ITV Studios reveals unscripted MIPCOM slate led by 70 Up

Today, ITV Studios unveils its full unscripted slate for MIPCOM bursting with legendary and captivating documentaries and landmark natural history titles, led by the final chapter of the groundbreaking 7 Up series, 70 Up. 

Tom Clark, EVP, Global Sales & Commercial Strategy at ITV Studios, said: “ITV Studios’ MIPCOM unscripted slate showcases the very best in factual programming and world-class storytelling, bringing together ambitious landmark documentaries and boundary-pushing natural history titles. From the monumental culmination of the iconic 70 Up to breathtaking polar exploration in Ages of Ice and gripping true stories with Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story, this exceptional lineup of extraordinary creative talent and powerful narratives will captivate our partners’ audiences around the world.”

Headlining the unscripted slate is the final installment of what many describe as the greatest documentary series of all time: 70 Up (2x90, produced by MultiStory Media for ITV). 7 Up - 70 Up is the very best of documentary filmmaking — the most ambitious, groundbreaking idea that has become the definitive documentary of a generation. As the longest-running documentary ever made, it is a truly extraordinary project following the lives of 14 ordinary people. The legendary 7 Up series has been broadcast in 157 countries including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Australia, and France.

70 Up marks the culmination of this monumental television journey across seven decades. Building on the forensic questioning of the late Director Michael Apted, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia steps in to close the circle on a series he has long admired, capturing a lifetime from childhood through careers, marriage, parenting, and beyond.

From Plimsoll Studios, comes the landmark natural history series World's Wildest Cities (6x60, for ITV), offering audiences an exploration of the world around us. The series follows a variety of urban animal characters, to uncover the challenges of living alongside the human race. Each episode has a new cast of animals and focuses on one city: Rio de Janeiro, New York, Melbourne, Singapore and London, with the final episode revealing how the series was so intricately made, and the science behind the stories.

Another title looking at the changing world around us, Ages of Ice (3x60, produced by Northern Pictures for PBS and ABC Australia), narrated by acclaimed actor David Tennant, follows the brave scientists pushing the boundaries of exploration and human endeavour in Earth’s coldest corners to understand the changes of ice and what this means for our planet’s future. In the unforgiving grip of our planet’s polar regions, the series will follow these modern-day explorers as they try to understand how the fate of every place and every creature on our planet is tied to these frozen extremes.

New to the slate from Wonderhood Studios is a visionary documentary series Jesus Christ: The Man, The Mystery (4x60, for BBC), which draws on the latest historical research, archaeological discoveries, technological innovation and expert testimony.

This four-part series will expand and sharpen our understanding of one the most influential people in history, bringing Jesus’ story to the screen in visceral, intimate detail; drawing on the testimony recorded in the Gospel accounts, and elsewhere, to understand the world he inhabited and the foundations of the movement he inspired.

And finally, from Curious Films, Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story (2x60, for Channel 4) has all the ingredients of an espionage thriller, but is a remarkable true story, with access to people caught up in the Russian spy network as well as FBI operatives and former Russian insiders. 

In 2010, 11 deep-cover Russian spies were arrested across the United States, sending shockwaves around the globe. At the centre of it all was Anna Chapman (née Kushchenko) — the femme fatale turned media sensation. But before she became the face of the spy ring, she was recruited, trained, and indoctrinated in the UK. The series reveals how the actions of a few would trigger seismic, long-lasting, and deadly consequences.

 

 

LC