Fremantle Unveils Brand New Entertainment Formats for London TV Screenings
RTL Group-owned super indie Fremantle is bringing a brace of new and upbeat formats to this year’s London TV Screenings, where they will join a catalog which includes some of the biggest properties in the world, such as “Got Talent,” “Farmer Wants a Wife” or “Family Feud.”
The new titles are described as “feel-good,” many are family friendly, in different ways, but they also underscore Fremantle’s philosophy of creating, producing and distributing entertainment, as well as drama, documentaries and film for a broad range of audiences.
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“There really is something for everyone,” said Andrew Llinares, Fremantle’s newly appointed director of global entertainment, who replaces Rob Clark as director of global entertainment from this March.
Joining established franchises, new format “The Second Chance Ex-periment” – from Fremantle Portugal – will see divorced or separated couples reunite.
Given a second chance to repair their relationships, they move in together for seven weeks and take on various “personalized challenges,” overseen by therapists. At the end of each week, the couples will be asked if they would like to continue the experiment or go home. Alone.
The storylines shown in “The Second Chance Ex-periment” will be “compelling and relatable,” Llinares said.
Things take a different turn in “The Big Celebrity Detox,” however, as eight celebrities will travel to a wellness resort. Hoping to cleanse their bodies and, ultimately, change their lives for the better. Undergoing some of the most outlandish detox treatments in the world, each week, they will take on three treatments based on a specific emotion. The celebrity who commits to the experience the most will be rewarded.
The “unexpectedly punchy and emotional show,” Llinares teased, is produced by Fremantle label Thames for E4 in the U.K.
It will be all about music in gameshow “The Beatbox,” co-developed by Seoul’s Something Special, Amsterdam’s Blue Circle (a Fremantle company) and London’s Naked (a Fremantle label). Described as “the ultimate play-along format,” it will see two celebrity teams compete by recreating iconic songs. The twist? They can only use household objects, so interactive musical games, serving to collect them, will lead up to the performances.
Punchy tunes will also be heard in a family-friendly guessing game “DNA Singers,” which launched in Korea last year. It will see talented contestants who cannot only sing their hearts out but also happen to share DNA with some celebrity singers. As they take to the stage, the judges will have to guess which ones.
Created by FormatEast and Kyung Hwangbo, “DNA Singers” has also been adapted by Blue Circle for the Netherlands.
“‘The Beatbox’ will have everyone at home tapping mugs and opening and closing doors to make their own music, whilst ‘DNA Singers’ asks if talent really does run in the family and will have viewers guessing along with the judges,” said Llinares.
“These new formats are a great example of how Fremantle champions strong and creative concepts that really connect with global audiences,” he added. “Creativity is at the heart of what we do.”
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