UKTV Plans to Boost Commissioned Hours by a Third

UKTV is planning to up its commissions this year, increasing its total number of original hours from independent producers by around a third.

The first new format commission, for UKTV’s entertainment channel Dave, is Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier. The 8×1-hour comedy format is hosted by Jon Richardson, as he attempts to analyze, assess and log every single one of his many worries. The series is produced by Talkback Thames.

Also new for 2018 is the talent-led format Judge Romesh, set for Dave. Each week the series will see Romesh Ranganathan preside over real disagreements and dole out comic judgment. Hungry Bear Media is producing.

UKTV is also beefing up its factual commissions with two new documentary series. Cop Car Workshop, from Blink Films, allows viewers to see inside one of Britain’s leading police car workshops. Inside the Vets builds out W’s popular Inside the… franchise from Brown Bob Productions. The documentary series follows the daily challenges faced by the team at one of Britain’s busiest veterinary clinics.

UKTV is also expanding its co-productions and moving into commissioning drama for the first time.

Richard Watsham, director of commissioning, commented, “2018 will see UKTV operate increasingly as a full-service broadcaster, with year on year growth in the volume of original hours and the breadth of genres we cover. Expanding our output further allows us to work with a larger than ever pool of on and off-screen talent and provide some of Britain’s best producers a different route to get their ideas to air.

“We’re particularly excited to be working with Jon Richardson and Romesh Ranganathan, two fantastic Taskmaster alumni, who will help us continue to lead in the development of bold, new comedy entertainment formats. With another significant push into original programming, this is a genuine statement of ambition for UKTV.”