BBC One has unveiled a wealth of new commissions across factual and entertainment, including documentaries on the Grenfell Tower fire and the Stephen Lawrence murder, a season on obesity and a new game show titled The Button.
The announcements were made by BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore during her Meet the Controller session at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. As TVWise previously reported, Moore also announced a trio of new drama commissions – The Barking Murders, The Victim and The Cry.
“The new commissions I’m announcing today are examples of the range and ambition audiences can expect from the channel going forward as we continue to challenge what mainstream television can do and connect with a diverse modern Britain”, she said.
“BBC One will take viewers behind the headlines with Grenfell and The Stephen Lawrence Story – both powerful documentaries from award winning directors about two of the most important stories of our time. BBC One will take on obesity in a new season of programmes that will tackle one of the UK’s fastest growing epidemics. Innovation with our new Entertainment format The Button and BBC One goes global with Marigold On Tour.”
Full Details Of The New Commissions Follow Below:
Grenfell
A one-off documentary, Grenfell will tell the powerful human stories of the Grenfell Tower fire, relying on testimonies from people who were directly affected by the most devastating tower block fire in British history. It will not only remember those who were lost, but also hear from those who survived and those who have been involved in the relief efforts – as well as the emergency services and others who were in positions of responsibility before, during and after the fire. Producers were in the area around Grenfell Tower in the immediate aftermath of the fire, documenting scenes as the community reacted to events.
The team will continue to film over the next few months, they will go beyond the headlines and spend a significant amount of time with residents. Grenfell also aims to reflect the part social media played in distributing information about the fire and will draw on the vast archive of footage shared on social media to create a rich tapestry of voices from the community. Minnow Films is producing the documentary, which will be directed by Ben Anthony. The executive producer is Morgan Matthews and the Commissioning Editor is Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, BBC Documentaries.
The Stephen Lawrence Story
The Stephen Lawrence Story is being described as a three-part landmark documentary series from James Gay-Rees and Asif Kapadia that will examine one of the most famous cases of 20th century Britain: the murder of 18 year old black student, Stephen Lawrence by a group of white teenage boys. What followed was one of the longest, most complex and mishandled murder investigations in Metropolitan Police history allowing the suspected killers to evade justice for almost 20 years.
The series will explore the determination of Stephen’s parents, Doreen and Neville, whose pursuit not only ultimately led to the real killers being brought to justice, but also the MacPherson Report and a partial repeal of the laws on double jeopardy. Producers have secured unprecedented access to tell their story and will be looking at every aspect of the case including the subsequent inquiries, pulling it into one complete timeline.
“My son Stephen was brutally taken from my family nearly 25 years ago. This documentary will be the definitive narrative of the events of the past quarter of a century – a full, frank and comprehensive drawing together of the story that has shaped the lives of both my family and myself since that fateful April night”, said Baroness Lawrence. “But in addition to that, it is my story – that of a parent’s loss of a child, a sibling taken in unimaginable circumstances from his brother and sister and our family’s fight for justice against the odds and the system that we always believed was there to help and protect us all without the evil of racism. With every story comes an end and this final BBC documentary in conjunction with the On The Corner team will be my final public word on the events. Whilst Stephen will always travel with us, a new journey is ahead for us all…”
Obesity Season
BBC One has set a new season of programmes about obesity, which has become an epidemic; with numbers more than trebling in the last 30 years resulting in the highest level of obesity in Western Europe. Thus far three programmers have been commissioned for said season: Crash Diet Revolution, which aims to get to the bottom of recent research papers suggesting crash dieting is in fact the most effective answer to the obesity crisis; The Truth About Obesity, in which Chris Bavin aims to get to the bottom of the crisis by exploring what obesity is, what happens to our bodies when we are, as well as the most effective and up-to-date solutions available; and the final, as yet untitled show, is a three-parter fronted by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will aim to discover how the obesity crisis has come about and what we can do to help put the brakes on the problem.
The Button
The Button is a new gameshow which will visit five families or friends each week and place a talking button at the heart of their front room where the teams face spontaneous challenges against the clock to win a cash prize. The teams must keep a beady eye on the button which turns from green to red when it’s time to play. They miss it at their peril as it’s a race against the clock to hit the button and start the game. The Button delivers the task they must complete in the quickest time, interacts with them, and also reveals their rival teams on screen and the results.
BBC One has ordered eight episodes for the show’s first season, which hails from Avalon Television (Taskmaster). The Button was commissioned by BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore and the BBC’s Controller of Entertainment Kate Phillips. The executive producers are Andy Devonshire, Alex Horne, Richard Allen Turner and Jon Thoday. “This new show absolutely pushes all the right buttons for us”, Kate Phillips said. “It’s a funny, frantic, competitive romp and a great snapshot of family life across the UK.”
Marigold On Tour
In this special edition of The Real Marigold Hotel, stars of the series will head to and explore Cuba, Thailand and China. The four-part series was commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. The executive producers are Andrew Mackenzie, David Clews and Nic Patten. The series forms part of the Rose D’Or, Grierson and Broadcast award winning Real Marigold Hotel brand which will return to BBC One for a third series.
