British Writing Duo Marks & Gran Team with Corona TV

EDINBURGH: British TV writing duo Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran are aligning with Corona TV’s Richard Johns and Rupert Jermyn in a new joint venture, LocomoTV, which has already tied up with FremantleMedia.

The new company will create original scripted programming intended for mainstream audiences all over the world. LocomoTV will be supported by FremantleMedia, which already has a stake in Corona TV and has the rights to much of Marks & Gran’s back catalogue following Pearson’s acquisition of SelecTV in 1996.

FremantleMedia will work with the new company on development and has a first-look to distribute any titles originated by LocomoTV. FremantleMedia and LocomoTV will also combine to exploit Marks and Gran’s back catalogue through FremantleMedia International (FMI).

Marks & Gran first began writing for television more than 35 years ago and has hits in both comedy and drama genres, including Holding the Fort, Shine on Harvey Moon, The New Statesman, Love Hurts and Goodnight Sweetheart. The pair also created Birds of a Feather.

Marks and Gran commented: “One of the most exciting and rewarding phases of our career was when we had our own production company, ALOMO, in partnership with Allan McKeown, a brilliant, dynamic and forceful executive. We feel a similar frisson in getting together with the young (compared to us), ambitious and enthusiastic production pairing of Johns and Jermyn. We still generate far too many ideas for new projects, so we couldn’t ignore the opportunity to team up with the Corona boys and bring some extra fizz to television.”

Corona Television's co-CEOs, Johns and Jermyn, added, “Lo and Mo are long-standing pals of ours who just happen to be two of the U.K.’s best TV writers, and who are bubbling with as much creative energy as they ever were. Decades of success have not blunted one little bit their appetite to bring compelling, deeply human stories and characters to audiences in the U.K. and worldwide. Lo and Mo's ability to deliver an emotional and dramatic reach to the broadest audiences, across all the ages, classes and the sexes is unrivaled in contemporary British television, and is frankly pretty unique worldwide. It is testament to their deep understanding of the human condition and their skill in finding fresh and compelling ways to highlight aspects of it to audiences. We're so proud to be launching this bold and ambitious new company together.”