We Have Been Watching - New and Exclusive to Gold

Gold

London, Tuesday 6 September 2016

Gold, UKTV's 24-carat comedy channel, today announced a brand new addition to its ever-growing range of original programming. We Have Been Watching (6x60') brings together some of the country's best loved comedy pairings to watch and critique British comedy favourites while sharing stories from their own experiences.

Produced by Crook Productions, this exclusive new series celebrates great comedy clips with a unique insight from renowned comedians. Featuring A-list comedy talent such as: David Baddiel, Maxine Peake, Nigel Planer and Jo Joyner. It also reunites successful comedy pairings: John Challis and Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses), Sally Phillips and Sarah Hadland (Miranda), Ricky Tomlinson and Ralf Little (The Royle Family), and Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani (Him And Her). We Have Been Watching takes stars off screen and settles them onto the sofa to enjoy classic comedies including Steptoe and Son, Morceambe and Wise, Father Ted and Fawlty Towers.

We Have Been Watching is ordered by Steve North and deputy director of commissioning Hilary Rosen for Gold, and is executive produced by UKTV's Simon Lupton and Crook Productions, Matt Crook.

Senior commissioning editor, Simon Lupton, said,

Crook Productions have assembled a wonderfully eclectic mix of comedians and comic actors to watch these classic clips with us. Their experiences and knowledge provide us with some incredibly insightful views, but it is seeing them watch these shows as comedy fans that is the real treat.

Steve North, Gold's general manager added,

We are committed to growing Gold's original commissioning slate, and We Have Been Watching is another in a growing list of original shows for Gold. It's the perfect way to showcase and celebrate the nation's love of comedy, while discovering a bit more about what makes them so memorable from the insights of comedy greats.

Matt Crook, executive producer Crook Productions said,

I am incredibly excited to bring this new show to Gold. What works so well is the very simple idea that comedians and comedy performers watch comedy differently. It's their instinct to enjoy, dissect and positively critique the shows, characters, script and performance.

The series will air later in 2016 and sits alongside other brand new UKTV Originals: Richard E Grant on Ealing Comedies, series two of Marley's Ghosts, and The Rebel with Simon Callow.

For all press enquiries and interview requests please contact:

Gem Pinkney, UKTV Publicity Manager or

Kerry Parker, UKTV Head of Network Comms

About Gold

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Dedicated to celebrating the best of British comedy, Gold is the nation's favourite comedy channel. Much-loved comedy series such as Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and Outnumbered sit alongside successful commissions including Comic Strip Presents...Red Top and Catherine Tate's Do Not Disturb, and the live broadcast of the final ever performance of the Monty Python Live (mostly): One Down Five to Go stage show which became the highest rating programme in Gold's history in 2014.

The perfect tonic to make you laugh whatever the time of day, Gold shows universally funny content that everyone can enjoy.

Gold.uktv.co.uk | @goldtvchannel

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 9.31% 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 its 23rd year 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.

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