Sky Arts Commissions Two New Unscripted Series from IWC

IWC, a Banijay Group company, has secured commissions for two new unscripted series for Sky Arts’ 2019 transmission slate.

One of the titles IWC is set to produce is Boswell & Johnson’s Scottish Road Trip with Frank Skinner & Denise Mina, which will follow the comedian and the novelist as they embark on the Grand Tour of Scotland. Throughout the series, they will recreate Samuel Johnson and James Boswell’s 1773 journey—complete with carriages, horses and boats; and visits to the lowlands, the highlands and the islands.

IWC is collaborating with the Tate Modern and Sky Arts for the one-off, 60-minute special Van Gogh: An Exclusive View–from Tate Britain. Presented by curator and broadcaster Kate Bryan, it will give a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s upcoming Van Gogh exhibition that will showcase the Dutch artist’s time in Britain.

Franny Moyle, executive producer for IWC, said: “Since I joined IWC less than five years ago, with a brief to build a slate of high-end specialist factual work, we have worked consistently with Sky Arts on a range of bold arts programs. These recent commissions are testimony to the channel’s dedication to thoughtful, granular, entertaining and original approaches to cultural topics, and we’re just so pleased to be part of the channel’s journey.”

Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, added: “When Frank came to us with an idea to recreate the footsteps of Boswell and Johnson, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Exploring Scotland’s cultural heritage is something I have long been obsessed by, and with the tremendous skills of IWC added to the mix, this is a beautiful start. That, plus bringing us exclusive access to Tate Britain’s blockbuster Van Gogh show, is a glorious double eye and earful for the Sky Arts fan.”