Banijay Rights Boards ‘Boris’ Doc Series From 72 Films
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EXCLUSIVE: Banijay Rights has acquired global distribution rights to 72 Films’ four-part doc series on former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The Channel 4 series, Boris (working title), chronicles the rise and fall of Johnson, who is one of the most divisive and perplexing characters in modern politics.
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Boris is billed as “the definitive documentary series that reveals the events that shaped Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson, his meteoric rise to power and his extraordinary premiership.”
Johnson, a Conservative and former London Mayor, became the UK’s Prime Minister in 2019. He won a huge majority in a snap election that year and took the UK out of the European Union a year later. However, he was deposed last year after several scandals, many of which related him breaking the Covid-19 rules his own party put in place.
Grabbing the rights to Boris is something of a coup for Banijay, as rival super-indie Fremantle snapped up a majority stake in producer 72 Films last year. 72 is behind docs such as The Trump Show, Crime & Punishmentand The Elon Musk Show.
The series promises “rare archive footage” and “access to those with intimate knowledge of Johnson over the years,” including friends and enemies. It will chart his school days at Eton, university at Oxford and his rise as a Tory politician. 72’s Co-founder and Co-CEO David Glover is executive producer.
Simon Cox, EVP Content & Acquisitions, Banijay Rights, said: “Boris gives a deep insight into one of the UK’s most mystifying and controversial political leaders, revealing how early life events shaped Boris Johnson’s character right up to his tenure as the country’s most powerful man. We’re in no doubt 72 Films’ extraordinary series will be an eye-opening account for international buyers.”
Mark Raphael, Co-founder and Co-CEO, 72 Films, said: “If there’s one single person whose life depicts the recent history of Britain – it’s Boris Johnson. He led the Brexit campaign, was both prime minister and in intensive care during Covid, and is connected to both Russia and Ukraine. This documentary series tells the life story of one of the world’s most compelling characters.”
Boris joins Banijay Rights’ slate of documentary series ahead of the company’s London TV Screenings event at BAFTA on March 1.
Banijay Rights has now subsumed the Beyond Rights catalog after Banijay acquired Beyond International in a deal worth around $30M.
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