EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has a historic documentary series highlighting a once-in-a-lifetime dig at Pompeii Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb Manufacturer Lion TV.
Lion, which is owned by All3Media, has gained access to a massive excavation taking place on the site of the former ancient city that was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius some 2,000 years ago.
At the BBC Pompeii, Contemporary discoveries about the Roman world are combined with a “ticking clock” told through the stories of real people from history who witnessed the ancient disaster.
“We don’t know what [the dig] find, but we know the BBC is looking for new ways to hear these stories,” said Richard Bradley, Lion’s chief creative officer.
Bradley said buyers are looking for docs with “cinematic and dramatic elements” that eschew a Western view, citing the positive response generated by Lions 2020 film. Secrets of the Saqqara Tombwhich followed a team of Egyptian archaeologists as they discovered a tomb from the 25th century BC in a necropolis. discover.
“The old factual grammar of moderated, story-heavy stories is gone,” he added. “You have to take the audience on a journey of discovery.”
Similarly, Lion is working on one Alexander the Great docudrama for Netflix and another secret project for the streamer with the BBCs My Caribbean with Liz Bonnin [w/t], in which the natural history presenter returns to her Caribbean roots to reveal the exotic wildlife and remarkable people of the region.
Filming is currently underway, the BBC described my Caribbean Islands as an “engaging natural history travelogue” and Bradley said it reflected Lion’s desire to produce “stories at the intersection of the natural and human worlds” at a lower cost than David Attenborough-style BBC landmarks.
Funding becomes more difficult as budgets increase, so Lion’s Slate also offers a lineup of shows that are tied to various networks, including Smithsonian Channel/ARTE’s How the Mongols changed the world and PBS Nova/ARTEs volcano, The latter tells the story of the world’s largest explosion ever recorded and its impact on the island of Tonga.
“International partnerships are to our advantage,” said Bradley. “It’s one thing that works for streamers, but if you want to do something with broadcasters, you have to look at these partnerships.”
Restructure the lion
Leo, who also does bravos cash taxi from its US hub, which recently restructured to focus on popular facts and kids, while All3Media stablemate Lime Pictures focuses on entertainment.
Lion’s Tom Watt-Smith has been promoted to Creative Director, Specialist and Premium Factual of the reorganized team, but he has left the company and a replacement will be provided in due course. Emma Morgan, Jonathan Meenagh and Anna Abenson have also left the company in recent months.
The reorganization was a “recognition that we are focused on where we have the most traction and want to invest our resources,” said Bradley, who co-founded Lion with Nick Catliff more than a quarter of a century ago and has run the company ever since. Terrible stories and that of Netflix Sexy beasts.
Genre mixing is another trend he’s keen to tap into, and Bradley’s outfit explores how to mix comedy with fact. It works with script companies on hybrid drama-doc ideas.
“We have real value in a world where intellectual property is so important, while at the same time there is such great factual research,” Bradley added.
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
