Friday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Friday, 3.05pm: Tiger Aspect’s Lucy Bedford to exit 

Tiger Aspect is to become a dedicated comedy label after managing director Lucy Bedford decided to step away from the business to launch a boutique drama label.  

In a staff memo seen by Broadcast, Banijay UK chief Patrick Holland said Bedford’s decision initiated a “careful review” of the business that has resulted in the decision that Tiger Aspect will be “focused squarely on its scripted comedy roots”.  

“We feel that in a crowded scripted market there is opportunity here,” Holland wrote. Read more

Friday, 2.19pm: Sky History preps ancient Egypt and aliens show

Sky History in the UK has ordered a three-part show following UK comedian Bradley Walsh as he visits the monuments of ancient Egypt to ask whether aliens might have been involved in their construction.

Bradley Walsh: Egypt’s Cosmic Code will be produced by Studio Crook and GroupM Motion Entertainment.

The Blankety Blank host has a long-time interest in engineering and the pyramids and a fascination with the idea that the construction feats may have been done with some extraterrestrial influence.

Friday, 1.30pm: BBC productions ‘stuck in funding limbo’

The UK’s BBC has sounded the alarm over several of its commissions that are “stuck in funding limbo” and therefore unable to progress to production.

The corporation used a submission of evidence to the culture, media and sport committee’s British film and high-end TV 2 (HETV) inquiry to urge government action.

It is “increasingly difficult” to make the same volume of content against “headwinds” including high inflation combined with a smaller licence fee, reduced co-investment and a difficult global sales market, stated the BBC’s evidence. Read more

Friday, 1.20pm: Iceland’s Síminn lands Glassriver Manifesto

Icelandic broadcaster Síminn has picked up crime thriller series Manifesto, which is in development with local production outfit Glassriver.

Wild Bunch TV has also acquired global rights to the six-part series, which is based on true events exploring the aftermath of a terrorist attack in Iceland in which an aspiring police officer must prove her friends’ innocence. 

The show has been selected for the TV Drama Vision at Göteborg Film Festival and is written by Iceland-based journalist and screenwriter Urður Egilsdóttir. 

Glassriver’s scripted slate includes recently optioned titles Elma from Eva Björg Ægisdottir and Reykjavik Noir from author Lilja Sigurdardottir, which are being adapted for screen. Glassriver has also wrapped production on its coproduction with Portugal’s SPi titled Cold Haven, and has had season 2 of Black Sands release at the end of 2024.

Friday, 12.29pm: Wild Child rejigs with Ferguson hire  

Wild Child Animation in Scotland has promoted head of production Anthony Eliot-Finch and hired Hannah Ferguson to take on his former remit.

Eliot-Finch is taking the newly created head of business development role at the animation firm and will work closely with CEO Sueann Rochester on strategy, overseeing project bidding and working across both long and short-form.

Ferguson becomes the company’s new head of production and joins having worked on 2D, 3D, stop-motion, and mixed-media projects for Apple TV, Disney, NBC/Universal, and Nickelodeon.

She will oversee all aspects of production at Wild Child, which is behind shows including Toad & Friends (Warner Bros Discovery) and Piri Penguins (BBC).

Friday, 10.14am: Disney+ taps former Netflix EMEA business chief

Disney+ has recruited former Netflix business and legal affairs head Deepti Burton as vice president of business and legal affairs for EMEA.

Having left the rival streamer last year, Burton will focus on local productions in the UK and in key markets across Europe for Disney+.

She will report to Diego Londono, executive vice president, media networks and content EMEA, and Nikki Keat, chief regional counsel for EMEA. Read more

Friday, 9.35am: Lifetime returns for Liz Wise Lyall  

Liz Wise Lyall is returning to US cablenet Lifetime as its senior vice president of scripted programming and development.

Lyall will lead scripted co-productions and film production strategy at the A+E Networks-owned channel, with a remit across film development and acquisitions.

She previously spent more than a decade at The CW overseeing current programming and international co-productions, having worked at Lifetime as a manager towards the start of her career.

Friday, 9.24am: Fox returns to The 1% Club without Prime Video

The US is heading back for more of The 1% Club after Fox recommissioned the UK-originated gameshow for a second series. 

The BBC Studios LA and Magnum Media-produced series will return exclusively on the broadcast network with original co-commissioning partner Prime Video not involved with the second run. Read more

Friday, 9.01am: Talpa Studios confirms MIP LONDON date

Talpa Studios is to stage two exclusive showcases at the inaugural five-day MIP London next month, including a session on new talent format The Headliner.

Both half-hour sessions will be staged on Monday 24th February at the IET London on Savoy Place as part of an unscripted focus running from Sunday to Tuesday that includes MIP Formats and MIP Doc London editions.

MIP London organiserrs RX France said that over 1400 delegates from more than 70 countries had now registered for MIP London, including over 700 buyers. The event runs during the London TV Screenings week of events from 23 to 27 February.