Building on the success of previous drama companion documentaries, ITV has commissioned two further drama companion docs – for the long-running title Vera and upcoming Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story – from the ITV Studios label MultiStory.
ITV has also ordered two-parter Georgia Harrison: Inside the Porn Business from Multistory and a Christmas special Martin Lewis: How To Win at Board Games and a special to celebrate the life of Dame Maggie Smith.
Vera… Farewell Pet, is a 60 minute special documentary marking the end of the iconic TV detective drama Vera, which is produced by fellow ITV Studios label, Silverprint Pictures. As Vera hangs up her famous cap for the last time, multi-award-winning actress, Brenda Blethyn OBE, looks back over the last fourteen years playing the formidable DCI Vera Stanhope.
The documentary celebrates the legacy of Vera, a series which has not only been a mainstay of British TV with 56 feature length episodes, but has also fascinated viewers in 187 countries around the world. Vera… Farewell Pet will transmit on ITV1 and ITVX in January 2025 and is produced by Iwan Roberts and commissioned by Jo Clinton Davis, Controller of Factual ITV.
The Real Ruth Ellis is a 60 minute documentary to accompany the forthcoming ITV drama, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, again produced by fellow ITV Studios label, Silverprint Pictures. The documentary shines a light on the real life story of Ruth Ellis, Britain’s last woman to hang for the murder of her lover David Blakely in 1955.
The film explores how a volatile love affair led to David Blakely’s murder and sent Ruth Ellis to the gallows. The documentary features previously unseen footage and personal testimonies from the families of Ruth and David, speaking of how the aftermath of those terrible events continues to affect both families. The film includes interviews with actress Lucy Boynton, who plays Ruth, and Nigel Havers, who plays his own grandfather in the drama – the real life judge who sentenced Ruth to death in 1955. The Real Ruth Ellis will transmit on ITV1 and ITVX in 2025 and is produced by Iwan Roberts and commissioned by Jo Clinton Davis, Controller of Factual ITV.
The slate of commissions also includes, Dame Maggie Smith: A Celebration – a touching 60 minute tribute to the iconic, enigmatic actress who sadly passed away this year leaving a legacy of much loved and applauded stage and screen performances which spanned a career of almost 70 years.
With Dame Maggie’s own voice, and featuring personal accounts from those who knew her best, the film tells the story of a girl born in pre-war Essex who, against the odds, took the theatrical world by storm before going on to become one of the most respected performers of our time. In recent years, she gained a new level of popularity playing the razor-tongued Lady Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey but, for all her success, Dame Maggie remained a very private person who shied away from the limelight of fame.
Dame Maggie Smith: A Celebration will transmit December 14th on ITV1 and ITVX and is executive produced by Ceri Aston and commissioned by Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual ITV.
Georgia Harrison: Inside the Porn Business (working title) sees Georgia Harrison return to ITV with a two part series exploring the lucrative world of the online porn business following on from her previous documentary, Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear. With the global porn industry worth an estimated $1 billion globally, Georgia takes a deep dive look into how this hugely profitable industry works and seeks to uncover just how far her own illegal video has spread, and who might be profiting from it. The two part series will transmit in 2025 on ITV and is executive produced by Ceri Aston and commissioned by Kate Teckman, Head of Development & Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment ITV.
Wrapping up the raft of commissions is Britain’s most trusted money man with an hour-long festive treat, Martin Lewis: How To Win at Board Games. Martin Lewis is a man who loves to play board games; so much so that he even proposed to his wife during a Scrabble match.
This Christmas he will be gifting the nation with top tips, tricks and tactics to claim victory over family and friends. Playing some of the UK’s most popular board games including Monopoly, Scrabble and Connect 4, Martin will also take on the toughest of competitors and learn a thing or two himself about increasing his winning odds.
Martin Lewis: How To Win at Board Games will transmit on December 17th on ITV1 and ITVX and is produced by Clare Miler and commissioned by Kate Teckman, Head of Development & Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment ITV.
Mike Blair, Head of Documentaries and Current Affairs said: “We’re immensely proud to be ending 2024 with a host of great commissions to boost our existing programme slate. The documentary unit is continuing to build upon its reputation for producing a rich mix of compelling drama companion documentaries and impactful investigative shows which, alongside our popular factual entertainment programmes, showcases the diverse range of content MultiStory Media has to offer. We’re hoping to announce further exciting commissions in the new year.”
ITV Studios handles international distribution for this slate of MultiStory Media productions.
Pippa Considine
Share this story
