Sky Atlantic Commissions UK Shows

In its biggest investment in the UK content to date, Sky Atlantic, has announced three new commissions including a show from Oscar nominated documentary–maker Morgan Spurlock.
Spurlock will join the channel next year with Morgan Spurlock’s New Britannia, a lively show in which the acclaimed American humourist will dissect the eccentricities of British culture.
Famed for his multi award-winning 2004 documentary, Super Size Me in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days, Spurlock has carved out a successful career challenging society’s accepted norms and bringing wry humour to taboo subjects.
Amongst the topics covered will be the nation’s unique concept of class, the intricacies of our view of foreigners, and the distinctly British attitude towards fame. Spurlock will travel the length and breadth of the country to discover and experience Britain’s traditions, institutions and behaviours first-hand; joining a real life superhero on patrol, making Black Pudding in a Bury factory and sampling the newest speed dating craze in Britain’s capital.
Morgan Spurlock said: "Doing an original series in the UK is a dream come true for me. Ever since Super Size Me premiered here in 2004, I have wanted to create a show for British television and I’m thrilled that it’s finally happening with Sky Atlantic."
Meanwhile the multimillion-pound investment in UK content, announced by Sky Director Elaine Pyke, will also see an adaptation of Robert Wilson’s Javier Falcón novels and two landmark series on Britain from Jane Root’s Nutopia hit our screens in 2012.
Mammoth Screen, the indie behind BBC1’s upcoming period drama Parade’s End, will adapt two of Wilson’s Spanish crime-drama novels, featuring Inspector Jefe Javier Falcón.
Separately, Nutopia will chart the 2,000-year history of Britain and Ireland in 7 x 60-minute series Great Britain: Our Story. It is effectively the UK version of Nutopia’s America: The Story of Us, which represented History’s biggest-ever commission and was introduced by US president Barack Obama.
(LB)