Magnify Media Sends Test Drive to Italy

The U.K.-based Magnify Media has closed its first format sale for BBC Scotland’s Test Drive, delivering it to RTI Mediaset in Italy.

The Italian adaptation of the Bandicoot original car-based game-show format is to be named NCC—Navigazione Con Conduttore. Under the license agreement with Endemol Shine’s production company YAM 112003, RTI Mediaset will air an 8×30-minute version of the show in January 2020.

The original Test Drive premiered in February on BBC Scotland, with the second season currently airing on BBC One Scotland. Produced by Argonon-backed Bandicoot, the series is fronted by Scottish wrestler Grado. It sees three teams of two head out on a road trip through Scotland to a mystery destination. Along the way, the teams must answer questions via a specially adapted satnav, correct answers directing them to a well-known tourist attraction via the shortest route and wrong answers adding miles to their trip. The winners are the team with the lowest mileage on the clock.

Andrea Jackson, CEO of Magnify Media, said: “Test Drive is a fresh and funny take on the game-show format—and it’s also the perfect show for any country that has great landscapes to share, which is true of both Scotland and Italy. I’m optimistic that NCC—Navigazione con Conduttore will be the first of many local versions on Test Drive’s road trip to success.”

Bandicoot co-founders Derek McLean and Daniel Nettleton added: “We are very proud that our distinctively Scottish format has made its first international road trip to Italy. We always suspected that watching real people being themselves in cars would have global appeal and we hope NCC will be the first of many such journeys.”