MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) will have a diverse slate of content at next month‘s television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France. As far as scripted shows are concerned it will bring Fanny Hill. The 100 minute drama is based on John Cleland’s Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, considered by many as the original erotic novel. Adapted by award-winning script writer, Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bleak House), the programme follows the story of a young, orphaned country girl who falls into prostitution and works her way up the social ladder of 18th century London.
Returning to Cannes is the darkly funny Love You to Death.The show stars filmmaker John Waters Pink Flamingos, Hairspray in his television series debut as the ‘Groom Reaper’, and tells the twisted, inspired-by-reality tales of spouses who have killed their loved, or not-so-loved ones.
Waters guides viewers through bizarre stories and cases of wedded woe, with his trademark wry sense of humour and definite macabre sensibility. Each episode – inspired by true crimes – dramatises the stories of ill-fated husbands and wives and reveals the flaws in what the killers believed to be the perfect crime. In each suspense-filled episode, viewers follow a murderous trail to find out whodunit and will be on the edge of their seats until the very end, as things are not always as they seem. FME has worldwide distribution rights for both TV (excluding North America) and DVD (excluding Canada).
Also returning to Mipcom is the drama show Neighbours. It will have a new look. The show looks at real values and explores current issues and social questions, all set against the backdrop of the mythical suburb of Erinsborough.
The teen drama series, The Best Years, from the US channel, The N, makes the trip back to Cannes. It follows a group of friends through the ups and downs of college life.
Fremantle will also ticke the funny bone at Mipcom. It will showcase a mix of sitcom, sketch and animation. The second season of the BBC series That Mitchell & Webb Look will arrive featuring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. This series is filled with riotous characters and ideas-driven sketches, lampooning the likes of the Nazis right down to Her Majesty the Queen. Intelligent, socially acute, sometimes satirical, sometimes bizarre, but always funny!
It’s also back down to the basement at Reynholm Industries for the second season of The IT Crowd. The show takes a surreal look at the underclass of a company, as seen through the eyes of its I.T. department.
FremantleMedia will also offer factual food for thought at Mipcom. From green to cuisine, penguins to pigs, FremantleMedia will unveil a range of factual content for Mipcom buyers. Headlining the slate is Big Ideas for a Small Planet the eco documentary series featuring innovators from the fashion to fuel industries, which makes its debut at Mipcom this year.
The series profiles designers, products and processes contributing to the mission to reduce the adverse effects of modern living on our planet with the scope to ultimately change the way viewers live their lives. Big Ideas for a Small Planet gives viewers an insight into advances that are being made and the actions they can take to lessen the impact of businesses and individuals on the environment.
Also making its Mipcom debut is Kylie Kwong: My China. The show documents Kylie Kwong’s culinary and cultural journey in search of the heart, soul and taste buds of the Chinese people.
A fourth generation Chinese-Australian, Kwong, is a chef, author, TV presenter and restaurateur known to millions worldwide through the success of her Sydney restaurant ‘billy kwong’. As well as writing a best-selling range of cook books, her highly successful television career spans the US, UK and Australia.
In this travelogue series, Kylie travels to each compass point of China and takes viewers with her on a voyage of discovery looking at the relationship between the diverse landscapes and the many food traditions China has to offer.
During her travels, Kylie ‘lives off the land’, buying supplies from markets, learning regional cookery skills, helping families prepare their meals and eating where the locals eat. In return, Kylie offers her creations, using whatever local ingredients are available to create a unique blend of traditional and modern Chinese cuisine.
Then there is the eight part documentary series Nimrod Nation. It follows a small town’s obsession with its high-school basketball team, the Nimrods. The name of a mighty hunter in The Bible and legend, Nimrod is a fitting name for this endearing sports team located in the remote town of Watersmeet, on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where life during the long winter months revolves around two things: hunting and basketball.
Returning to Mipcom is the third season of Iconoclasts. Viewers are once again invited to peer into the world of a creative visionary, through the eyes of another. The first and second series brought together 24 creative visionaries to discuss their lives, work and inspirations in a series of intimate, unpredictable portraits. In the third series, 12 more of the most relentlessly innovative forces of our time meet one-on-one to explore their shared passions and show how their passion for what they do has transformed our culture.
The show will feature the likes of Sean Penn and Jon Krakauer, Alicia Keys and Ruby Dee, Mike Myers and Deepak Chopra and Madeleine Albright and Ashley Judd.
New to Mipcom are three shows from natural history guru, Nigel Marven. In Arctic Week With Nigel Marven Nigel travels across the frozen wastes of Northern Canada. Here he follows the fortunes of polar bears, reindeer, walruses, belugas, arctic foxes, great grey owls and a billion mosquitoes. Nigel’s affinity with the animals helps audiences to discover their individual characteristics and personalities in an environment that boasts the fabulous Northern Lights and much, much more.
In Nigel Marven’s Penguin Safari he takes viewers to the breathtakingly beautiful island of South Georgia, which in spring becomes a vital breeding oasis for the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet. He introduces viewers to 150,000 King penguins and spends time with 50,000 comedic macaroni penguins.
In Killer Whale Islands With Nigel Marven he invites viewers to witness the life of the killer whale along with other amazing creatures. Attracted to the Falklands by one of the Antarctic’s most dangerous predators, he travels across the islands in a light aircraft and follows the journeys of elephant seals, fur seals, albatrosses and four very different kinds of penguin. He takes a plunge to joust with playful sea lions, watches young orcas learn to hunt and even has the tables turned on him when he is followed by an entourage of inquisitive gentoo penguin chicks.
