A winning lot for STV Productions

RNS Number : 9873A

STV Group PLC

27 January 2020

 

A WINNING LOT FOR STV PRODUCTIONS

Daytime Antiques series back on the road with largest ever order from BBC

STV Productions has secured a significant order for its hit series, Antiques Road Trip and its celebrity sister series, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, from the BBC. 

Four new series of the popular long running show have been confirmed for BBC One, along with two series of the celebrity version, for BBC Two, making this the largest ever order of the two series for the independent production company.  

The six new series - 140 episodes in total - will air over the next two years.

This commission marks the production of series 21 - 24 of Antiques Road Trip (100 x 45'), which will follow the country's top antiques experts as they return for a scenic road trip across the UK, seeking out quirky and valuable antiques to auction off for profit, all in aid of Children in Need.

The tenth and eleventh series of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (40 x 60') will feature a new line-up of hopeful celebs turned antique hunters, all under the watchful eye of the show's regular experts.  Previous series have featured a host of famous faces, including Jennifer Saunders, Russell Kane, Ricky Tomlinson, Kelly Brook, Al Murray, Denise Van Outen, Tom Conti, Judy Murray, Emeli Sandé, Helen Flanagan, Charles Dance and Mariella Frostrup.

The long-running series has delighted viewers with several extraordinary finds, including a rare camera found in 2017 by Scottish antiques expert Paul Laidlaw and sold at auction for £20,000 - making a £19,940 profit.

The 2019 series of Antiques Road Trip reached 18m people in the UK on BBC1, with series 19 delivering an audience that was 37% up on the slot average.  Celebrity Antiques Road Trip is a top 20 show for BBC2, with an average audience of over 1.5m.*

The new episodes were commissioned by Carla-Maria Lawson, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak.  The Commissioning Editor is Muslim Alim, Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime.

Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Carla-Maria Lawson said: "Antiques Road Trip and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip are appointment to view TV, so I'm over the moon we can bring viewers this bumper haul of new episodes to BBC One and Two."

David Mortimer, Managing Director of STV Productions, said: "Antiques Road Trip and its celebrity sister series perform incredibly well for the BBC and we're thrilled to have secured a 140 episode deal over two years. As we continue with our growth strategy to establish STV Productions as a major player in the independent production sector, this significant commission for two returning series that never fail to deliver ratings, is fantastic news.  We can't wait to get our teams back on the road!"

Craig Hunter, Creative Director, Factual at STV Productions, added: "I'm delighted by the BBC's commitment to this long running and much loved brand. It gives us the opportunity to develop new talent both on and off screen - vital for the creative industry in Scotland. Antique's Road Trip and Celebrity Antique's Road Trip are the engine room to our production company and I'm thrilled to be leading them into this next phase of their production life cycle."

The commission follows the recent appointment of leading creative talent, Craig Hunter, as Creative Director, Factual, for STV Productions, who is focused on bolstering the factual team and delivering high performing productions from Scotland for UK and international broadcasters. As such, he has made two high profile appointments to his growing team.

John Redshaw has been appointed Executive Producer, Daytime for STV Productions and will oversee the new 140 episode commission. A series producer with a wealth of experience, John has worked with major broadcasters on a raft of successful series including a blue-light, quiz and popular-factual programmes for BBC daytime.  Most recent Series Producer credits are for 180 episodes of the award winning Antiques Road Trip and over 80 of its sister celebrity series. He also has held senior roles on Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, The Only Way is Essex and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Craig has also appointed Lucy Hazzard as Director of Development.   Previously Head of Factual Development at Two Rivers Media, Lucy oversaw the growth of their documentary slate.  Before relocating to Scotland, Lucy worked at Dragonfly West producing long-form Channel 4 series One Born Every Minute and Inside Birmingham Children's Hospital. Previously she was based in London working on singles and series, in production and development, with award-winning indies such as The Garden (The Midwives), Rare Day (Big Ballet), Maverick (The Model Agency), Love Productions (Wonderland: A Dad is Born) and Minnow Films, where she began her career.

John and Lucy join the Executive Producer for Documentaries, Rosy Marshall-McCrae who heads up their documentaries slate.

David Mortimer added: "Lucy and John are two fantastic appointments to our growing Factual team, under the leadership of the brilliant creative talent, Craig Hunter. This is a hugely exciting time for STV Productions and we continue to attract some of the best talent in the industry to our growing team."

ENDS

For further information, please contact the STV press office:

Kirstin Stevenson at [e-mail] or call 0141 300 3886

Notes to editors

*BARB October 2019

About STV Productions

STV Productions is one of the UK's leading content businesses and is Scotland's biggest indie. Led by award-winning executive David Mortimer, the company has an impressive track-record of success across drama, entertainment and factual, with commissions spanning BBC One and Two, ITV, Channel 4, BBC Scotland, VH1/MTV and Sky One.

Productions include 20 series of Antiques Road Trip and nine series of sister programme, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip for BBC; six series of Catchphrase and four of Celebrity Catchphrase for ITV; and Sex Tape, a four-part relationship series for Channel 4.  Critically acclaimed thriller The Victim for BBC One was watched by more than 7.2m.  Adding to their impressive drama slate, the drama team has recently delivered Elizabeth is Missing, featuring two time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson, for BBC One.  Factual commissions include Britain's Polar Bear Cub for Channel 4, two series of Prison: First & Last 24 Hours for Sky One, RossKemp BehindBars - Inside Barlinnie for ITV and Fire in the Night, an award winning feature documentary to mark the 25thanniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster.

STV recently acquired a majority stake in award-winning unscripted producer Primal Media, with recent productions including documentaries Home Free for Channel 4 and Jerk for BBC Three.

 

END

 

 

NRAGCGDBBBDDGGR