Zig Zag Receives C4 Game-Show Order

LONDON, June 5: Zig Zag
Productions has been commissioned by Channel 4 to produce a British version of
the game-show format Relentless,
due to air this fall.

Relentless marks Zig Zag’s first game show for Channel 4 and
signals the company’s expansion into entertainment formats. The series will
have an initial run of 6×45-minute episodes on Channel 4. In Relentless, presented by Rick Edwards, contestants will sign
up for the show but they’ll have no idea when it will start. What they do know
is that when the show does begin, their lives will be hijacked as they are
asked ten questions in 48 hours, with the questions to be asked at any time,
any place.

The British series was
developed by Zig Zag’s head of development, Ben Paul, whose remit includes
spearheading the company’s move into the creation of entertainment formats.

There are other
international versions of Relentless that are in development. A broadcast pilot is in production for
Germany’s ProSieben, and the format has already been optioned in France and
Italy. Zig Zag is also in discussions with a number of U.S. broadcasters
regarding the show.

International distribution
in the remainder of the world is being handled by Granada International. Zig
Zag currently has a number of new entertainment formats in development with
Granada International in preparation for international launch at MIPCOM.

Jennifer Harrington, the
head of formats at Granada International, said: “We’re really excited about the
international prospects for Relentless. It is the kind of show that sits well in all kinds of schedules and
we know that our global broadcast partners are very keen to acquire what could
be one of the top formats of the year.”

Danny Fenton, the managing
director of Zig Zag Productions, added: “This is an important milestone in the
development of Zig Zag as we continue to expand the range of genres we work in,
while focusing on subject areas with long running domestic and international
potential.”

Some of Zig Zag’s other
productions include Change the Day You Die (Fox, Sky One), The World’s Deadliest Gangs (Bravo), The Football Years (Sky), Celebrity Gladiators (Five), The Truth Behind the Moon Landings (Alliance Atlantis, Discovery), James Dean’s
Death (National Geographic), The
Passion (Channel 4), Eddie
Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers (Five), Find
Me A Family (Channel 4), Hypnosurgery
LIVE (More 4) and My Bare Lady (Fox).

—By Irene Lew