Sky Atlantic debuts landmark factual series THE BRITISH this September

SKY ATLANTIC today announces its landmark factual series, THE BRITISH, will premiere exclusively to Sky customers on Thursday 6th September at 9pm.

Combining gripping drama, spectacular CGI and compelling commentary, THE BRITISH is an ambitious and unmissable new series which tells the history of Britain and Ireland from the Roman invasion to the birth of TV and the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. Spanning two thousand years, the series will uncover the surprising stories of the unsung heroes as well as the well-known icons of history.

Some of the UK’s most recognizable names from the worlds of entertainment, politics, sport, science and history – including Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Terry Wogan, Jessie J, Russell Brand, Colin Jackson, Frank Lampard, Lord Robert Winston and Prof. Jeremy Black – share their unique insights on how thousands of years of British history have shaped the people and nation we are today.

Essex-born actor, comedian and writer Russell Brand said: “It’s nice to be able to reach back into the past and feel that you have an identity that’s built on an oceanic, rolling history” while Oscar® winning actress Dame Helen Mirren said of her national identity: “If you wanted to teach someone who knew absolutely nothing about the British people, it would be very good to guide them to Shakespeare – you could see the foolishness, the humour, the brutality; it’s all in almost every play.” Premier League footballer Frank Lampard said: “For me, in modern Britain what we have to do is remind ourselves of our history – try and live up to the standards that the great people who have fought wars for us and what they’ve given us in the past.”

Sky also recently announced an ambitious educational initiative to support the series. Aiming to give pupils an enthralling insight into 2,000 years of the history of Great Britain, the initiative will target pupils from ages 7 – 14 with an educational plan tailored to the series. As part of this campaign, Sky will produce free, flexible teaching and learning resources for ages 7-11 and 11-14, which will be specifically tailored towards each episode of the seven-part series. Teachers and schools are now able to register interest in these materials by visiting http://corporate.sky.com/the_bigger_picture to leave their details.

THE BRITISH is part of Sky's commitment to increase its investment in original British content by 50% over the next three years. By 2014, Sky expects to invest £600 million a year in British programmes across its portfolio of channels.  Sky Atlantic HD recently announced a major commitment to Factual programming with a significant investment in feature-length documentary films.

THE BRITISH is a Nutopia production for SKY ATLANTIC HD. Celia Taylor is the Executive Producer for Sky. Jane Root, Ben Goold and Peter Lovering are Executive Producers for Nutopia and Sam Starbuck and Michael Waterhouse are Series Producers.

THE BRITISH will exclusively air on Sky Atlantic HD and Sky Atlantic from Thursday 6 September at 9pm. Following the addition of Sky Atlantic HD to Sky Go, customers will also be able to watch the series on the move on iPad, selected smartphones and laptops at no extra cost.

For further information please contact

Luke Morrison - Publicity Manager, Sky Atlantic HD
T: 020 7032 1479
E: Luke.Morrison@bskyb.com

Megan MacLeod - Publicist, Sky Movies HD, Sky Atlantic HD
T:
E: megan.macleod@bskyb.com

Notes to editor

About Sky

Sky entertains and excites more than 10.4 million homes through the most comprehensive multichannel, multi-platform television service in the UK and Ireland. Sky continues to break new ground with its own portfolio of channels: Sky 1 combines its commitment to UK production with the best of the US; Sky Living pushes ahead with fresh and innovative entertainment formats; Sky Arts is the UK's only dedicated arts channel brand; Sky Atlantic is the home to HBO and other iconic drama and comedy, Sky Sports is still raising the bar in sports broadcasting; Sky News remains a pioneer in television news; and Sky Movies is leading the way in High Definition and on-demand.

Sky also works with dozens of other broadcasters on the satellite platform, as well as online and on mobile through the ground-breaking Sky Go service.  Sky has also led the UK into the age of high definition television, launched Europe's first 3DTV channel, Sky 3D, and offers customer even more flexibility and choice through Sky Anytime+, its internet-delivered video on demand service.   Since launching Sky Broadband and Sky Talk in 2006, the company has also been the UK's fastest-growing home communications provider.

Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates, not least by increasing participation in, and access to, the arts, supporting grassroots sports, and taking positive action on the environment.

About Sky Skills

Seeing the bigger picture is part and parcel of the way we do business at Sky. That's why we're committed to building a business for the long term and playing our part in the communities where we live and work.

We bring homes to life by delivering great entertainment, making technology simple and connecting people to each other and the world. And we do this by working closely together, solving problems, thinking on our feet and doing the right thing.

We've seen how important these skills are. Now it's time to help young people learn them.

Sky Skills inspires young people to be the best they can be by raising aspirations and building life skills.

To find out more about Sky Skills, please visit http://corporate.sky.com/the_bigger_picture

Full list of THE BRITISH Contributors

Benedict Allen                                                                 Michael Portillo

Kate Allen                                                                          Lord Puttnam

Russell Brand                                                                   Richard Reed

Lily Cole                                                                              Tim Roth

Dan Cruickshank                                                            Dougray Scott

Tracey Emin                                                                      Meera Syal

Micky Flanagan                                                               Gareth Thomas

Ken Follett                                                                         Lord Robert Winston

Diarmuid Gavin                                                                Sir Terry Wogan
 
Anthony Horowitz                                                          Historians & historical experts

Jeremy Irons                                                                     Prof. Jeremy Black (Univ. Exeter)

Jessie J                                                                               Prof. David Carpenter (Kings College, London)

Colin Jackson                                                                   Mark Corby

General Sir Mike Jackson                                            Saul David (Univ. Buckingham)

Sir Ben Kingsley                                                               Neil Faulkner (Editor of Military Times)

Kwame Kwei Amah                                                         Juliet Gardiner (Author)

Frank Lampard                                                                 Gretchen Gerzina (Brunel Univ.)

Lennox Lewis                                                                    Lucy Moore

Dame Helen Mirren                                                        Helen Rappaport (Author)

Caitlin Moran                                                                    Adrian Tinniswood (Author)

Bruce Oldfield                                                                  Dr. Anna Whitelock (Royal Holloway)    

Neil Oliver