STV Productions commissioning announcement

RNS Number : 5629R

STV Group PLC

29 June 2015

 



PRESS RELEASE                  PRESS RELEASE                  PRESS RELEASE

SKY SENDS STV PRODUCTIONS BEHIND BARS FOR NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES

29 June 2015

STV Productions and GroupM Entertainment have been commissioned by Sky to go inside Scotland's prisons to make a documentary series about life behind bars in the 21^st century.

The production team for Prison - First and Last 24 hours (8 x 44 minutes) has been given unprecedented access to film in a number of prisons including HMP Barlinnie and HMP Cornton Vale. The documentary series will tell the sometimes shocking stories of convicted criminals focussing principally on two groups of prisoners: those starting the first day of their jail sentence, and those experiencing their final 24 hours locked up, as they contemplate freedom and a return to the outside world they left behind. The series will include thought-provoking interviews with prisoners and members of prison staff who will share their insights into the prison system and the often poignant stories of their incarceration and working lives respectively.

Mick McAvoy, head of documentaries at STV Productions said: "The first and last days of a jail term are the definitive moments in a prisoner's sentence with new inmates preparing to face life behind bars, while prisoners preparing for release are tasked with adapting to the world outside."

"This hard-hitting new series will examine crime and punishment by looking at the lives of our prisoners as they go through the most intimidating days of their jail sentence."

The series which has been produced for STV Productions and GroupM Entertainment by Louise Say was commissioned for Sky by Siobhan Mulholland, who commented: "We hope viewers will be compelled by the unique perspective this documentary will bring, right into the very heart of the prison system. Shocking, often moving, but above all fascinating, Prison: First and Last 24 Hours will shine a light on institutions rarely exposed in non-scripted television."

The series is expected to be shown on Sky 1 early in 2016.

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For further information, please contact the STV press office:-  

Richard Holligan

0141 300 3416

[e-mail]

STV Productions

STV Productions is one of the UK's leading content businesses, with ambitious plans for growth and expansion in the UK and overseas.

The company has a record of success across a range of genres including drama, factual and entertainment, producing a wide range of programmes for a variety of networks, including entertainment shows Catchphrase and Let me Entertain You for ITV and Safeword and Fake Reaction for ITV2. Further commissions include ratings success Antiques Road Trip, including a celebrity version, for BBC One and Two, and quiz shows The Link for BBC One and The Lie for STV, TV3 in Ireland and S4C in Wales. STV Productions' factual commissions include documentaries Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered and Swallowed by the Sea - Ancient Egypt's Greatest Lost City for BBC One and Two. The company has recently produced the documentary The 7/7 Bombing: Survivors' Stories for ITV which will be broadcast tomorrow (Tuesday 30^th June) to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the London bombings on 7^th July 2005.  

STV Productions has a strategic international partnership, incorporating co-investment, co-development and worldwide distribution with Red Arrow Entertainment Group. Munich based Red Arrow International is STV Productions' worldwide distributor for completed programmes and formats, outside the UK.

About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company. The group serves 21 million customers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK and Ireland. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.

Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of over £4.6 billion. The company employs 31,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY). For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate

 

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