FremantleMedia & BBC Worldwide Team Up on Aussie Cooking Format

SYDNEY: As part of a multiyear format deal between FremantleMedia Australia (FMA) and BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand, the companies are set to produce the culinary series Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook Melbourne for Aussie pubcaster SBS.

The series will see Khoo, known for her BBC series Little Paris Kitchen, recreate recipes she picks up from travels through Melbourne and the Australian state of Victoria. The 8×30-minute series is scheduled to premiere early next year.

Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook Melbourne is based on the Kitchen Notebook format, originally developed by BBC Productions for BBC Worldwide. BBC Worldwide will distribute the series.

Jon Penn, the managing director of BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand, said: “Rachel’s unique style and creative recipe ideas have proved extremely popular with audiences around the world, so we’re delighted to be working with her to create a series with a distinct Australian flavor. This is exactly the type of high-quality programming that we are looking to produce through our partnership with FremantleMedia Australia, enabling us to grow our content business in Australia, develop exciting commercial opportunities off screen and create world-class content that can travel to other territories.”

Ian Hogg, FremantleMedia Australia’s regional CEO for Australia/Asia Pacific, added: “Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook Melbourne is a great opportunity to put a uniquely Australian spin on a BBC Worldwide format. Rachel is an undeniable talent and her star rises every day. This series will be unique, edgy and above all, incredibly engaging.”