Channel 5 has announced new premium factual commissions – Emperor: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, Life & Death in Pompeii with Dan Snow and has recommissioned a second series of BAFTA-nominated Endurance, Endurance: Race to the Nile.
The three commissions follow the recently announced: The Great Explorers with James May; To the Glory of God: Building Britain’s Cathedrals; and the Jason Watkins Tower of London special series.
Emperor: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty retells the stories of the cuthroat and turbulent years of the first five Emperors and the powerful women behind them, from the perspective of Livia Drusilla, played by Dame Siân Phillips, who brought Livia to life in the 1970s classic I, Claudius This new three-part (3 x 60’) series is an October Films and GroupM Motion Entertainment co-production and was commissioned by Federico Ruiz, Commissioning Editor, Factual for Channel 5.
Life & Death in Pompeii (w.t) is a new series fronted by Dan Snow and ancient world specialist Jasmine Elmer. The four-part series (4 x 60’) will be produced by streaming service History Hit and was commissioned by Lucy Willis, Commissioning Editor, Factual for Channel 5.
Following the BAFTA nominated series Endurance: Race to the Pole, explorers Ben Fogle and Dwayne Fields are returning to Channel 5 with a second series of their immersive, historical series. Two-part (2 x 60’) series Endurance: Race to the Nile will see the adventurers tell the untold story of Dr. Livingstone, the Victorian explorer, who risked it all to find the source of the Nile. The series was commissioned by Denise Seneviratne, Commissioning Editor of Factual for Channel 5 and will be co-produced by October Films and Krempelwood.
Paramount’s Chief Content Officer, UK, Ben Frow said: “Premium factual content continues to attract strong audiences for us and we are keen to offer our viewers more of what we know they enjoy. It’s particularly exciting to extend the relationship that we have with fantastic on-screen talent like Jason Watkins whilst working with new-to-tv talent such as the Reverend Pat Allerton. Who better to guide us around the magnificent architecture of Britain’s Cathedrals, than someone who spends the majority of his time in such amazing buildings..?!”
The new series will premiere later this year and into 2025.
Jon Creamer
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