Category Archives: News

Rylan to surf The Wave for brand new beachside gameshow on W

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Rylan to surf The Wave for brand new beachside gameshow on W

Wednesday 13th September, LONDON: Rylan is set to make his debut on premium entertainment channel W, hosting brand new gameshow The Wave (10×60’), a UKTV Original commission produced by award-winning production company, Primal Media (Release the Hounds).

Rylan said: “I’m so looking forward to working with W for a brand new entertainment show. It’s sunny, it’s sexy and it’s funny. What more could you want! I can’t wait to work with an amazing team, playing a really fun game and can’t wait to meet our brave contestants who are going to be taking on The Wave”

The Wave mixes 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 it out on the Atlantic coast of Portugal in an effort to win the booty.

Rylan stays firmly on the shore with one half of the pair, while the other braves the Atlantic surf and puts their fate in the hands of the elements as they attempt to reach a series of pontoons further and further out to sea.  Will the currents, waves, and sea fog help or hinder their race to glory?!

Waiting on each pontoon is a question: get it right, then money goes in the swimmer’s swag bag. But get it wrong and a 1kg of lead weight goes into the bag instead… what could possibly go wrong?

For added pressure, they only win the money if the swimmer makes it back to their partner on the shore in time. Nothing like a relaxing day at the beach.

The Wave has been ordered by UKTV director of commissioning Richard Watsham and W general manager Steve North.  Commissioned by UKTV deputy director of commissioning Hilary Rosen who will also oversee as executive producer. The Wave will be produced by Primal Media, led by Adam Wood and Mat Steiner as executive producers and Sean Miller as series producer.  The series will be directed by Richard van’t Riet.

Hilary Rosen said: “The Wave is a fantastic new departure for a UKTV Original – we are stepping into the world of game show and this format is the perfect vehicle with which to welcome Rylan to the channel.”

Steve North added: “The Wave is a perfect fit for W and matched with the fantastic energy that Rylan brings to the format it makes for a brilliant series. I can’t wait to see how the contestants do – rather them than me in the Atlantic!”

Adam Wood said: “The Wave combines all the classic elements you would want in a gameshow with one massive variable: the full might of the Atlantic Ocean! Successful contestants will have earned every penny”.

The Wave, set to air in November, joins the slate of W’s recent UKTV Original formats including The Davina Hour and return of hit UKTV Original’s John Bishop: In Conversation With…, Dr Christian Will See You Now and Inside the Ambulance.

For press requests and interviews please contact:

Gem.Pinkney@uktv.co.uk // Kelly.Phelps@uktv.co.uk

About W

Sky 109/245, Virgin 124/191, BT & TalkTalk 407 / On demand on Sky and Virgin

W is UKTV’s premium entertainment channel, offering audiences a dazzling mix of UKTV original series; Dr Christian Will See You Now, John Bishop: In Conversation With…, The Davina Hour, The Secrets In My Family, Inside the Ambulance alongside handpicked gems from the BBC and Channel 4 including series from Louis Theroux, David Beckham, Stacey Dooley as well as the same day repeat of EastEnders.

About UKTV

UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching over 41m viewers every month.

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 nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market. The company’s most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £344.8m and EBITDA of £91.3m. It invested £151.2m in programming and related launches last year, and is a significant investor in British creativity.

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 over 20 years 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 first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press

 

PRIMAL WINS MAJOR NEW ENTERTAINMENT SERIES FOR SKY ONE

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PRIMAL WINS MAJOR NEW ENTERTAINMENT SERIES FOR SKY ONE

Get ready for diesel-fuelled clashes and smashes, as epic car battle Carmageddon hurtles its way to screens in 2018. The high-octane and humorous show will see teams of engineers, mechanics and drivers transform their wildest car concepts into a reality as they hand-build armed and battle-ready vehicles. Then, in a Mad Max-style combat in three vast arenas deep in the desert, six souped-up cars will battle it out using their bespoke weaponry… and only one will survive to drive away and into the season grand finale.

The 6 x 60 series is produced by Primal Media (a joint venture with Lionsgate) and Motion Content Group, with executive producers Mat Steiner and Adam Wood for Primal and Melanie Darlaston for Motion. The commissioner for Sky is Barbara Lee.

Caspar Lee and Joe Sugg partner with Primal Media

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Caspar Lee and Joe Sugg partner with Primal Media

YouTube Duo Eye Linear Hits

Raucous Productions, the indie established by YouTube stars Caspar Lee and Joe Sugg, has partnered with Release The Hounds producer Primal Media as it seeks to make its mark on linear TV.

The company, which was set up in partnership with Dominic Smales, managing director of social media talent agency Gleam Futures, is developing a linear prank show with the Lionsgate-backed producer.

The move came after Sugg worked with Primal, run by former Gogglebox Entertainment duo Mat Steiner and Adam Wood, on an episode of the ITV2 horror gameshow.

The two firms are in active development on the new format ahead of pitching it to linear broadcasters, including ITV2 and Channel 4, and online outlets such as Netflix and Fullscreen.

Speaking at Broadcast’s Media Production Show, Lee said the fledgling firm, which was set up to produce BBC Worldwide-backed travelogue Hit The Road, needed to prove itself, and partnering with Primal gives broadcasters more security to order multi-part series.

1262951_Media-Production-Show

James Emtage, who joined Raucous as a development executive in February, added: “With the ambition of the ideas we have and the scale we want to take them to, it made sense to partner with a more established indie, albeit one that shared the same creative vision.

“It’s an incredibly tough market to crack and just because we’re working with talent that has had success on online platforms doesn’t automatically mean we’ll be able to deliver a six-part television series that will have guaranteed success.”

Lee and Sugg, who have more than 10 million subscribers on the Google-owned video platform, decided to start with a prank show after discovering that their wind-up videos, which regularly get 6 million-plus views, received the highest engagement.

“A lot of the stuff that we have on our development slate has stemmed from what’s worked well on our channels. So, for example, prank videos perform a lot better than some of our other videos – they get more likes and comments,” said Lee.

Gleam’s Smales added that Lee and Sugg have a different relationship with their audience than other stars.

“The data that they have access to is way beyond anything we’ve seen before. These guys can tell which second in their video is the most engaging. It’s taking that information to other platforms with a good idea.”

GLEAM INVESTMENT

Japanese advertising giant Dentsu has invested in digital talent agency Gleam Futures.

As part of the deal – under which Dentsu is thought to have taken a minority stake in the business – Gleam, run by chief executive Dominic Smales, will work closely with Dentsu Aegis Network’s entertainment division The Story Lab.

The two firms said the deal will “accelerate and enhance” the company’s talent stable and help them “develop deeper commercial partnerships”.

Gleam will continue to operate from its HQ in London’s Charlotte Street, and said its subsidiaries will “benefit from frictionless access to global markets”.

Raucous has a number of projects in the pipeline, including a studio-based entertainment series that mixes nostalgia with YouTube talent; an entertainment format set on a tropical island; and a factual series that delves into the lives of digital entrepreneurs.

The pair are also keen to create ideas they can produce rather than star in. “I would love to get to the stage where emerging digital talent trusts us to work with them,” said Lee.

“It’s not just about sticking us in a show, but developing an idea that goes beyond us.”

However, Smales, who represents 42 online stars including Zoella, healthy eating advocate Marcus Butler and fashion blogger Shahd Batal, said starting a traditional production company is not the end goal for many of his clients.

Broadcast Now | 22 June, 2017 | By Alex Farber

Bigheads Viewers Howling With Laughter

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Bigheads Viewers Howling With Laughter

Bigheads viewers howling with laughter after ‘German immigrant’ in Boris Johnson head runs around with pants down

Jason Manford hosted as the member of the public attempted the bizarre assault course wearing a giant Boris head

Bigheads viewers were howling with laughter tonight after a “German immigrant” in a Boris Johnson head ran around with his pants down.

The Foreign Secretary shuffled around in a nightie while attempting to avoid a massive shark in ITV’s new Sunday night gameshow.

Jason Manford hosted proceedings as members of the public attempted a series of challenges while wearing giant celebrity heads .

The presenter, who was furious that Boris and rapper Will.I.Am destroyed part of the set, said: “Boris haven’t you caused us enough problems?”

Boris ran around with his pants down (Photo: ITV)

Boris was ultimately captured by Snapper the shark, missing out on moving to the next round, in the “nonsense but hilarious” programme.

In a change from the norm, the member of the public inside the amazing Boris head did not reveal himself, but admitted he was a “German immigrant” from East London.

The Boris impersonator, who shook his wet shaggy hair at Jason, said: “I actually have no idea what I’m doing today.”

He was eventually captured by the giant shark (Photo: ITV)

Eight competitors were transformed into some of the world’s most famous celebrities, including Sir Elton John and Winston Churchill, to compete in It’s A Knockout-style games.

Introducing the weirdly hilarious show, Jason said: “No this is not a dream folks, this is happenign right now.”

The presenter was joined by commentators Jenny Powell and Chris Akabusi, who couldn’t contain their excitement from the sidelines.

Ed was whacked by a giant microphone (Photo: ITV) 

And was thrown to the floor in hilarious scenes (Photo: ITV)

Last week, the contestants were tasked with running down a red carpet conveyor belt and passed the arms of giant bouncers

Ed Sheeran battled it out with Prince Charles and Rihanna, but he was swept off his feet by a powerful microphone, leaving the live studio audience in tears of laughter.

It came down to a neck-and-neck finish but Rihanna defeated her fellow singer and eventually made it through to the grand finale.

Members of the public wore giant celebrity heads (Photo: ITV Picture Desk)

Ed Sheeran made an appearance on the fun new gameshow (Photo: ITV Picture Desk)

Viewers took to Twitter in their hundreds to admit they found Boris on the silly gameshow hilarious.

One viewer said: “#Boris on the bed in his nightie and knicks around his ankles. What could go wrong? hahahaha”

Another added: “That’s the actual size of Boris Johnson’s head”

A third added: “Pahahaha. Borishead is probably the most accurate one yet.”

* Bigheads airs on Sundays on ITV at 7.00pm

 

Credit – KYLE O’SULLIVAN @ The Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bigheads-viewers-howling-laughter-after-10376418

Jason Manford’s New Game Show ‘Big Heads’

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Jason Manford’s New Game Show ‘Big Heads’

WATCH: Jason Manford’s New Game Show ‘Big Heads’ Is Brilliant, Bizarre Telly

24th April 2017, 15:47

It’s a little big ‘It’s A Knockout’, A little bit ‘Spitting Image’ – and 100% good fun!

It’s a certainly an odd concept for a game show, but Jason Manford’s new Sunday night programme Big Heads has been a real hit!

The photos from the hour-long light entertainment extravaganza are eye-catching, to say the least. It’s a pretty straightforward show: members of the public go head-to-head in a series of It’s A Knockout style physical challenges. The only catch is that they have to do it while wearing – you guessed it – big heads that disguise them as well-known public figures.

Big Heads Trump
(Credit: ITV)

Among the roll-called of ‘Big Heads’, you’ll find the likes of Simon Cowell, Mo Farah, Donald Trump, Adele, Benedict Cumberbatch, Russell Brand and even Elvis Presley.

If you look back with fondness on the light entertainment glory days of Gladiators or Total Wipeout, this could be the show for you, as it’s sort of a modern-day update of those family friendly game shows. Only, erm, a bit more surreal.

(Credit: ITV)

With its bizarre depictions of household names, Big Heads is also a little reminiscent of Spitting Image, the satirical puppet show that sent up celebs in the ’80s and ’90s. (Incidentally, Spitting Image is set to make a return to telly with a reboot reportedly launching on Sky in the future.)

Basically, if you’ve ever longed to see a nightie-wearing Donald Trump chased by a giant foam shark, your televisual dreams have been answered.

Check out this clip of Simon Cowell running against a conveyor belt to try and get into a nightclub….

(Credit: ITV)

Host Jason Manford is under no illusions about the loveable daft nature of his new project, having spoken about its silliness. The funnyman said: “At no point is anyone on this show saying, ‘This is the greatest spectacle you’ve ever seen in your life, this is going to change lives’. We’re literally going, ‘For an hour, let’s have a laugh at people falling over with massive heads on’.”

He added: “If you like that, that’s what it’s about. If you don’t like that, you need to have a long hard look at yourself.”

Big Heads group
(Credit: ITV)

Well said, Jason!

The Mancunian comedian had more to say about the show after its first episode aired on ITV last night. “Britain,” he wrote on Twitter, tongue firmly in his cheek, “you should be ashamed of yourself! #bigheads is the number 1 trending topic! #newlow.”

And he wasn’t the only one talking about Big Heads on Twitter. These telly nuts were absolutely loving it and Jason was quick to retweet their praise…

Big Heads airs on ITV at 7pm on Sunday nights, and life will never be the same again.

Read more at http://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/jason-manford-new-itv-show-big-heads/#1qKIMiLFSSbOEYju.99

http://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/jason-manford-new-itv-show-big-heads/#1EzA9Oj4ME6wrw6t.97