BBC Drama and Factual Titles Head to TVNZ
The conclusion of a major content deal between BBC Worldwide Australasia and TVNZ will see a significant package of
drama, natural history and factual titles air on both TV ONE and TV2 in 2007.
Led by spectacular new dramas Torchwood and Primeval, and natural history series Galapagos, the agreement will provide
the national broadcaster with more than 40 hours of prime content from the BBC Worldwide slate.
Primeval (6 x 50’) is an Impossible Pictures production for ITV, ProSieben and M6, and is made by the creators of
Walking with Dinosaurs. When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) discovers prehistoric creatures alive
and well in present-day Britain, the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very
existence.
Torchwood (13 x 50’) follows the adventures of a young team of alien investigators, led by the mysterious Captain Jack
Harkness (John Barrowman). Set in present-day Cardiff, they use scavenged alien technology to solve crime, both
extra-terrestrial and human. They are separate from the government; outside the police; beyond the United Nations.
Produced in association with Canada’s CBC, the first episode of Torchwood achieved the highest ever non-sport ratings on
a UK digital channel.
A 3 x 50’ series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit and National Geographic, Galapagos is presented in a pioneering new
visual style and is filmed entirely in High Definition. Combined with stunning cinematography, it examines the
magnificent diversity of wildlife and evokes the varying characters of the islands.
Also in the deal is the most recent offering from one of Britain’s leading cultural commentators. Simon Schama’s The
Power of Art (8 x 50’) focuses on eight iconic works of art, such as van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows and Picasso’s
Guernica, and explores the history of visual imagination through the ages.
Ancient Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 6 x 50’ BBC co-production with ZDF and the Discovery Channel. This
dramatised documentary series tells the story of Ancient Rome through six key turning points.
The Innocence Project (8 x 50’) is a new drama from Paul Abbott’s Tightrope North productions, for the BBC and BBC
America. Law professor John Ford (Lloyd Owen, Monarch of the Glen) and his students take on cases of possible unsafe
conviction and attempt to gather new evidence.
“There is a huge demand for quality British content in New Zealand” said Melanie Owen, BBC Worldwide’s Sales Manager,
NZ. “This is a fantastic selection of programming and we can’t wait until it’s on air on TVNZ.”
“Torchwood and Primeval are both groundbreaking, action-packed shows representing a new direction in UK drama that is
ideally suited to the innovative and exciting channel offering of TV2” commented Lisa Clements, Vice President,
Programme Acquisitions, at TVNZ. “I am also pleased to have acquired Galapagos, a real programming milestone in its
cinematic treatment of the natural history genre. This visually stunning factual series is a perfect fit with the
environment of TV ONE.”
ENDS