UKTV Adds New Commission for Home

LONDON: The new lifestyle channel Home, which launched April 30 as part of UKTV’s ongoing network rebranding, has ordered a second and third season of Ty’s Great British Adventure.

Fronted by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition‘s Ty Pennington, the two 5×30-minute seasons follow transformation efforts in and around Britain. The show, produced by Twofour, will launch in its second season in September, and the third installment will air in the second quarter of 2010.

UKTV’s director of factual and factual entertainment commissioning, Jane Rogerson, commented: “Ty’s Great British Adventure was a huge success for UKTV Style last year. The series showed a completely different side to Ty—it was a real eye opener not only for him but for our viewers. We can’t wait to see what Ty does next and whose town he blows into!”

Home’s channel head, Clare Laycock, added, "Having a phenomenal talent like Ty Pennington on the channel and in a British home-grown commission is a real coup. Not only does it give us amazing cut through, it brings the real Ty closer to his thousands of British fans."

The new seasons will watch Pennington take on projects such as rebuilding an open-air swimming pool in the beleaguered town of Portishead, and resurrecting a music festival in the Scottish border town of Langholm. 

"Ty was a revelation when we worked with him in Cornwall last year," adds Twofour’s executive producer, Joe Houlihan. "The local people instantly warmed to his amazing enthusiasm and energy, as did the UKTV audience, and I am really looking forward to seeing him in action on two more extremely challenging projects."