Virgin 1 Acquires FX’s The Riches

LONDON, August 2: In a multi-million pound deal, Virgin 1, a
new U.K. entertainment channel from Virgin Media Television launching this
fall, has acquired the FX drama series The Riches from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.

The 13×1-hour first season of the series will premiere on
Virgin 1 this fall and spearhead its prime-time drama schedule. Starring
British actors Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, The Riches was FX’s second highest rated premiere, and has
already been commissioned for another season in the U.S. The series has also
notched up a 2007 Emmy nomination for Minnie Driver in the Best Actress in a
Drama category.

Izzard (Ocean’s Thirteen, My Super Ex-Girlfriend), who also executive-produces the series, and Driver
(Phantom of the Opera, Good Will Hunting) play Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, a husband and wife team of
Irish-American con-artist gypsies working scams in the Deep South, who, along
with daughter Di-Di and sons Cael and Sam, go on the run after stealing money
from the extended family bank. After a car collision with another family while
on the road, Wayne decides the family will assume their identities as Doug and
Cherien Rich. Armed with the keys, the Malloys soon move into the Riches'
gated-community home in suburban Baton Rouge.

The Riches joins a
lineup of acquisitions and commissions from both the U.K. and the U.S. for
Virgin 1. Drama series like The Sarah Connor Chronicles and the Star Trek franchise (from Star Trek: TNG to Star Trek: Enterprise) will be a part of the new network’s schedule.
Virgin 1 has also commissioned The Leo Houlding Project (working title) from Ginger Productions and The
Real Exorcist from the U.S. production
company Pilgrim Films.

Celia Taylor, the director of programming for Virgin 1,
said: "This is only the start of what our viewers can expect on Virgin 1. The
Riches embodies the spirit of the channel
perfectly, by being unconventional and challenging to the viewer yet authentic
and believable. We fought off intense competition from other U.K. networks to
bring The Riches to Virgin
1—delivering on our commitment to bringing fresh British commissions and
the best U.S. acquisitions to our audience. With British sensibilities coming
in the form of both the humor and the two main leads, Virgin 1 will showcase
one of the hottest U.S. shows at the moment and the important contribution of
British talent. With a superb cast and the amazing chemistry between Eddie and
Minnie, The Riches will
definitely keep our viewers captivated from the first episode right to the
end!”