London, Wednesday 28 August 2024: UKTV has commissioned another new series of Canal Boat Diaries (10x60') for leading factual channel U&YESTERDAY and free streaming service, U, having licensed the format rights from the BBC.
The sixth series of Canal Boat Diaries will take viewers through some of the most beautiful countryside and canalscapes the south of England has to offer. Winding down through Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire, the series will end up where it all started for Robbie, before he began filming his adventures.
Robbie Cumming said, “For me this is going to be about having fun and enjoying my journey as much as possible. In May 2025 I will have travelled in my narrowboat home for a full decade. So, to celebrate this I'll be retracing my very first journey - albeit in reverse and with some rivers and canals I've never been on before. In the last series I encountered some of the most challenging canals I've ever waded through, spent a lot of time down the weed hatch, broke windows, lost equipment, got stuck in locks and dropped my phone in the canal. So, who knows what will happen - I'm just hoping for a bit more luck this time!”
The executive producer is David Sumnall at Middlechild and the series producer is Stuart Woodman, who has produced all previous series.
Canal Boat Diaries has been commissioned for UKTV by Tracy-Jean (TJ), commissioning executive, with Helen Nightingale, head of factual and factual entertainment, and ordered for U&YESTERDAY by Gerald Casey, channel director, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning.
Tracy-Jean, UKTV commissioning executive, said, “Our first original series of Canal Boat Diaries was such a joy to make and so loved by our audience that we immediately decided to jump back on board the Naughty Lass with Robbie and Middlechild. Leading us down a brand new network of canals, expect to see familiar southern sights from a different perspective and at a pace we all would like to travel at.”
U&YESTERDAY’s channel director, Gerald Casey, said, “Canal Boat Diaries has been a real hit with U&YESTERDAY’s audiences with strong launch numbers across the board, so I’m thrilled that Robbie is filming another series for us.”
Canal Boat Diaries S6is filming now and will air in 2025 on U&Yesterday channel and will be available on U, joining a slate of original programming including Bangers & Cash, Secrets of the London Underground, Dream Car Fixersand Masters of Reinvention.
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For further information please contact:
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Notes to Editors:
*Source: BARB / TechEdge. Ran 30/07/2024. 7-day consolidated adults (+16%) unless individuals (4+) stated. Total Consumption (TC) based on 28-day consolidated viewing, including online and same-week repeats. Reach = 3min, 1+. The full series of Canal Boat Diaries S5 was made available on U from Monday 3rd June. The title delivered one of U&Yesterday’s strongest ever box-set launches in 7-day D2C viewing.
About U&YESTERDAY
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TV for curious minds, revealing fascinating factual stories from the world around us. U&YESTERDAY showcases original series such as Abandoned Engineering, The Architecture The Railways Built and Secrets of the London Underground as well as new and exclusive observational documentaries, including Bangers & Cash and Hornby: A Model World.
About U
U is UKTV’s free streaming service, providing instant access to shows from UKTV's free-to-air channels – U&Dave, U&DRAMA U&W and U&YESTERDAY. Viewers can browse 8,500 hours of programming – including exclusive content, award-winning originals, premiere acquisitions and iconic BBC programmes across drama, (Whitstable Pearl, Marlow Murder Club, Annika, Sister Boniface Mysteries, Sons of Anarchy, Mike, Madam Secretary, A Million Little Things, The Shield, The Bill, Classic EastEnders, Holby City plus upcoming series in 2025 such as Bergerac and Outrageous), comedy (Meet the Richardsons, Red Dwarf, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, We Are Not Alone, Rosie Jones’s Comedy Disability Extravaganza), entertainment (Battle in the Box, Big Zuu's Big Eats, David Mitchell's Outsiders, QI, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, World's Most Dangerous Roads), and factual entertainment (Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, MasterChef Australia, Katie Piper: Jailhouse Mums, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Secrets of the London Underground, Bangers & Cash, Orlanda Bloom: To The Edge). U is available through the U app via computer, tablet or smart phone, or on television with Freeview Play, Amazon Fire TV, YouView, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Freesat, NOW and Roku.
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About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, Gold, Alibi and Eden - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview and Freesat; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform. UKTV’s content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV and Virgin Media. UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. The broadcaster 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 Middlechild
Middlechild are based in the vibrant Seven Dials area of Brighton, and in the creative community of Ouseburn in Newcastle (Northern Child), making factual television and documentary films for broadcasters around the world. From popular, series such as, Fare Dodgers, The Dog Rescuers, Northern Justice, and The Pet Psychic, to powerful films like Nuremberg: The World’s Biggest Murder trial, and Therapy: Tough Talking.
The first UKTV-commissioned series of Canal Boat Diaries (Series 5) delivered one of U&YESTERDAY’s strongest ever box-set launches on free streaming service U*.