Pete Wicks and a dog

Pete Wicks: For Dogs' Sake

23rd July 2024

Pete Wicks to front brand new DOG-umentary for U and U&W

UKTV has commissioned brand-new Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake (4x60’) for free-to-air entertainment channel U&W, and recently rebranded free streaming service U. Produced by BBC Studios Entertainment, this docu-series will follow TV star, podcaster, and animal welfare advocate Pete Wicks as he works with Dogs Trust to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome vulnerable dogs.

"This show is a real passion project for me!"

Pete Wicks said, “Anyone who knows me knows that I prefer animals to people, so this show is a real passion project for me! With two rescue dogs of my own, animal welfare is close to my heart, and I am super excited to be teaming up with U&W for this amazing opportunity.”

With exclusive access to the UK’s leading dog welfare charity, Dogs Trust, this series will see Pete meet the four-legged friends that call it home. From the moment the dogs are rescued, Pete will play an instrumental role in their rehabilitation process, right up until the point the dogs are safely rehomed.

The UKTV Original series offers unique insight into the everyday happenings of Dogs Trust, giving viewers behind the scenes access, as it delves into the narratives of the individual canine’s stories and backgrounds.

Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake has been commissioned by Helen Nightingale, head of factual and factual entertainment and ordered for U&W by Adam Collings, channel director and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Produced by BBC Studios Entertainment with Pete Ogden and Mark Scantlebury serving as executive producers and Nicole Sullivan as series producer.

Helen Nightingale said, “We’d be barking mad to turn down the opportunity to work with Pete Wicks; and witness first hand his passion for dogs and their welfare. It’s a huge privilege being granted such unique access to Dogs Trust to see how the charity operates. I’m delighted that BBC Studios Entertainment has brought us this exciting new series.”

Adam Collings said, “We are so excited to welcome Pete Wicks and the Dogs Trust team to U&W. This heart-warming series sheds light on how hard these charities work to give vulnerable dogs a safe space and shows the incredibly popular Pete in a fresh, totally compassionate, and potentially unexpected way to our viewers.”

Pete Ogden said, “Pete, and his love of dogs makes him the perfect guy to take us behind the scenes of this wonderful charity. We’re thrilled to be shining a spotlight on what they do, and we can’t wait for audiences to see the show.”

Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake is the latest new addition to U&W’s factual entertainment roster, joining brand new The Young Midwives of Essex, At Home with Katherine Ryan and returning series of Emma Willis: Delivering Babies. U&W also has a whole host of new true crime originals - Back From The Dead: Who Kidnapped Me?Red Flag and Lies, Deceit & Betrayal. U&W is Broadcast Digital’s Entertainment Channel of the Year.

Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake will air on U and U&W later this year.

UKTV recently launched ‘U’ – a new Masterbrand that united its family of free-to-air channels and its free streaming service. Its streaming service UKTV Play has now transitioned to U and UKTV’s family of free-to-air channels are called U&DAVE, U&DRAMA, U&YESTERDAY and U&W.

*ENDS*

For more information, please contact:

Jasmine Brewer, Publicist, UKTV

About U&W

U&W is a TV channel passionate about people and finding the joy in everyday moments. Its quality mix of UKTV Originals featuring heart-warming shows led by some of the UK's most-loved talent, and uplifting series shining a light on heroic emergency services, are complemented by high quality acquisitions.

U&W shows tap into the raw and genuine heart swell moments, from the struggles of conception in Alex Jones: Making Babies, emotions running high at the sound of a baby's first cry in the award-winning Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, to heart-stopping drama for the incredible frontline workers in Inside the Ambulance and Nurses on the Ward. Elsewhere, comedian Katherine Ryan throws open the doors of her family home to explore alternative parenting techniques in Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance, and award-winning documentary maker Stacey Dooley offers an unfiltered insight into unseen areas of modern relationships and family life in the hit series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, with an additional series that explores family dynamics in the USA.

Plus, broadcaster, author and philanthropist Katie Piper immerses herself in the US judicial system to follow the often-complicated process of babies and children in some of the most talked about prisons in Katie Piper's Jailhouse Mums. U&W also delves into the unfiltered lives of celebrity couple Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Márquez as they welcome their second child, in Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens, and the channel is the exclusive home to the joyfully competitive MasterChef franchise, including MasterChef AustraliaMasterChef USA and MasterChef Juniors.

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 BBC Studios

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.

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