Industry

Magnify Media, the UK-based distribution and entertainment rights-management specialist, has closed its first format sale for BBC Scotland’s quirky car-based game show, Test Drive . Under the license agreement with Endemol Shine’s production company YAM 112003, RTI Mediaset will air an 8 x 30 mins version of the show in January 2020.

The Italian version of the Bandicoot original format is to be named NCC - Navigazione Con Conduttore and also represents the first international format sale for any BBC Scotland show.

The original version and first series of Test Drive premiered in February on BBC Scotland with the second series currently airing on BBC One Scotland, gaining an average 10% share. Fronted by Scottish wrestler Grado, the series was produced by Argonon-backed Bandicoot following a two-season order from BBC commissioning editor Jo Street.

The show sees three teams of two embark on a road trip through some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery en route to a mystery destination. The hook is that the teams must answer questions via a specially adapted satnav. The right answer will see them directed to a well-known tourist attraction via the shortest route; a wrong answer will add miles to their trip. The winners are the team with the lowest mileage on the clock.

Andrea Jackson, CEO of Magnify Media, said: “Test Drive is a fresh and funny take on the game-show format — and it’s also the perfect show for any country that has great landscapes to share, which is true of both Scotland and Italy. I’m optimistic that NCC - Navigazione con Conduttore will be the first of many local versions on Test Drive’s road trip to success.”

Bandicoot co-founders Derek McLean and Daniel Nettleton added: ‘we are very proud that our distinctively Scottish format has made its first international road trip to Italy. We always suspected that watching real people being themselves in cars would have global appeal and we hope NCC will be the first of many such journeys.’