Arrow Media & Smithsonian Team for Britain in Colour

Smithsonian Channel has commissioned Arrow Media for Britain in Colour.

The 3×1-hour production for Smithsonian Channel follows the successful America in Color. The ambitious new series will have an exclusive world preview at MIPDoc on Saturday, April 6, and will premiere later this year on Smithsonian Channel in both the U.S and the U.K.

Britain in Colour covers Britain’s history with intimate film of Queen Victoria from the end of the 19th century to the BBC’s first color broadcast in 1967. Arrow Media is recovering lost images from this period—end of wars, depression and social revolution—and bringing them freshly rendered to the TV screen.

David Royle, executive VP and chief programming officer for Smithsonian Networks, said: “America in Color has been a huge hit in the States and sold around the world. It’s one of the most ambitious colorising projects ever undertaken, and it transforms a gray and distant past into a cinematic experience. Now we are excited to be putting the color back into Britain’s 20th century history.

“Britain in Colour will show the Britain of the past as it’s never been seen before. Arrow Media have uncovered a rich seam of rare footage, important in its own right, but made exquisite and accessible by painstaking research coupled with the skillful hand of the colouriser. We are thrilled to commission this very special series.”

Sam Starbuck, executive producer at Arrow Media, added: “Uncovering forgotten moments from history is one thing, but then taking the audience back in time, to be part of that event, through the use of accurate colour, is wonderful. In Color has proved to be one of our most powerful and immersive archive projects. We are particularly proud of the way it has connected with the younger generation, making events from the past accessible to a whole new audience.”