New Sky series Hotspots: behind the scenes in the world’s most dangerous places

Monday 11 December 2017

A new series taking viewers on a unique journey to the frontline of news reporting will launch on Sky Atlantic and Sky News on 11 December.

The one-hour episodes, fronted by award-winning Sky News war-zone journalists Stuart Ramsay and Alex Crawford, will illustrate the dangers, complexities and emotions of reporting from troubled spots around the world.

In the first episode, Hotspots takes the viewer to danger zones on four continents.

Alex Crawford is in Raqqa, with roving reports from the frontline of the battle between ISIS and a coalition group of Arabs and Kurds, brought together in a fight to retake the city. US correspondent Hannah Thomas Peter is in the deep American south, identifying victims of sex trafficking, with women and children sold into the sex trade.

In Bangladesh, deeply moving accounts from Myanmar and Bangladesh about the horrors facing the Rohingya refugees.

And in Venezuela, Stuart Ramsay and his production team are caught in the cross-fire as police try to suppress an uprising in Caracas.

The show uses footage captured by producers, camera crews and reporters, as they recount what it’s like to work in these incredibly unpredictable environments.

John Ryley, Head of Sky News said “Every day, Sky News provides ground-breaking coverage from some of the world’s most complex and dangerous areas. Hotspots is a chance to see how news is gathered and the challenges of living and working in such places. Journalists, not just at Sky News, take huge risks to bring breaking news stories from around the world and this new series demonstrates the challenges and commitment they face – bringing viewers the unseen story behind the story.”

Sky News Chief Correspondent, Stuart Ramsay, said “Hotspots delves deeper into the stories that shaped this year’s news coverage and provides viewers with an insight into how we moved to cover them. At times, reporting can be extremely dangerous but it’s an experience that provides extraordinary TV.”

Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford added “The role of journalists is more important now than it’s ever been. Hotspots demonstrates the rigours of news reporting and the commitment to telling the real story in an era of perceived fake news.”

The launch of Hotspots further demonstrates Sky’s commitment to offering customers a unique mix of the best international and local programmes. In the next 12 months, Sky will bring customers over 50 original series to enjoy ranging from award-winning dramas and documentaries to comedy thrillers.


For further information, please contact:

Sky News PR

020 7032 1445


About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 22.5 million customers across seven countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The company has annual revenues of £12.9 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with annual programming spend of over £6 billion.

From exclusive partnerships with HBO and Showtime, to Sky Original Productions, Sky offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit each and every customer. Whether that’s through the multi-award winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky’s contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like. This is all supported by Sky’s best in class customer service.

Sky’s success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Named as one of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one of the world’s most recognised rankings of business’s environmental performance, Sky ensures its responsible business strategy is embedded right across the group.

Sky has over 31,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).