BBC unveils new science slate

The BBC has unveiled a raft of new science commissions for BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4 with orders for The Garden, Wonder, BBC Studios, Plum Pictures and Red Sky Productions

Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History, announced the slate including Five Star Renovation: Inside The Luxury Hotel; Planespotting Live; Living With Dementia, a long term study in to the effects of dementia on patients and their families; Climategate, which uncovers the truth behind one of the biggest scandals in modern science; The Unshockable Dr Ronx, in which the NHS doctor will take health advice out onto the streets; Last Chance Clinic with Dr Michael Mosley; and a new film for BBC Two’s Horizon -Childhood, which continues the story of the children featured in the BBC’s documentary series Child Of Our Time.

Tom McDonald said: “These titles show our continued commitment to delivering science in a huge variety of forms and on an increasingly broad set of subjects. There is no other British broadcaster as committed to the genre – and after the recent success of Surgeons: At The Edge Of Life and The Planets to name just a few titles, science at the BBC feels increasingly vibrant and exciting.

"We’re committed to bringing the most timely and important subjects to our audience – from climate change to dementia; and bringing surprising forms to familiar subjects with our live BBC Four strip Planespotting Live and the film Childhood which uses 20 years of archive to deliver a fitting end to the Child Of Our Time story."

Five Star Renovation: Inside The Luxury Hotel (w/t) for BBC Two is a new three part series following the creation of a five storey basement underneath and new rooms and penthouses above the world famous Mayfair hotel, Claridge’s. It is produced by The Garden, part of ITV Studios, who previously produced the Inside Claridge’s. The Executive Producers for The Garden are Ninder Billing, Lucy Bowden and Emma Tutty. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History and Patrick Holland, Controller BBC Two. The Commissioning Editor is Jack Bootle.

Living With Dementia (w/t) for BBC Two was filmed over the course of two years and will follow up to six people with dementia at different stages of the condition, to capture a candid insight into what it is like for them and the people around them. Living With Dementia (w/t, 2×60′) for BBC Two, is made by Wonder. The Executive Producer for Wonder is Alexandra Fraser. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History and Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two. The Commissioning Editor is Abigail Priddle.

Last Chance Clinic (w/t) for BBC Two is a three-part series presented by Michael Mosley and produced by Dragonfly TV. It will see a team of 12 experts using their collective knowledge to try and transform the lives of people who have suffered, sometimes for years, without a successful diagnosis. Executive Producers for Dragonfly TV is Ros Ponder. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Specialist Factual and Natural History Commissioning and Patrick Holland, Controller BBC Two. The Commissioning Editor is Abigail Priddle.

Horizon: Childhood for BBC Two will draw on the archives of the groundbreaking BBC series Child of Our Time, to show a unique group of children – all signed up by their parents at the turn of the millennium – as they grow up. Their lives have been documented from the moment they were born, up until they turned 18. Now this film, part of Horizon, will be narrated by the children themselves, telling their own stories from the perspective of early adulthood.The 1×60’ film is made by BBC Studios’ The Science Unit. The Executive Producer for BBC Studios is Sacha Baveystock. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History and Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two. The Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney.

The Unshockable Dr Ronx (w/t) for BBC Three is pilot for a new format that sees NHS doctor Ronx Ikharia on a mission to get young Brits to open up about their medical issues, setting up her pop-up clinic everywhere from chicken shops to boxing gyms, diagnosing problems and dispensing solutions – one town at a time. It is produced by The Garden. The Executive Producer for The Garden, part of ITV Studios, is Ninder Billing. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History and Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three. The Commissioning Editor is Jack Bootle.

Planespotting Live for BBC Four will run live across three nights. Peter Snow, Zoe Laughlin and Andi Peters are starting the country’s biggest mass plane spot to spot as many of the hundreds of different types of plane in UK airspace as possible, from private to cargo to military. And they’re asking the British public to help, by sending in their spots. It is produced by Plum Pictures. The Executive Producers for Plum are Emma Jay and Will Daws. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History and Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four. The Commissioning Editors are Emeka Onono and Tom Coveney.

Climategate: Science Of A Scandal (w/t) for BBC Four reveals the truth behind a notorious incident ten years ago, when a growing international consensus on climate change was derailed by one of the biggest scandals in modern science. For the first time, all the key players recount the events and what really happened during ‘climategate’. Climategate: Science Of A Scandal (w/t, 1×60’) for BBC Four, is made by Red Sky Productions. The Executive Producer for Red Sky Productions is Ross Harper. It was commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual and Natural History and Cassian Harrison, Controller, BBC Four. The Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney.