MUMBAI: Leading distributor Banijay International has sold the entertainment format Comedy on the Edge to Canada. The format, created by DR in Denmark, has been acquired by national broadcaster CBC for English speaking Canada.
The local version, which will consist of 13 x 30’ episodes, will be produced by Frantic Films and is set to launch in early 2015.
Comedy on the Edge, a show which aims to bring back a local community’s lost sense of humour, was originally created by and aired on Denmark’s public broadcaster DR. The successful Spanish adaptation was recently renewed for a second season on TV Catalonia, and multiple seasons of a local version have also aired on TV2 Norway.
Sebastian Burkhardt, Head of Sales at Banijay International, said, “Our friends at DR have created a format which perfectly blends comedy with factual entertainment. More than anything this format is about bringing people together and connecting viewers with even the most remote places in the country using shared humour.”
Each week in Comedy on the Edge, a comedian-host heads to a small town that find themselves on the decline due to industries closing, unemployment rising and people moving away. They’re often stigmatized in the media, but the comedian will demonstrate that they are also places with proud residents, where you’ll find quirky people and unusual practices. The comic will spend several days in the town, joining in local customs, discover unique trades, see secret beautiful sights and uncover the town’s creative outlets. At the end of the visit, in front of an audience of residents, the host will deliver a stand-up routine based on everything they have seen, to celebrate the locals’ sense of humour about themselves, and give viewers a new perspective.
Comedy on the Edge will return to Cannes next month along with a raft of new formats from Banijay International. The distributor’s slate of new launches includes Extraordinary Masters, the new high-octane studio entertainment format from Brainpool, the creator of Stars in Danger: The High Dive and Beat Your Host. In each thrilling episode, pairs of contestants duel it out in brand new disciplines never before seen on TV, from extreme physical events to feats of dexterity or super-human intelligence. The winner of each duel wins the national title, and then it’s up to the audience to choose their favourite Master of the day, who will be back to meet an international competitor and fight for the world title. The original German series drew nearly 4m viewers per episode.
Also launching at MIPTV is The 7 Weddings. This unique and ambitious documentary-style format follows 7 couples from the moment they make their wedding vows through the highs and lows of the first 7 years of their marriages. What really lies ahead for these couples, and what does it take to make a marriage work? Produced and shot like a feature film, the series picks up on the nuances from 7 very different couples. Can they beat the odds and make their marriage last in a society where the divorce rate is rising and relationships are under more pressure than ever before? The carefully crafted production consists of seven episodes per year, for seven years, one for each couple, up until the notorious “seven year itch”, often seen as the make-or-break point for marriages. This fascinating series provides voyeuristic access into the ongoing challenges, joys, obstacles and changes that lie at the heart of any marriage. Some will thrive, some will struggle, some may fail entirely, but each will offer a fascinating window into the modern world of love, and what it takes to truly make a relationship work.
Other titles to debut at MIPTV include youth-skewing “sciencetainment” format Tested on Humans, factual entertainment My Week Your Week, in which each partner in a relationship takes total control for one week to try to get things back on track, and trivia-meets-sightseeing game show Street Smart.
