at pace to bring them more of what they love.

With 50 Originals already in production, UKTV announced new shows including The Wave, hosted by Big Brother favourite and host of Most Haunted Live, Rylan Clarke, for premium entertainment channel W; dinnerladies diaries, a documentary series with never seen before access to the diaries of the late Victoria Wood for Britains favourite comedy channel, Gold; a new ten-part series The Customiser is Always Right (WT), with YouTube sensation and celebrity car customiser Yianni Charalambous for Dave and a return to live paranormal entertainment with the continuing franchise Celebrity Haunted Mansion, hosted by Christine Lampard and Matt Richardson for W.

These announcements sit alongside new programme launches, including Porters, a brand new scripted comedy written by Dan Sefton (Trust Me, Delicious, The Good Karma Hospital), based on his own experiences of working in a hospital and Murder on the Blackpool Express, a comedic spin on the Agatha Christie-style whodunit. UKTV welcomes back returning Originals, which include a new series of the BAFTA-nominated series Taskmaster, hit-fantasy comedy Zapped, Emmy Award-winning sci-fi sitcom in space, Red Dwarf XIII and Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish.

The network, which is Britains biggest multichannel broadcaster reaching over 40 million people each month with almost 10% of commercial audiences, has seen a five-fold increase in UKTV Originals hours over the past five years and more Original hours are scheduled for 2018 than at any point in UKTVs 25-year history.

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A glittering array of stars joined the broadcaster at Claridges for its annual showcase event, UKTV Live, including Christine Lampard, David Haye, Craig Charles, Alex Jones, James Buckley, Ross Noble, Susan Wokoma, Una Stubbs, Kimberly Nixon, Greg Davies, Alex Horne, Sally Philips, Dara O Briain, Jason Byrne, Matt Forde, Mark Watson, Sheila Reid, Katherine Ryan, Gemma Cairney, Chris Barrie, Dr Christian Jessen and Matt Richardson.

Boxing legend, David Haye, who has signed a landmark deal to bring boxing to Dave, opened the event in conversation with Darren Childs on stage.

For full details on UKTVs largest ever slate of Originals, click here.

Programming Highlights - Gold Britains favourite comedy channel, Gold will honour the late Victoria Wood with dinnerladies diaries (3x60), a special UKTV Original documentary series based on Woods personal diaries. Twenty years ago, Victoria Wood put pen to paper and wrote her multi-award-winning comedy, dinnerladies. Produced by Phil McIntyre Television, dinnerladies diaries tells the story of how this groundbreaking comedy was conceived, developed, produced and why Victoria chose to end it after just two series. Gold will give viewers a glance into Victorias notebooks, her backstage photos and studio records - all of which have never been seen before.

The three-part series will also feature interviews with the cast and friends of dinnerladies as they reminisce about one of Britains most loved comedies on its 20th anniversary.

New shows launching this Autumn include Murder on the Blackpool Express, a 1 x 120 minute Original, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for Gold, in association with Shiny Button Productions, that mixes comedy and classic murder mystery, set on a guided tour coach trip to Blackpool. Created by Jason Cook, the award-winning writer behind BBC Comedy Hebburn, the cast includes Johnny Vegas, Sian Gibson, Una Stubbs, Kimberley Nixon, Nigel Havers, Sheila Reid and Griff Rhys Jones.

The Rebel, featuring Simon Callow as hellraising pensioner Henry Palmer, also returns for a second series and is made by Retort.

Programming Highlights - W UKTV is building out its Celebrity Haunted... format after the success of Celebrity Haunted Hotel on premium entertainment channel W with newly commissioned Celebrity Haunted Mansion (5x120) from North One. Christine Lampard and Matt Richardson return for TVs most entertaining scare fest - only this time there will be no room service, complimentary dressing gowns or mini bars as the celebrities head into a deserted mansion. The refreshed gameshow format will pit two celebrity teams against each other as they battle it out to become champion of the _Celebrity Haunted Mansion, assisted by their paranormal expert team captains.

Brand new to W is The Wave (10x60) hosted by Rylan and mixing sun, sea, surf...and stacks of cash. But instead of packing sunscreen, competitors must pack their swimmers as Rylan sends them off in pairs to battle the elements of the Atlantic coast in an effort to win the booty. Produced by award-winning Primal Media.

LINK:	https://corporate.uktv.co.uk/news/article/uktv-unveils-new-season-uktv...
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