New Sky One Dating Show to Feature 21st Century Twist

LONDON, August 6: Cilla
Black is making her return to television in Loveland, an animated/live-action dating show for Sky One
from Standing Stone Productions, which has already inked an option deal on the
new format with FOX in the U.S.

Loveland, billed as a “21st Century dating show,” is the
first commission for Standing Stone, a venture founded last year by former
FremantleMedia North America chief Tom Gutteridge and Tim Berg. Sky One is in
development on a pilot for a new ten-part series slated for broadcast next
year. Contestants are simulated as
computer-generated animated characters and will interact before choosing which
animated character they prefer. They then will meet the person they have chosen
to date, and see if their relationship can work in the real world.

The show uses new
technology developed by Antwerp animation house Nazooka, which enables
real-time animation to be combined with live action in a multi-camera studio.
The technology, jointly owned by Standing Stone and Nazooka, will be available
worldwide and licensed in conjunction with the Loveland format. A web-based version of the format, also
using Nazooka's technology, is planned to launch alongside the television series.

Richard Woolfe, the director of programming for Sky One, Two and
Three, said: "Cilla is the undisputed queen of the dating show. There’s
been many pretenders to her throne, but she remains in a class of her own. I'm
thrilled she shares my passion for Loveland and for bringing the dating show kicking and
screaming into the 21st Century."

Black added: "Loveland captivated me with its modern-day twist on the
dating format, bringing something new and exciting to the genre. Standing
Stone's unique animation may help couples find love and me the perfect
hat."

Gutteridge, who is also
the show’s executive producer, commented: "I'm thrilled to be working with
such an innovative broadcaster—Sky One immediately recognized the
format's potential. Cilla's experience and Sky's technology are perfectly
positioned to help us make Loveland
a truly interactive entertainment experience for all the family."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski