UKTV, Five, IWC Media Join Forces

LONDON: UKTV has signed a content deal with Five and IWC Media to part-finance a second installment of Rory and Paddy’s Great British Adventure, while also acquiring the first.

The 6×1-hour factual-entertainment series Rory and Paddy’s Even Greater British Adventure will premiere on Five before receiving its pay-TV premiere on UKTV’s Blightly shortly after. The deal gives UKTV the exclusive multichannel broadcast rights for the new installment, while the same rights for the first 4×1-hour series will be shared with Fiver. UKTV will also share the non-linear broadcast rights for both series with Five and Fiver, respectively.

Produced by IWC Media, Rory and Paddy’s Even Greater British Adventure follows British comedians Rory McGrath and Paddy McGuinness around the U.K. as they compete in a range of quintessential British pursuits, including clog dancing, black pudding throwing, hen racing, lawnmower racing and haggis hurling.

UKTV’s acting director of content acquisitions, Alexandra Finlay, said, “The Rory and Paddy format is such a perfect fit for Blighty that we are thrilled to be actively working with Five in bringing to air another brand-new series, while also acquiring the first from IWC Media as part of the same innovative deal.”

Five’s controller of factual entertainment, Steve Gowans, added, “I’m delighted to welcome Rory, Paddy and their camper van back to Five. The first series was a big hit with our viewers and I’m sure we can build on their unique brand of informative silliness.”

IWC executive producer Helen Nightingale commented, “Rory and Paddy’s Even Greater British Adventure is a glorious celebration of the eccentricities that make this country great; the brave, the bizarre and the downright bonkers—but most of all it’s just very, very funny.”