Leading UK-based distributor DCD Rights has pre-sold its brand new factual entertainment series Disasters Engineered, a.k.a. Deadly Engineering, to Discovery in the UK & Eire – who premiere the series this month – and to DR in Denmark and ahead of NATPE Miami. The 10 x 60’ series is produced bySWR Media, Intermission Film and DCD Rights in association with Dash Pictures for Discovery UK. Another new title from DCD Rights, 10 x 30’ Australian Outback series Aussie Bull Catchers, produced by Ronde Media, has been picked up by Viasat World for Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and CIS.
Myriad engineering revolutions have transformed our world and changed every detail of our lives. However, for every future built, there are man-made mistakes that cause catastrophic disasters. Icarus-like moments when our overreaching, greed and desire to conquer the impossible don’t just cost reputations, but millions of dollars, environmental damage and lives. Chernobyl, Bhopal, Challenger and The Hindenburg are names not remembered for the great feats of engineering they initially were, but for the horrors that they became. Through extensive archive and expert interviews Disasters Engineered explores the stories behind mankind’s greatest engineering disasters. How and why they happened and what we have learnt from them.
Every year, during Australia’s dry season, a handful of brave men and women make a living catching feral bulls and buffalo. Aussie Bull Catchers (10 x 30’) reveals one of the most dangerous jobs on earth, it’s high-risk, high-reward work, with a hell of a lot of deal-making. It all starts in the air, as the bull-catchers fly choppers over the Outback searching for feral bulls and buffalo. Then a deal is struck with the landowner: in exchange for access to land, bull catchers share the profits they make from selling the bulls in the cattle market. This is a place like nowhere else on earth, and welcomes you to a world you’ve never seen before – the world of Australia’s Outback Bull Catchers. Produced by Ronde Media for ABC Australia.
DCD Rights will also debut a number of other non-scripted titles at NATPE in Miami later this month including The Lady Killers (10 x 60’) produced by FirstLookTV and DCD Rights for Quest Red. Men kill in rage, to control, to steal, to exert power… so why and how do women kill? So often, it’s about lost love, a desire for wealth, revenge. This true crime series investigates the stories of the women who kill… From interviews with those close to Lady Killers, psychologists and criminologists, to dramatic reconstruction, this series answers the key questions as to why women take the lives of those close to them.
DCD Rights is pleased to be representing a new third party producer, Forces TV Productions. The first programme which DCD Rights will distribute on behalf of Forces TV Productions is The Real Prince Philip: A Royal Officer (1 x 60’). This biographical film celebrates the life and achievements of Prince Philip. It examines his life story with warmth and respect, emphasising the role his military experiences played in his later achievements, and suggesting that his admirable ethos of ‘service’ and ‘duty’ was forged during his impressive Naval career. It charts the unique journey of a man who has triumphed in a huge diversity of roles throughout his life. Whether as Head Boy of Gordonstoun School, Naval Cadet, Commander of WW2 frigates, Royal fiancée, Consort to the Queen, patron of charities, or founder of one of the most recognisable youth organisations in the world, Prince Philip has brought a unique set of skills and an invaluable passion to every endeavour. The film draws upon a rare interview with the Duke on his Second World War experiences, archive film from around the world and interviews with historians and royal experts about the key moments in his life.
DCD Rights is delighted to continue its relationship with Blue Marlin Television and renowned chef James Martin. Brand new 20 x 60’ series, James Martin’s Islands & Highlands, produced for ITV, sees James travel around the UK, seeking out the best food stories and top local producers, while cooking up some mouth-watering brand new recipes on mountain sides, sea shores and beaches. From the Scilly Isles in the South West, up to the Shetland Islands in the North, James takes the fabulous local produce and creates something magical in every place he visits. Accompanying him along the way are some chef pals, which include some of the best in the world, Raymond Blanc, Monica Galetti and Paul Rankin. James cooks a range of dishes, including delicious seafood in the Scilly Isles and Cornwall to delightful Welsh lamb in South Wales.
Produced by Tern TV Productions for Channel 4 The Bone Detectives (8 x 60’) follows Palaeontologist Tori Herridge, assisted by mortuary technician Carla Valentine and archaeologist Raksha Dave, as they attempt to piece together the lives behind recently discovered bones, what happened to these people and how they came to be where they were found. Every week archaeologists uncover bodies. Sometimes individuals but more commonly they find groups of people buried together. Most discoveries are unexpected; the result of archaeology being done in advance of a major building or infrastructure development. The Bone Detectives reveals tales of battles, of misdemeanours, of disease, of tragedy and tragic accidents.
