Commissioning News
C4 follow-up gives Brit teens taste of Amish life
BY BALIHAR KHALSA
The Amish community of Ohio will take in British teenagers for a Channel 4 follow-up to last year’s Amish: World’s Squarest Teenagers. Keo Films, which also made the
original series, is now producing Living With The Amish, in which eight teenagers from a broad range of backgrounds are sent to live with the Amish community for six weeks. C4 claims that no Amish com-
munity has ever offered to carry out an ‘Amish detox’ of this nature, and said the families taking part hope to show the advantages of their way of life. The teens will forego their
typical teenage comforts in favour of entertainment such as blanket- stitching and making wooden toys. They will also wear dungarees and conservative Amish hats, pray with their hosts and be tasked with building a barn. The teenagers will have no
access to social networks, mobile phones and games consoles, and will also have to get used to gas lamps, horses and carts, and manual labour.
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To find out who’s ordered what this week, visit Broadcast’s new-look online service Greenlight at
http://greenlight.broadcastnow.co.uk
Richard Bacon’s Beer & Pizza Club (series 2) Broadcaster ITV4 Production company Talkback Thames Executive producer Leon Wilson Commissioner Claire Zolkwer Length 10 x 45 minutes TX TBC
True Stories: After The
Apocalypse Broadcaster More 4 Production companies Tigerlily Films/ Dartmouth Films Executive producer Christopher Hird Commissioner Anna Miralis Length TBC TX 19 July
Amish: World’s Squarest Teenagers: 2.4 million saw first exchange show C4 head of documentaries
Hamish Mykura, who ordered the series, said: “This unique cultural exchange will show what impact a more back-to-basics life will have on today’s British teens. We’ll also be able to see inside the usually private Amish community.” Keo Films creative director
Andrew Palmer is one of the exec producers. He said the Amish are a “notoriously reclusive commu- nity” and “the first cultural
exchange of its kind promises both entertaining and insightful, pro- vocative television”. The series is expected to be 6 x
60 minutes, but its run is yet to be finalised. C4’s Amish: World’s Squarest
Teenagers saw four Amish teen- agers experience typical teenage life within British families. The four-part series averaged a 2.36 million (9.27%) consolidated audi- ence across its run last year.
Hidden Heritage Broadcaster BBC1 Production company Reef Television Executive producers Richard Farmbrough and James Hayes Commissioner Mark Bell Length 3 x 60 minutes TX Autumn 2011
Visit
http://greenlight.broadcastnow.co.uk History of musicals takes centre stage for BBC4 BY ALEX FARBER
BBC4 has commissioned Twofour to make a 3 x 60-minute series on the history of the musical in Lon- don’s West End. The Rise Of The British Musical
will trace the art form’s UK origins after World War II, and how the West End grew to rival New York’s Broadway. The series will feature songs
and performances from top shows, along with interviews with choreographers, directors, performers and producers who have contributed to the success of the British genre. Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables and Oliver will all feature.
12 | Broadcast | 1 July 2011 Mamma Mia!: musical featuring Abba hits set to feature in BBC4 series The Rise Of The British Musical
was ordered by BBC entertain- ment commissioner Suzanne Gil- fillan and is being exec produced by Twofour head of factual enter- tainment Juliet Rice.
Rice said the story of the British
musical deserved to be told. “Musi- cals have played such a massive role in popular culture and hearing first-hand from its brightest stars is utterly compelling,” she said.
culture Juliet Rice, Twofour
such a massive role in popular
Musicals have played
Twofour series producer
Stephen Franklin added that the series would uncover the tenacity of those who work in the business. “It’s an extraordinary story of an
interconnected group of creative people taking on the might of Broadway and, in many cases, the derision of the critics,” he said. The Rise Of The British Musical
will air in 2012.
www.broadcastnow.co.uk
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