Format

In the year that World Productions’ Bodyguard became the highest-rated UK drama in a decade, selling to Netflix in a global first window deal (excluding the UK, Ireland, China) and Love Island entered its eighth territory, the US, where it will be produced by ITV Entertainment for CBS; ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) announces a powerful new slate of MIPCOM programming spanning world-class drama, blue chip natural history and innovative, tried and tested formats.

Ruth Berry, Managing Director of ITV Studios Global Entertainment, said: “I couldn't be prouder to unveil this varied slate to the international market. With brand-defining drama from around the world, as well as innovative formats and blue chip factual it is the embodiment of who we are today - an international and diverse, leading content company with a passion for everything we bring to screen."

ITVS GE will unveil a compelling new slate of UK and international drama including more hours of non-English language content than ever before. Headlining the offering is the major new television adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds (3 x 60). The seminal alien invasion story in literature, this visceral thriller tells the story of George (Rafe Spall, Jurassic World, The Big Short) and his partner Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson, Poldark) who face the escalating terror of an alien attack after a huge meteor strike. Robert Carlyle (T2 Trainspotting) stars as Ogilvy, an astronomer and scientist and Rupert Graves (Sherlock) plays George’s elder brother Frederick. Set in Edwardian England, the science fiction period drama is produced by the multi-awarding winning Mammoth Screen* (Poldark, Victoria), and Creasun for BBC One.

Dark Heart (6 x 60), the atmospheric new crime series from critically acclaimed writer Chris Lang (Unforgotten) will also launch to international buyers. It follows DI Will Wagstaffe (Tom Riley), a workaholic whose personal life is as troubled and complex as his day job, as he investigates a string of horrifying murders. Dark Heart is a Silverprint Pictures production in association with Britbox for ITV, will launch in the UK this Autumn.

From Anagram Sweden and Network Movie for ZDF in Germany and SVT in Sweden, comes West of Liberty (6 x 60). This English language thriller, laced with action and suspense, is adapted from the first novel in Thomas Engström’s acclaimed series centring on Ludwig Licht, a former Stasi agent and CIA informant. Retired from the secret services, Licht is approached by his old partner Clive Berner – Head of the CIA’s Berlin office – who asks him to work on a case involving Lucien Gell, the corrupt leader of whistle-blower site Hydraleaks.

More expertly produced, non-English language drama emanating from ITVS’ European production will also be showcased. From Beauborg Stories (part of Tetra Media Studios) for TF1 comes the hotly anticipated procedural drama, Balthazar (French, 6 x 60). Police commander Hélène Bach must learn to work with the brilliant yet exasperating Raphael, who can make the dead speak like no-one else. The most talented forensic pathologist of his generation, Raphael has it all – he is charming, handsome and intelligent, both fascinating and infuriating in equal measure.

Also from Beauborg Stories for France 3 is Les Secrets (French, 3 x 60). Young, beautiful and in love, Sarah and Alex have the perfect lives – until tragedy strikes when Alex’s body is found at the foot of a cliff. When the investigation rules his death a suicide, cannot understand why her husband would commit such an irredeemable act. But then she receives a passionate love letter from a woman called Ines, and it’s addressed to Alex...

From ITVS GE production partners SF Studios and Harmonica Films for C More /TV4 comes Hunters (Swedish, 6 x 60). The prospect of a new mine in a small, troubled town leads to conflict between environmentalists and people who see it as the way to a better future. When Erik, an ex-cop working for the mine company, is confronted with murder, he is torn between his sense of justice and his loyalty towards the town and its people.

In Kieler Street (Norwegian, 10 x 60’) from Anagram Norway, former criminal Jonas has started a new life in Scandinavia’s most law-abiding neighbourhood. He has it all: a happy family, a great job and the quiet life he always wanted. But the façade starts falling apart when Jonas realizes that several other inhabitants also have hidden identities, and they’re all prepared to do anything it takes to protect the illusion they have created.

Buyers will also be able to get a first look several high-profile dramas in the ITVS GE “coming soon” pipeline, ahead of their official international launch. They include the heart-stopping, multi-stranded drama which tells the story of World War Two through the lives of ordinary people, World On Fire (7 x 60). A Mammoth Screen Production for BBC One, it is written by the multi-award-winning Peter Bowker (The A Word, Marvellous).

Noughts & Crosses (6 x 60) is the eagerly anticipated Mammoth Screen adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s enthralling story of first love in a dangerous, alternate world. This adrenalin-fuelled drama for BBC One draws on global themes of race, privilege and how we treat each as we follow a couple who are divided by their colour but united by forbidden love and burning injustice.

Alongside the drama slate, a number of engaging new non-scripted series will also make their Cannes debut. Magical Land of Oz (3 x 60’) is blue chip natural history at its finest. An Oxford Scientific Films* and Northern Pictures co-production for the BBC, ABC, PBS and Screen Australia, it reveals the country as it has never been seen before. From acrobatic crocodiles and tree climbing birds, to fish that cross roads and spiders who dance like peacocks - what you expect is not what you get in the Magical Land of Oz.
Oxford Scientific Films’ Cliveden: A Very British Country House (3 x 60’) will also launch to international buyers. In this insightful three-part series for Channel 4 the famous country house hotel, which has entertained the elite for 400 years, lets cameras in to capture the life of a typical British country house as it attempts to reinvent itself for the modern era.
Billy Whizz (1 x 60’) profiles the life of the 18 year-old Formula 4 Go Karting champion, Billy Monger who began his career in motorsport at the age of eight. Having made it to the podium countless times, his life took an unexpected turn when he was involved in a devastating high speed collision in April 2017. An Oxford Scientific Films production for BBC3.
In My Embarrassing Pet (20 x 30’) from Shiver* for Channel 4, colourful pet owners reveal the most embarrassing health or behavioural issues of their furry friends and how they affect their daily lives. The warm and witty series, filmed at a very special surgery, follows pets and their owners as they are seen by an elite team of animal experts: two vets and two behaviourists who diagnose the problem and offer practical advice and potential solutions regarding treatment or training needed.
Curvy Girls on the Catwalk (2 x 60’) from Little Gem for Channel 5 goes behind the scenes at one of the UK’s leading plus- sized modelling agencies as they hunt for their next big superstar. Shining a light on the ‘body positive’ movement at a time when the fashion industry is embracing curves like never before, this fun and heart-warming series is packed full of amazing transformations, showing you can love yourself at any size.
As the multi record-breaking, fun and flirty Love Island becomes recognised as a global phenomenon, ITVS GE will bring a selection of the show’s finalists from around the world to Cannes to celebrate its success. It will also extend its formats portfolio with a range of creative and adaptable new formats including I’ll Get This from 12 Yard* for the BBC - the game show with no studio, no winner, no prizes and no presenter – just five celebrities, fun-filled action and tense hotly-fought competition! Famous faces arrive for dinner at a stunning, secluded, top-dollar restaurant to face games and challenges throughout the evening which will determine which one of them will have to foot the bill.

Spotless from Possessed is a messy family game show in which two pairs compete in hilarious challenges, where the sole aim is to keep themselves and their partners spotless for a cash prize. Paint is thrown, sprayed and pumped at the contestants in a series of physical games. Wearing their iconic white suits, our teams must duck, dive and hide in order to avoid getting hit. At the end of each game, the contestants enter “The Scanner” – a high-tech machine that will analyse how clean they have remained and generate their Spotless Score.

That Singalong Show from ITV Studios Entertainment is the singalong, play-along gameshow where members of the studio audience compete in musical rounds to win an amazing cash prize and the chance to sing on stage with pop royalty. It’s not about how well you sing, but how well you know the songs! You don’t need to be a musical maestro to win big!

From TwoFour and Hideous Productions comes 24 hrs With…is the ultimate stripped-back interview format. One celebrity bearing it all in an interview which lasts an entire day and night. There are no interruptions, no distractions and there is nowhere to hide.

In the hugely entertaining dating format, Back to Mine from Shiver* one curious singleton is given the chance to snoop around the homes of three potential dates before deciding which person they want to date. The singleton has no idea what their possible suitor actually looks like; all they’ll have to go on is the homes they live in and what that tells them about who they are.

One successful and charismatic entrepreneur is on a mission to prove to the nation how easy it is to get rich quick. In each episode of How to Get Rich Quick, from Little Gem, they meet a member of the public who is willing to invest a lump sum of their own hard-earned savings. Our entrepreneur will draw upon their own experience and teach the public tricks of the trade in order to double their cash in a short space of time. Everything tried across the series is doable, relatable and innovative and sure to inspire viewers at home to get smarter with the cash in their pockets!

Talking About Your Generation from ITVS Australia for Nine Network is a comedic, inter-generational game show which pits three generations – Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y – against each other in an hour long, laugh-filled and riotous battle of wits. With points awarded not only for correct answers, but also for entertaining gags and off-beat performances, the show is guaranteed to put the zest back into zeitgeist.

The news follows Reed Midem’s announcement that the CEO of ITV PLC, Carolyn McCall DBE, will give the opening keynote address in the Palais des Festivals Grand Auditorium at 11.30 AM on Monday 15 October.