Chris McCausland & Lee Mack Set For Sky Festive Special; Mediapro Studio Gets ‘Quiet’ In Cannes; Banijay Ups Comms Chief; Mario Van Peebles Docuseries ‘The Beat Goes On’ Anchors “Impact” Campaign; Hendrix, Bowie & Elvis Docs Sold — Global Briefs

Chris McCausland & Lee Mack Set For Sky Festive Special

British comedians Chris McCausland and Lee Mack will front Sky festive special Bad Tidings, about two perpetually feuding neighbors in Northern England who become unlikely heroes after saving their street from notorious burglars with wacky booby traps and British banter. Laurence Rickard & Martha Howe-Douglas (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) are writing, with production commencing this month at Sky Studios Elstree. Also cast are Rebekah Staton, Sarah Alexander, Ben Crompton, Emily Coates, Josiah Eloi, Millie Kiss, Tupele Dorgu, Sunil Patel, Susan Kyd and Donna Preston. Sky Studios is producing, with  Tim Kirkby directing. Adnan Ahmed from Sky Studios is the producer and Ail Gupta exec produces. Sky’s Comcast stablemate NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution will handle international sales. Bad Tidings is the latest Sky original festive special, following last year’s The Heist Before Christmas, 2022’s Christmas Carole and 2021’s The Amazing Mr Blunden.

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The Mediapro Studio Goes ‘Quiet’ At MIPTV

Spanish content house The Mediapro Studio has unveiled its latest series, Quiet, at MIPTV. Created by Lluís Arcarazo and co-produced in association with Spanish television operator 3Cat, the eight-part series depicts the investigation of a serial killer targeting the homeless. Quiet is based on a true story and will star David Verdaguer (Jokes & Cigarettes, Summer 1993) and Ángela Cervantes (La Maternal, Chavalas). The executive producers are Laura Fernandez Espeso, Javier Méndez, Lluís Arcarazo and Bernat Elías for Mediapro and Oriol Sala-Patau and Conxa Orea for 3Cat. Show creator Arcarazo is also lead writer for the series, along with Guillermo Cisneros and María Jaen. Marta Pahíssa (Rapa, Smiley) will direct all eight episodes. Quiet will premiere on TV3 and the 3Cat platform, while The Mediapro Studio Distribution owns the worldwide commercial rights and will be shopping at the final MIPTV in Cannes this week.

Banijay Ups Comms Chief Humphreys

Banijay’s Global Head of Communications, Kate Humphreys, has been promoted to the C-suite. She will now be Chief Communications Officer at the MasterChef owner, having launched Banijay’s comms division upon joining in 2018. She manages the comms team and oversees the news and comms around M&A, label promotion and execs, as well as leading on crisis management and financial updates. She also oversaw the integration of the Banijay and Endemol Shine Group comms teams following the deal that brought them together in 2021. Mostly recently, she helped establish the internal Banijay Launch initiative. Humphreys, a former Warner Bros and NBCUniversal exec, reports to Banijay Chief Strategy Officer Marie Schweitzer.

Mario Van Peebles Docuseries ‘The Beat Goes On’ Anchors “Impact” Campaign

Production outfit Partners In Kind has launched what it described as the “impact campaign” tied to the release of the Mario Van Peebles docuseries The Beat Goes On. The campaign calls on 32 student filmmakers from 10 states and dozens of universities — including Morehouse, Spelman, Kent University, Howard University, and UNC Chapel Hil to produce short-form videos to highlight essential tools to help drive election voter turnout in their communities. The campaign videos will highlight the work of the following organizations: Project Say Something, Alabama The Freedom Bloc, Ohio Georgia Stand Up, Georgia Texas Freedom Network, Texas Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Florida North Carolina Black Alliance, and North Carolina Power Action Fund – Pennsylvania.

Hendrix, Bowie & Elvis Docs Find Buyers At MIPTV

UK-based distributor DCD Rights has sold documentaries on Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Elvis Presley to broadcasters in the UK and the U.S. among others, as MIPTV gets underway for the final time this morning. A remastered 100-minute version of Bowie’s 1973 concert titled Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture, has been sold to NHK in Japan. The doc features restored songs and a guest appearance by guitarist Jeff Beck. Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision depicts how a nightclub transformed into the legendary studios, and includes exclusive interviews, unseen Hendrix footage, and track breakdowns by producer Eddie Kramer. It has been pre-sold to Sky in the UK and will air on Sky Arts. Other new DCD MIPTV titles include Chicago & Friends: Live at 55, featuring the famed group Chicago performing with a slew of guest artists, and Christmas at Graceland, a live special celebrating Elvis’ favourite time of the year at the Presley family home. The latter will feature Elvis’ granddaughter Riley Keough, and performances from artists including Lana Del Rey and John Legend. Chicago & Friends: Live at 55 has been pre-sold to PBS in the U.S., while Christmas at Graceland has gone to NBC and streamer Peacock.

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