07 April 2014
Yesterday, Britain's biggest factual channel and part of UKTV's multi-award winning network of ten channels, today announced an acquisitions deal with PBS International for the new series Secrets of Britain.
This 6 x 60' series visits some of Britain's most famous buildings and institutions to reveal their hidden secrets. The past and present real-life stories of Scotland Yard, Selfridges, Her Majesty's Secret Service, Westminster, Tower of London and London Underground are all featured in this quintessential look at British heritage and life.
Adrian Wills, General Manager of Yesterday said,
Secrets of Britain allows viewers to delve deeper and understand the history and context behind some of Britain's most well-known and iconic institutions. The series is beautifully shot using a wide range of experts and historians, who reveal the fascinating stories and secrets from these British landmarks.
In an episode titled the Secrets of Underground London, 2,000 years of subterranean history is uncovered and a world of ancient caves, perfectly preserved Roman remains, mysterious rivers, gruesome plague pits, and impenetrable vaults are unearthed. In another episode, Secrets of the Tower of London, the programme goes behind the formidable ancient walls of the top London destination, to expose its secrets and stories.
Adrian Wills ordered the new series and the deal was negotiated by UKTV's Acquisitions and Co-Production Manager Emma Sparks. Secrets of Britain is will air on Yesterday Q2 2014.
Emma Sparks comments,
Secrets of the Manor House, also distributed by PBS International, was incredibly popular with Yesterday viewers, reaching 1.8 million individuals. Both that series and Secrets of Britain allow viewers to go beyond the public façade of these infamous British landmarks, and learn about their hidden secrets.
Yesterday is the home of fascinating factual stories, with the channel currently reaching 12.88 million viewers a month. Other highlights in the 2014 schedule include Inquisition, WW11 Air Crash Investigators, Black Ops, Ancient Black Ops and a second series of Forbidden History presented by Jamie Theakston.
For more information please contact:
Lara Feinstein, Corporate Communications Coordinator
Emily Jones, Publicist, Factual
Notes to Editors
About Yesterday (Freeview 19, Sky 537, Virgin 203) www.yesterdaytv.co.uk
Showcasing UK premiere series such as Raiders of the Lost Past, Forbidden History, and Museum Secrets. Yesterday is the home of fascinating factual stories. The channel features dynamic history and science-inspired series such as Perfect Storms: Disasters that Changed the World, and programmes which challenge expectations including CIA Declassified. Ancient history is also featured in series including Ancient Black Ops and Medieval Dead, plus modern conflict in shows such as Black Ops.
About UKTV
UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers per month.
UKTV¹s ten imaginative channel brands - Watch, Dave, Gold, Alibi, Eden, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home and Good Food - include the most watched non-PSB channel, the most watched channel in the Factual genre and the most watched channels in the Lifestyle genre (Pay and Free). The company's most recent financial results showed a record-breaking year-end revenue of £262m, and operating profit at £71m.
UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC and Channel 4 content, and embracing technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT TV, TalkTalk, YouView, plus direct On Demand digital services. The network distributes its highly valued programmes to 200 territories around the world and supplies Sky with more hours of HD content than anyone else.
Now celebrating its 21st 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 broadcaster to be recognised by Best Companies.
corporate.uktv.co.uk / pressoffice.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press
About PBS International
PBS International, widely recognized for bringing high-quality documentary, lifestyle, and children's programming to the international marketplace, is the worldwide co-production and distribution division of PBS Distribution, a joint venture of PBS and WGBH-TV Boston, one of the largest producers of primetime programming for PBS in the United States. PBS International licenses PBS, WGBH (NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE), and independently-produced programs from such award-winning producers as Ken Burns, Ondi Timoner, Alex Gibney, Martin Scorsese, and David Grubin.