‘Big Brother’ Unveils Duty Of Care Protocols; ‘Ghosts’ Xmas Special; Amazon Boxing Doc; Jason Simms To Connect3Media; Cattleya Co-Chief To Federation – Global Briefs

Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
·5 min read
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‘Big Brother’ Unveils Duty Of Care Protocols

Big Brother housemates will have to abide by the same social media blackout as Love Island contestants while those working on the show will be regularly reminded of Banijay’s Bullying and Harassment, Grievance and Whistleblowing Policies, as ITV shares its duty of care protocols for the reboot. Kicking off Sunday, Big Brother returns to British TV screens after five years off air and ITV and Banijay label Initial have been stringent in their approach to duty of care, given that conflict shows such as the Jeremy Kyle Show have been axed while Big Brother has been off air. ITV’s welfare package includes the social media blackout that means housemates’ family and friends will not be asked not to post content on individual social media accounts for the duration of their time in the house. Housemates will also undergo psychological and medical assessments and have access to mental health professionals while in the house, which will last six weeks. After leaving, they will be given bespoke training on dealing with social media and press along with ongoing contact with a Head of Welfare for 14 months. Presenters and narrators will also be offered to support along with below-the-line crew, who will be reminded regularly of the bullying code of conduct. The latter comes after allegations against Russell Brand, some of which are said to have occured on Big Brother’s Big Mouth in the mid-noughties. Brand denies all criminal wrongdoing and says all relationships were consensual. Speaking to Deadline earlier this week, ITV commissioner Peter Tierney said the British TV industry is “in a different place” since Brand allegedly committed some of his acts.” Dr Paul Litchfield, a Chief Medical Officer who independently reviews ITV’s protocols, said: “The measures applied to safeguard the mental health of contributors to reality TV shows have evolved considerably over the past five years.  ITV has worked with the team at Banijay to share expertise and to ensure that current best practice is applied for the 2023 series of Big Brother.”

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‘Ghosts’ Returns For One More Christmas Special

Ghosts is not quite over. The BBC has unveiled a Christmas special of the smash family comedy, which will come after the upcoming fifth and final season. The team behind the show posted on social media earlier today saying: “The final series of Ghosts starts on Friday… but there might be one last present under the Christmas tree this year.” Ghosts Christmas specials have been airing for several years and tend to draw big ratings. The family comedy from the team behind Horrible Histories has been a huge hit for the BBC over the past five years and a successful U.S. version continues to air on CBS.

Boxing Legends Doc Set At Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video has greenlit a documentary series about British boxing legends, exec produced by Kevin Macdonald. Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno will be spotlighted in Four Kings, which will launch next year, produced by Netflix’s Human Playground producer Workerbee. Four Kings follows the meteoric rise of these four men from the same London neighbourhood who heralded a golden era in British boxing and changed the way Britain viewed its Black athletes. Oscar-winner Macdonald has a talent deal in place with Banijay-backed Workerbee and will mentor new talent on the show, along with acting as EP. “The time when these four legends ruled the world of boxing was a golden era for British sport, and so to bring them all together to reveal their soaring highs and emotional lows in a premium box set is a blessing,” said Rick Murray, the CEO of Workerbee.

Sky Scripted Programing Boss Joins Canadian Indie

Jason Simms, Sky’s Director of International Scripted Programing, is headed to Canadian So Long, Marianne indie Connect3Media as MD. Simms will focus on growing the company’s slate through working in partnership with creatives, existing IP rightsholders and commissioning executives worldwide to identify and develop new content. He has been at Sky for several years, where he is currently responsible for international partnerships and commercial strategy for Sky Studios’ slate of high-end dramas and comedies from the UK, Italy and Germany. Prior to that, he was SVP, Global Acquisitions, at Fox. Simms will join in November. “C3’s success is built on bringing together talented creative people to develop, finance, and produce successful shows for the global market,” said C3 President Pablo Salzman. “Jason’s experience, skills and personality fit right into this model, and his joining the team will expand the business and help greenlight more fantastic content.” C3 is making the likes of So Long, Marianne for Crave and NRK, inspired by the love story between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen, along with Crave dramedy Good Morning Chuck.

Cattleya Co-Chief Marco Chimenz Joins Federation Studios

Marco Chimenz is leaving Gomorrah maker Cattleya to join France’s Federation Studios, bringing to an end his long production partnership with Riccardo Tozzi and Giovanni Stabilini. He is giving up his post as co-CEO of ITV Studios-owned Cattleya to become Co-Managing Director alongside Lionel Uzan at Federation, which currently has a stable of 35 production companies under its wing. Joining Chimenz is his long-time collaborator Joshua Berman, who is leaving his post as Head of Business and Legal Affairs at Cattleya to become International Business Affairs Advisor at Pascal Breton’s Paris-based production and sales powerhouse. “I am so enthusiastic about joining Pascal and Lionel, two producers and entrepreneurs that I have known for years and for whom I have the highest esteem as they lead a brilliant group with such a strong international drive,” said Chimenz. “Naturally, having worked with Riccardo Tozzi and Giovanni Stabilini for over half my life, moving on from Cattleya and its formidable team feels like leaving family.”

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