Sky continues investment in UK production with more emphasis on comedy and drama for Sky 1 HD

Sky today (Friday 22 June, 2012) announced a series of new comedy and drama commissions for Sky 1 HD. Unveiling the channels autumn schedule, Director Entertainment Channels, Stuart Murphy, commented: “Our focus is on delivering shows that our customers feel really, really close to and can utterly fall in love with. With today’s announcements and our best autumn season yet, we’re sure to not only keep our customers happy, but to give everyone else a reason to think about getting Sky.”

The latest commissions are 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.  

The brand new commissions for Sky 1 HD include:

Drama:

Commissioned by Anne Mensah, Head of Drama, Sky

THE SMOKE (8 x 60’). THE SMOKE, from Kudos Film and TV and written and created by Lucy Kirkwood (Skins), follows the adrenaline fuelled and gut-wrenchingly emotional stories of the White Watch crew of a London fire station. At the heart of the story is a family of firemen and women who, no matter what, always have each other to fall back on. But being a hero isn’t easy, especially in a world that regularly disregards them, and it certainly doesn’t pay. The stakes are high but, in THE SMOKE, it’s the very lives and souls of the crew that are at risk. The series will be exec produced by Jane Featherstone and Noelle Morris for Kudos Film and TV, and Anne Mensah for Sky.

MOONFLEET (2 x 60’). MOONFLEET is a new family drama set to transmit on Sky 1 HD in 2013. The two part adaptation of the classic John Meade Falkner story will be produced by the award-winning Company Pictures. The script has been written by Ashley Pharoah (Life On Mars, Ashes to Ashes).MOONFLEET will be Executive Produced by Huw Kennair-Jones for Sky and Charlie Pattinson, Claire Ingham, Ashley Pharoah and Patrick Spence for Company Pictures. The programme is directed by Daniel Percival (Strike Back, Waking the Dead) and produced by Andrew Benson.

Comedy:

Commissioned by Lucy Lumsden, Head of Comedy, Sky

MOONE BOY Season 2 (6 x 30’). Chris O’Dowd’s MOONE BOY, the first series of which launches this autumn, has also been greenlit for a second run. Set in a small town in Ireland in 1989 it follows the antics of the youngest member of the Moone family, 11 year old Martin Moone (David Rawle). Martin has a unique perspective on life aided by an imaginary friend, Sean Murphy (Chris O'Dowd). Martin's imagination comes into play both in his childish drawings, which come alive through animation, and in the ridiculous schemes he comes up with, against Sean's better judgement. With Sean's help, Martin negotiates life as the youngest in a chaotic, scatter-brained family.A joint venture between Baby Cow, Sprout Films, Hot Cod Productions and Grand Pictures, MOONE BOY is co-written by Chris O’Dowd and Nick Vincent Murphy. The series is directed by Declan Lowney (Little Britain, Father Ted, Help, Happiness, Cold Feet) and produced by Ted Dowd (Gavin & Stacey, Nighty Night, Saxondale). Executive Producers are Henry Normal, Gina Carter, Paul Donovan and Chris O'Dowd.

A TOUCH OF CLOTH Season 2 and 3 (2 x 60’ and 2 x 60’). Viewers can also look forward to a further two more cases for DCI Jack Cloth to solve as Charlie Brooker’s A TOUCH OF CLOTH will return. The first in the trilogy is set to launch this August and the second 2 x 60 series has commenced filming and is scheduled to be broadcast next year with a further 1 x 120 feature-length film to follow. John Hannah and Suranne Jones will resume their roles as DCI Jack Cloth and DC Anne Oldman respectively. An all-encompassing parody of every police procedural ever written, A TOUCH OF CLOTH also stars Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adrian Bower, Navin Chowdhry and Daisy Beaumont with guest stars Stephen Dillane and Anna Chancellor. A TOUCH OF CLOTH is a Zeppotron production, executive produced by Annabel Jones and Charlie Brooker, directed by Jim O’Hanlon (House of Saddam, Emma), and produced by Adam Tandy (The Thick of It, Come Fly With Me).

STARLINGS Season 2 (8 x 60’). STARLINGS, a comedy drama written by and starring Matt King (Peep Show) and Steve Edge (Star Stories) and executive produced by Baby Cow Productions’ Henry Normal and Steve Coogan and produced by Alison MacPhail (The Mighty Boosh), will return for a second season.  The series follows the lives of the Starling family, a typical working-class brood living in a detached house in Matlock, Derbyshire and stars BAFTA® nominees Brendan Coyle and Lesley Sharp, plus Alan Williams, Finn Atkins, John Dagleish, Rebecca Night and Ukweli Roach. The second series will air on Sky 1 HD in 2013.

LITTLE CRACKERS Season 3. LITTLE CRACKERS will be back for a third series this Christmas and this time each short film will be complemented by 15 minute behind-the-scenes featurettes. The BAFTA®-nominated strandwill feature some of the UK’s most popular actors, writers and comedians in a series of one-off autobiographical tales. Confirmed names include Katy Brand (The Katy Brand Show), Paul O’Grady (The Paul O’Grady Show) Jason Manford (8 Out of 10 Cats), Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey) and Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) who will also direct her film. Further names will be announced this autumn. A variety of production companies will produce the films including Left Bank Pictures, Sprout Pictures, Tiger Aspect and Hillbilly.

Entertainment:

Commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Head of Entertainment, Sky

· DUCK QUACKS DON’T ECHO (1 x 60’). Women blink twice as much as men. The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet. All these amazing facts and many more will be put to the test by a panel of celebrity guests on DUCK QUACKS DON’T ECHO. Four contestants will compete against each other to present their best known fact and prove it’s true using any means possible either in the studio or with a VT. Their fellow panellists will give them marks out of 10 and the winner will be the person with the highest score at the end of the night. DUCK QUACKS DON’T ECHO is a Magnum Media Production and will be exec produced by Andy Auerbach and Dean Nabarro for Magnum Media, and Phil-Edgar Jones and Antonia Hurford-Jones for Sky.

· HELP ME I’M HUMAN (1 X 60’ pilot). HELP ME I’M HUMAN is a smart and candid comedy chat show dedicated to helping us navigate our way through the minefield that is modern life - the mixed signals, indecision, awkwardness and guilt. How do you know if the lady who’s boarded your train is pregnant or just fat? What would you do if your boss requests to be your friend on Facebook? What do you say to that friend who is always fishing for compliments? HELP ME I’M HUMAN will confront these cringeworthy issues head on, owning up to our gaffes and blunders and hopefully coming up with some rules and tips for dealing with them. A team of celebrity guests, a hidden camera team and the audience at home will all put the dilemmas to the test. HELP ME I’M HUMAN is a Hat Trick Production. The pilot will be exec produced by Richard Wilson for Hat Trick and Phil Edgar-Jones and Antonia Hurford-Jones for Sky.

· YOU AND WHOSE ARMY (1 x 60’ pilot)is a unique and ultra-competitive new challenge show that’s all about celebrities and their mates. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Two celebrities lead their teams – hand-picked recruits consisting of friends, family, fellow celebs and unlikely experts – as they compete against each other in a series of nail-biting head to head battles set in a combat arena. Some of the battles will be mental challenges, some will be physical and some will be neither - a Peter Andre lookalike competition, for example. All will be tense, all will be head-to-head and all will be in a giant arena setting. The real key to YOU AND WHOSE ARMYThe pilot will be exec produced by Ruth Phillips, Peter Holmes and Richard Osman for Zeppotron and Phil Edgar-Jones and Antonia Hurford-Jones for Sky. is who’s in your team? YOU AND WHOSE ARMY is a Zeppotron Production.

Factual Entertainment:

Commissioned by Michele Kurland, Head of Factual Entertainment, Sky

· WINNERS (6 x 60’). Sky 1 HD celebrates the UK’s unsung champions in new factual strand, WINNERS, shining the spotlight on perfectionists across the country who take their hobbies to the limit in the pursuit of excellence. From hairdressers and cake decorators to cheerleaders, show-jumpers and brass bands, these compelling documentaries reveal the lengths regular people go to in order to become champions. Three new films – A Cut Above (Storyvault Films), Blown Away (Crocodile Media) and Icing On The Cake (Superhero TV) - join those previously announced – Show Ponies (Smoking Pony) and Cheerleaders (Sharp Jack Media) – with one further film to be announced.

· ASHLEY BANJO’S SECRET STREET CREW (9 x 60’). As part of an exclusive talent deal with Sky, Ashley Banjo returns with an extended run of nine episodes of the acclaimed series as the master of street dance turns the unlikeliest movers into poppin’, lockin’ and body shakin’ stars. Determined to shake off our uptight British reserve, Ashley Banjo will meet people from various walks of life, including firefighters, estate agents, farmers and a youth orchestra, and attempt to transform them into sharp, on-point troupes able to light up the stage. Putting his reputation on the line, Ashley will once again personally choreograph routines for the novice dancers and prepare them for a surprise performance in front of their unwitting friends and family. ASHLEY BANJO’S SECRET STREET CREW is a Princess Production and will be exec produced by Kelly Webb-Lamb for Princess Production and Sadia Butt for Sky.

Factual and Features:

Commissioned by Celia Taylor, Head of Factual and Features, Sky

· ROSS KEMP: INVISIBLE WOUNDED (1 x 60’). ROSS KEMP: INVISIBLE WOUNDED will explore the devastating effects of mental illness on those who have served in the military. With an estimated one in four war veterans suffering from depression, addiction or violent outbursts, Ross speaks to those affected, their families and experts, asking what can be and what is being done to support our service personnel and prevent further suffering. ROSS KEMP: INVISIBLE WOUNDED has been commissioned by Head of Factual Celia Taylor at Sky. The series is Executive Produced by Matt Bennett at Freshwater Films.

· BRIZE NORTON (8 x 60’). BRIZE NORTON is an observational documentary series from Dai4films. The series will embed viewers in the intense, engaging world of one of the biggest and busiest Air Force bases on the planet, which supports all UK military operations around the globe. BRIZE NORTON is the beating heart of the Royal Air Force, bigger than most UK airports. It is the country’s sole military air bridge for vital supplies and personnel to all British Armed Forces around the world. 250,000 passengers flowed through this military Heathrow in 2011, including troops heading out to combat zones, essential military personnel and high-profile visiting heads of state and celebrities. BRIZE NORTON is a small city with its own hotel, fire station, sports clubs, medical centre, postal delivery service and even a nightclub – but run on military lines, populated by a rich choice of characters whose day-to-day schedules provide a rare and fascinating insight into military life. The series was commissioned by Siobhan Mulholland, Commissioning Editor, Factual and will be executive produced by Neil Davies for Dai4films and Siobhan Mulholland for Sky.

Stuart Murphy added: “The pay TV world is a great place to be and the stability that comes with 10 million customers gives us the freedom to take creative risks that allows Sky 1 HD to stand out from the pack. This raft of new commissions sits alongside an increasing number of returning original and acquired series including TROLLIED, AN IDIOT ABROAD: THE SHORT WAY ROUND, MOUNT PLEASANT, SPY, STRIKE BACK, GLEE, MODERN FAMILY, TOUCH, THE MIDDLE and A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN to provide an extremely compelling programming mix.”

For further information please contact

Chris Aylott - Head of PR, Sky 1 HD
T: 020 7032 2893
E: chris.aylott@bskyb.com

Susan Collins - Publicity Manager, Sky 1 HD
T: 020 7032 4243
E: susan.collins@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 1 HD:

Sky 1 HD is the most watched non-terrestrial channel in Sky homes, attracting more than 20m unique viewers every month and, according to the latest tracker results (October – December, 2011), was the third highest valued channel amongst all Sky subscribers behind only BBC1 and ITV1.

Sky 1 HD distinguishes itself from rival networks with original drama and comedy, talked about entertainment formats, distinctive factual programming and award-winning exclusive US drama