eOne Inks Deal with Alleycats for Lost Worlds and Hidden Treasures

Alleycats Films has inked its first distribution deal with Entertainment One (eOne) for its factual series Lost Worlds and Hidden Treasures.

The three-parter was originally produced for BBC Four under the title Raiders of The Lost Past with Janina Ramirez. The series focuses on the summer of 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, when three archaeological treasures were discovered that would transform our understanding of the origins of civilization: the Sutton Hoo, a burial treasure from the mysterious Dark Ages, unearthed in a garden in England; the Lion Man, a 40,000-year-old ivory sculpture found deep in a cave in Southern Germany; and the Olmec heads, stone sculptures of up to 50 tons, made by an ancient lost civilization and found in the jungles of Mexico.

Presented by cultural historian, broadcaster and author Dr. Janina Ramirez, the series outperformed BBC Four’s slot average across all of its key demographics when it debuted in September.

The eOne deal follows recent news that Alleycats has closed its first worldwide format deal with The Story Lab. Under the agreement, The Story Lab will handle the global format rights to Alleycats’ new dating show, Pulling With My Parents (6×50 min.). The format is due to premiere on RTÉ2 on October 14.

Pulling With My Parents sees parents take control of their lovelorn children’s dating apps, on the basis that no one knows them better than mom and dad. The format explores the generation gap and serves up some blunt advice as a generation who did their courting the old-fashioned way attempt to crack the cupid conundrum for their kids.

Alleycats Managing Director Ed Stobart, who executive produced the series with Emma Parkins, said: “As a company with a rapidly growing factual slate, Alleycats was looking for a distributor at a similarly dynamic stage of its evolution—and we found it in eOne. For us, eOne’s Kate Cundall and Noel Hedges are dream partners, not only because they share our belief in Lost Words and Hidden Treasures and will search out the best possible platforms for the series, but also because they are focused on growing eOne’s factual business with the sort of premium projects in which Alleycats specializes. We hope this deal marks the start of a long and mutually rewarding relationship.”

Kate Cundall, eOne’s VP of acquisitions, added: “It is always exciting to be working with such innovative producers. From outset, this show promised to be visually stunning, editorially rigorous and truly global in its approach, making it a unique piece of archaeological story-telling.”