New Commission for Discovery EMEA

LONDON: Discovery Networks EMEA has commissioned WAG TV to produce the 8×1-hour engineering series X-Machines.

The series uses immersive filming techniques to enable the viewer to comprehend the power of these machines, such as the Beluga Airbus A300-600ST, the world’s largest super-transporter; the Cyclone MI 26 helicopter, which is capable of lifting 20 tons; and the world’s largest mining excavator, the Terex RH 400 Claw in South Africa. The show, a co-production with Discovery Networks UK and Science Channel in the U.S., is set to air late this year.

"Our viewing figures show that this programming genre consistently rates strongly across all countries," said Lisa Weinbrenn, the head of development and production for DIscovery EMEA. "We saw with Extreme Engineering that our key audience has a strong appetite for the intricacies of mechanics and engineering, and X-Machines will take this genre to another level by providing both entertainment and knowledge—two of the key drivers to our content.”

Martin Durkin, executive producer at WAG TV, added: "We have travelled all around the world and hunted down the most impressive machines ever made for viewers of Discovery Channel. This series is excessive on every level—the situations, the environments, the machines and the people who operate them. We have turned our monstrous machines into heavy metal superheroes… think Transformers meets Thunderbirds on an immense scale.”