Red Sauce Scores 54-Hour Commission from Channel 5

Zinc Media Group’s Red Sauce has been commissioned by Channel 5 to produce 54 hours of programming for the Bargain Loving Brits brand, marking the largest volume deal ever received by a Zinc Media label.

Red Sauce will produce a 40-episode second season of the daytime version of Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun, as well as eight episodes of the peak version, up from its usual six episodes. A third season of Bargain Loving Brits by the Sea has also been commissioned.

The daytime version of Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun charts the lives of Brits who have swapped the U.K. for a new life in Spain. The peak version will continue to provide an in-depth look at the community of Britons who moved to Benidorm.

Bargain Loving Brits by the Sea follows the people in the hospitality and leisure industry who work day in and day out to give Brits the holiday of a lifetime in Northern seaside towns.

“These series have been a huge hit with viewers, with the daytime version increasing the channel’s slot share by a third and beating tough competition on other channels,” said Tom Edwards, creative director of Red Sauce. “Audiences have a huge hunger right now for real-life soap opera, which this series delivers by the bucket (and spade) full.”

He continued, “Bargain Loving Brits is a production miracle. The previous run of 40 episodes were commissioned in July, began filming in August in Spain and landed in the edit in October. This is a real testimony to our talented production team in Manchester and our wider support team in London.”

“With another commission, from a different channel, soon to be announced along with another likely recommission, we are delighted that Red Sauce is delivering high in volume but high-in-quality programming,” Edwards added. “We’ve made, or had commissioned, 120 hours of TV since our launch 18 months ago—we’re really pleased with this start.”