Format

Unscripted highlights include Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher, the BBC feature doc from multi-award-winning indie Keo Films in association with Walk on Air, which revisits the Brighton bombing of 1984. A gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing the UK Prime Minister and her cabinet, the 90-minute film also features a revealing interview with Patrick Magee, the man who planted the bomb. Other unscripted highlights include BBC Two’s Communion Stories, from Walk on Air Films, which examines one of the most important rituals in the Roman Catholic church —every year thousands of children across the United Kingdom take their First Holy Communion, a milestone occasion that some fear is becoming less about the ceremony and more about the celebration, with huge sums of money now spent on dresses, parties and cakes.

Talent and lifestyle are on display in the shape of two new James May-fronted series, both produced by Plum Pictures. The first — James May and the Dull Men (8 x 60 mins) for Quest — follows the former Top Gear presenter as he teams up with the Dull Men’s Facebook group to solve a series of pressing problems, such as why your washing machine can’t double as a cooker to allow you to make a curry while washing your whites. In Channel 5’s The Great Explorers with James May, meanwhile, the presenter sets out to retrace the legendary voyages of Columbus, Raleigh and Cook.

Also headlining HTI’s lifestyle roster are two George Clarke-fronted series from Plum Pictures, both for Channel 4. In Kitchens v Gardens, the TV architect brings his expertise and creativity to bear on helping people to rework their kitchen and garden spaces. Later this year, Channel 4 will roll out the 13th season of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, in which Clarke travels the country as well as a visit to Portugal, looking for amazing and inspiring micro-builds.

Meanwhile, interest is building in the return of Outnumbered, described by BBC director of comedy Jon Petrie as “one of crown jewels of British sitcoms”. Hat Trick Productions’ award-winning comedy about the Brockman family, heads back to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas in the form of a one-off special. Written and directed by the show’s creators, Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, the 40-minute show reunites the stars of the much-loved original series — Hugh Dennis (Pete Brockman), Claire Skinner (Sue), Tyger Drew-Honey (Jake), Daniel Roche (Ben) and Ramona Marquez (Karen) — in a chaotic festive romp, as parents Pete and Sue attempt to host a traditional Christmas for their grown-up offspring. Unfortunately, fate, neighbours, hyenas and bus-replacement services have other ideas.

Outnumbered ran for five series between 2007 to 2014. The most recent episode was a Christmas special in 2016. While the show was scripted, the scenes featuring the children were semi-improvised.

HTI’s evergreen formats and comedies continue to be in demand, with new deals rolling in for the first US version of Hat Trick Productions’ long-running BBC series Have I Got News for You?. The US series, which is currently airing on CNN, has already been sold to the BBC and SBS Australia.

Sarah Tong, director of sales at Hat Trick International, said: “We’re fortunate that our family of creative partners includes some of the most talented producers in the UK, if not the world. Added to that, our classic in house-produced shows not only continue to delight audiences but lend themselves to fresh and exciting brand extensions and local adaptations, as is demonstrated by the Outnumbered Christmas Special and HIGNFY’s successful US debut. With the surplus of content out there in the market, arriving at MIPCOM with a suitcase full of new shows is no longer enough. Those shows have got to be exceptional — and I believe our MIPCOM 24 slate delivers exactly that.”