London – all3media International has shipped its observational documentary The Embassy to broadcasters in Europe and Canada, as it prepares to debut a host of new factual content at MIPTV from renowned producers including Maverick Television, Brave New Media and Lion Television.
With a second 8 x 1hour series entering production post a further commission, the first series of The Embassy, a Fredbird Entertainment and Southern Pictures production, has been secured by BSkyB in the UK, TV3 in Sweden, Voyage for France and French speaking territories, SBS in the Netherlands and Shaw for Canada. It’s understood that SKY will broadcast the series imminently.
Produced for Australia’s Nine Network, The Embassy joins the diplomats of Thailand’s Australian embassy, right at the coalface, following the misadventures of Australian expats, travellers and holiday makers in crisis abroad.
Commenting on the show, Liza Thompson, SVP International Sales, noted;
“The Embassy is a genuinely fascinating observational documentary – the culture clashes, the personal jeopardy and emotion makes for great TV and I’m delighted to have concluded the deal for the show in the UK with SKY. It forms part of our factual MIPTV Line up – alongside Kew on a Plate – via ancient civilisations, Rome, Athens and Egypt – a wonderfully diverse slate.”
all3media International will be launching Kew on a Plate at MIP but has already sold the show to Foxtel Australia and SBS Australia.
Maverick Television’s Born Naughty for Channel 4, UK, which sees a GP and a paediatrician come to the aid of families of children diagnosed with borderline behavioural disorder, has notched up sales in Australia (FOXTEL), Denmark (TV2), Norway (SBS Discovery) and Poland (TVN)
Swan Films’ 3 x 1 hr series Grayson Perry: Who Are You? has just notched up an RTS award for Best Arts Programming as well as sales in Australia and New Zealand, while its BAFTA winning host, the artist Grayson Perry, himself picked up an award for Best Presenter. The series, commissioned by Channel 4, UK looks at identity in the modern world, with Perry meeting a selection of everyday people, exploring what makes us who we are and immortalising that image through diverse works of art. The show has just received a BAFTA nomination…
In addition, all3media International’s factual slate nods to a new acquisition from Brave New Media, How to Build an Ancient Megacity. The 2 x 1 hour, HD production for BBC Two sees Professor Andrew Wallace Hadrill explore the remains of ancient megalopolis, explaining how, more than 2,000 years ago and without any of the benefits of modern technology, new cities such as Rome and Athens functioned.
Also for BBC Two on a historical theme, this time from Lion Television, The Story of Egypt is a 4 x 1 hour, HD series spanning the complete 5,000 year history of the world’s greatest civilisation. For the first time, Professor Joann Fletcher shows viewers how its spectacular sites and epic stories fit together to create a society that shaped the world we live in today.
Two other Lion Television shows for MIPTV are Franklin’s Lost Ships (1 x 2 hour, HD), a landmark co-production partnering CBC Canada, Radio Canada, the US’s PBS Nova/WGBH, the UK’s Channel 4 and distributor all3media International, set to make its broadcast debut later this year, and Kew on a Plate (4 x 1 hour, HD) this time for BBC Two. Kew on a Plate sees the world’s most important centre of botanical expertise become the home of a brand new garden kitchen, as Kate Humble and Michelin-starred chef, Raymond Blanc, take up residence in London’s Kew Gardens. With a lifetime’s passion for natural produce, Raymond and Kate learn the colourful history of vegetables and the secrets to realising their full flavour potential.
