Monday 2nd March 2020
Emma Willis returns to UKTV's premium entertainment channel, W, for the two-part special, Emma Willis: Special Births (2 x 60'). Produced by Firecracker Films, each episode will include never before seen footage of births captured last year at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Across two heart-warming episodes, Emma will meet a selection of parents and babies six months after initial filming and discover how each family's journey has unfolded since their time on the maternity ward. In each encounter, Emma will sit down with the family to watch the birth and reflect on the incredible moment their new-born baby entered the world. From hair-raising emergencies to hilarious gaffes, this will be an emotional rollercoaster for all involved.
Emma Willis: Special Births is commissioned for UKTV by Helen Nightingale, senior commissioning editor, and ordered by Adam Collings, channel director for W. Steve North is genre general manager for comedy and entertainment and Richard Watsham is director of commissioning. The series is executive produced for Firecracker Films by Sam Emmery, head of documentaries, and Jes Wilkins, chief creative officer.
Helen Nightingale said:
Emma is so passionate about her role as a Maternity Care Assistant, so it's wonderful to see her re-visit families and see how childbirth has changed their lives since leaving the hospital. I'm sure there'll be some lovely revelations and will be truly heart-warming telly.
Adam Collings said:
We're thrilled to have more Emma Willis on W. As our highest performing series Delivering Babies is a real gem and we can't wait to see more of the incredible birthing stories in this two-part special.
Sam Emmery, head of documentaries for Firecracker Films, said:
We are delighted to be working with the wonderfully talented Emma Willis and fantastic team at W again on this two-part special series. The series will give W viewers a unique opportunity to see a whole new set of birth stories and will showcase the amazing work the maternity staff at the Princess Alexandra Hospital carry out on a daily basis.
Emma Willis: Special Births follows on from Delivering Babies, which was awarded a Broadcast Digital Award in 2019, and joins a whole host of new UKTV Originals airing on W in 2020. This includes The Wedding Fixer, a brand-new series which follows highly respected wedding planner Sarah Haywood as she battles to save couples from wedding day turmoil.
Emma Willis: Special Births will air later this year
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For more information, please contact:
Kelly Phelps, Publicist, UKTV
About W
Sky 109/809, Virgin 125/191, BT 311/383, TalkTalk 311/ On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk
W is UKTV's premium entertainment channel, offering audiences a dazzling mix of UKTV Original series with some of the UK's most-loved talent in front and behind the camera.
Part of the W family, Emma Willis trains as a maternity care assistant in Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, while Emily Atack asks herself some big questions in Emily Atack: Adulting and Stacey Dooley spends some time with extraordinary families in Stacey Dooley: Sleeps Over. For its first foray into scripted original series, W welcomed Lorna Martin's Women on the Verge and celebrity PR drama Flack, starring Academy award winner Anna Paquin.
W will also delve into the world of babies and weddings with My Famous Babysitter and The Wedding Fixer later this year, while channel favourite Inside The Ambulance continues to shine a light on paramedics across the UK. Inside the Operating Theatre takes that relationship further, getting to the heart of the surgeons saving lives inside the hospital. Debut series Ski A&E will look at the heroic actions of emergency ski services. And finally, W's hit acquisitions MasterChef Australia, MasterChef USA and MasterChef USA Juniors round out the offering.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
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About Firecracker Films
From the BAFTA-nominated international smash hit Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, to the critically acclaimed Class Of Mum And Dad for Channel 4, and Emma Willis: Delivering Babies - the W Channel's biggest hit of 2018, Firecracker Films has established itself as producer of some of the most groundbreaking, popular factual programmes on television today.
Other credits include the hit series Doctor Christian Will See You Now and Doctor Christian: 12 Hours To Cure Your Street, the visually arresting Daredevils, Baby Ballroom, single documentaries such as Susan Boyle: Unlikely Superstar, Secrets of the Living Dolls, The Man With The Ten Stone Testicles, The Brit Who Tried To Kill Trump and Jamie: Drag Queen At Sixteen - the documentary which inspired the hit West End musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
2019 highlights from Firecracker include Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over (W), The Sex Clinic (E4), Doctor Christian: Special Clinics (W), The Customer Is Always Right (BBC Daytime), and Mums Make Porn (Channel 4).