Wednesday 8th March 2017
W commissions brand new Davina McCall-hosted project from Twenty Twenty Productions
UKTV's premium entertainment channel W has today announced a brand-new series (8x60') with Davina McCall, produced by Twenty Twenty Productions. The production company that reinvented the modern dating show with First Dates, is now turning its attention to the talk show, bringing a fresh twist to the genre in a brand new, intimate studio series.
In the as yet untitled project, Davina will lead a thought-provoking exploration of a different contemporary issue each week, sparked by real people's experiences and viewpoints. The primetime format will see Davina joined by a small group of individuals and experts as they discuss some of modern life's biggest dilemmas and most pertinent questions, armed with the latest research and often counter-intuitive perspectives.
Recognising that there is no silver bullet for complex, modern-day issues the show instead will focus on powerful discussions on emerging social trends and behaviours. Davina will lead the hour long conversations, igniting in-depth, passionate debates along the way, backed up by the guests' own experiences.
Davina said,
I am so so excited to be finally bringing this show to life, it's something I feel so so passionately about and have been working on for ages. I am totally thrilled to be working with W and Twenty Twenty to make it happen. I can't wait to get started.
Commissioned by UKTV's director of commissioning Richard Watsham and ordered by W general manager Steve North, the series will be executive produced by deputy director of commissioning Hilary Rosen alongside Twenty Twenty. The series producer is Tara Jang and executive producer Meriel Beale.
Richard Watsham said,
We've taken a very deliberate approach to build strong relationships with some of the UK's biggest talent and find ways of bringing their best ideas to the screen. It has paid off handsomely with the likes of John Bishop's chat show, Dave Gorman's Modern Life is Goodish and Alex Horne's Taskmaster. I'm thrilled to add Davina to this talented list. Her passion and energy know no bounds and together with Twenty Twenty I'm excited to see if we can bring a fresh perspective to this important genre.
Steve North added,
Since its launch last year, W has fast become the place where fantastic talent can try something new and see their ideas brought to life on the screen. Davina joins a growing list of high profile talent working with us, including John Bishop, Amanda Holden and Dr. Christian Jessen.
Tim Carter, CEO Twenty Twenty Productions says,
We are delighted that we are working with Davina and W on this new show. For us, this move into entertainment is hugely exciting and we want to bring interesting subjects to people at home to get them debating some big issues in a surprising way.
The news follows the recent confirmation that critically acclaimed John Bishop: In Conversation With... will return for a further two series (20x60') this year. W continues to grow its original programming with brand new series The Dressing Room and Dancing For The Weekend airing later this year, and a second series of Honey I Bought The House on the channel now.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Title is unconfirmed. Filming will take place in the summer.
For more information, please contact:
Denize Belingy, Publicity manager - W, Dave, Gold
Lara Feinstein, Network Communications Executive
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 original factual entertainment formats - ON, Get Me To The Church, Honey I Bought the House - alongside the gold standard of shows from the US including Code Black, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, CSI:NY, Grimm and The Strain plus jewels from the same day repeat of EastEnders.
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 nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market. The company's 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 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 only British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.
corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press
About Twenty Twenty Productions
We are proud of our reputation for originality and innovation, and have been making award-winning shows for global audiences since 1982.
Today our focus is on creating intelligent, eye-catching formats that make viewers feel happy and alive.
Our output spans documentary, reality, entertainment and children's, and our work has been recognised by BAFTA, Emmy, Grierson and the Royal Television Society.
Our current, much-loved returning shows include First Dates, which has launched in every English speaking territory in the world, and The Choir franchise, now celebrating 10 years of exclusive collaboration with Gareth Malone
To find out more about Twenty Twenty Productions programmes, please visit: https://www.twentytwenty.tv/whatwedo.aspx
For press enquiries, please contact: Fiona Fraser, PR & Communications Manager, WBTVPUK, Fiona.Fraser@warnerbros.com, 020 7239 1039