Passion Showcasing Full Factual Slate at MIPCOM

Heading up Passion Distribution’s over-100-hour-strong factual slate are The Architecture the Railways Built and History Hunters, two news series from Brown Bob Productions for UKTV’s Yesterday.

The Architecture the Railways Built showcases stunning railway architecture from across the U.K. and Europe, from grand stations to signal boxes, viaducts to railway villages and everything in between. The six-parter History Hunters, meanwhile, stars the father and son team of Dave and Steve Nuwar, who run a military antiques business. They travel the country to source items from fairs, auctions, house calls and online.

In the one-off Pompeii: The Untold Story, Raksha Dave and Dan Snow piece together the definitive account of what happened in the weeks, years and centuries after the volcanic disaster. The series is produced by Voltage TV for Channel 5.

From producers Wild Bear Entertainment, the documentary series Bridging the Expanse celebrates the world’s most iconic bridges, exploring the remarkable feats of engineering from early history through to the present day.

World’s Most Expensive Cruise, produced by ITN Productions for Channel 5, is a new lifestyle series that offers exclusive access and behind-the-scenes insight aboard the most luxurious ship ever built.

The lifestyle format Corner Show Cook-Off is the ultimate culinary show with a twist, where professional chefs go head-to-head with the series resident chef to create three courses using only ingredients bought from a featured corner shop. The series is a Mentorn Scotland production for BBC Scotland.

Outrageous Weddings, also on offer from Passion this MIPCOM, is part documentary, part clip series and sees professional wedding footage supplied by the bride and groom combined with content shot by guests. The series features outrageous weddings that push the boundaries of budgets and taste with tears, laughter, fights and pranks. Also from back2back Productions is season two of Help! My House is Haunted, which brings together three of the world’s leading paranormal investigators as they help families reclaim their homes from unwelcome spirits.

In Girls on Girls, five women who have never met show each other their very different lives over 48 hours. The series is a Little Gem production for BBC Three.

Returning factual entertainment and lifestyle series include the second seasons of The Sex Clinic and Big Fat Desi Wedding and the third seasons of Price of Fame and Where to I Do?

In entertainment fare, the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race is expanding to include a new U.K. localized version. The eight-part RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, produced by World Of Wonder for BBC Three, sees host RuPaul and Judge Michelle Visage make the trip across the pond to search for the British drag queen with the most spectacular mix of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. Werq the World, meanwhile, provides a backstage pass and intimate insight into the global phenomenon of drag. The docuseries follows ten of the most famous drag queens in the world as they bring their jaw-dropping performances to ravenous fans across Europe. It is produced by World Of Wonder for WOW Presents Plus. RuPaul’s Drag Race is also returning with a 14-episode season 12.

After five years away from TV due to a career-threatening illness, the award-winning magician Dynamo returns with a new three-part special, Project 7 (working title). The new series is co-produced by Phil McIntyre Television, Inner Circle Films and Motion Content Group for Sky and will air on Sky One and streaming service NOW TV in the U.K. and Ireland in 2020.

In Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, the eponymous journalist explores modern life by spending 72 hours in the company of a wide range of extraordinary characters and families, including polyamorists, YouTubers and teen MMA cage fighters. “The series covers universal themes of modern relationships and family life, with the families providing a unique lens into each topic,” said Emmanuelle Namiech, the company’s CEO.

In the slate highlight Twice the Life for Half the Price, families try to exit the rat race and work to live, rather than live to work.

“We are incredibly proud to have partnered with some of the world’s most talented producers to bring you one of our most exciting and premium lineups yet,” added Namiech.