Throng

Sky1 today (Tuesday 3 August, 2010) announced the commission of SINBAD (13 X 60’) from the Emmy® and BAFTA® winning Impossible Pictures (Primeval).

The new production promises a 21st century take on the classic 8th century iconic hero, SINBAD, reinvigorating the hero’s adventures for a contemporary audience.

Commissioned by Elaine Pyke, Head of Drama, Sky 1 HD, the series will be exec produced by Impossible Pictures’ Sophie Gardiner and Tim Haines from scripts by an award winning staple of writers including Jack Lothian (Ashes To Ashes, Shameless) and Neil Biswas (Skins, Martina Cole’s The Take). Annie Harrison-Baxter, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Sky1 HD, will exec produce for Sky.

Today (Tuesday 3 August, 2010) Stuart Murphy, Director of Programmes, Sky 1 HD unveiled Sky 1’s autumn line-up at a showcase for Sky’s premium entertainment channel.

Following on from the recent announcements surrounding HBO and original comedy, Sky 1 HD continues to invest heavily in original content across all genres this season - including the best mix of comedy, drama, entertainment and factual programming and a strong line-up of newly acquired series from the US.

Sky1 HD today (Tuesday 3 August, 2010) announces a deal with 20th Century Fox Television Distribution to air breakout comedy RAISING HOPE and two hotly anticipated drama series from the LA Screenings, RIDE-ALONG and LONE STAR.

RAISING HOPE is a single-camera family comedy series from Emmy® award-winning Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl); RIDE-ALONG a drama set in Chicago’s Police Department, created by Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit); and LONE STAR a Texas-based drama from the team behind Party Of Five.

Sarah Wright, Acquisitions Controller, Entertainment commented: “We’re thrilled to have secured three of 20th Century Fox’s best upcoming series’ for Sky1 HD. As a channel we want to continue to bring customers television worth paying for and RAISING HOPE, RIDE-ALONG and LONE STAR were standouts from the LA screenings - quite simply three of the best shows this year. ”

Sky1 HD today announces a deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution for the exclusive UK television rights to the critically acclaimed family sitcom THE MIDDLE, starring Emmy® Award winner Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) and created by Eileen Heisler & DeAnn Heline (both How I Met Your Mother).

The single-camera comedy will begin its first season this Summer on Sky 1 HD and Sky 1 and will build on the channel’s growing reputation for great comedy shows kick-started by the multi award-winning The Simpsons and Modern Family. The announcement was made today by Louisa Forsyth, Acquisitions Manager, Entertainment, and Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.

From the makers of Pineapple Dance Studios comes a brand new genre of television – a documentary/comedy hybrid which tackles the wonderful world of man’s best friend, from the dogs themselves to the humans who are mad for mutts. Celia Taylor, Head of Factual and Features, has greenlit the 8 x 60” series for transmission on Sky 1 HD and Sky 1 this autumn.

The brains behind Sky 1 HD’s runaway success of 2010 are turning their attention from prima donnas to prima pooches.

The brand new observational documentary series is set to feature everything from dog grooming salons to dog day care centres, dog whisperers to dog agility competitions where cameras will follow both the people who work there and those who bring their dogs in.

Sky1 HD today (August 3rd 2010) announced an exclusive one-off documentary, PRINCE WILLIAM AND THE TUSK PROJECT (w/t) presented by Ben Fogle, following Prince William on his first official visit to Africa.

Produced by Spun Gold Television, this 60 minute film will observe the Prince both in private and in public, with unprecedented access as he embarks on an official visit to Botswana. PRINCE WILLIAM AND THE TUSK PROJECT (w/t) will be broadcast exclusively on Sky1 HD and Sky1 later this year.

Cameras will join Prince William in Botswana as he marks the 20th anniversary of Tusk Trust, the African wildlife conservation charity, of which he is Royal Patron. The film will reveal his passion for conservation in Africa and why he feels it is so important to get Britain’s youth engaged. In addition to following Prince William on his official duties, the cameras will also join him as he escapes into the African wilderness for his own personal adventure.

Sky 1 HD today announced the return of its hit sports entertainment panel show A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN hosted by James Corden, in which two teams of comedians, celebrity sports fans and sports stars compete against each other for sporting honours.

Returning as team captain is former England footballer and Sky Sports presenter Jamie Redknapp, with regular panellists comedian John Bishop and Sky Sports News presenter Georgie Thompson.

The second series of A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is set to be even bigger and better than before, with increased panellist and audience participation, and a host of exciting guest names.

The teams will continue to battle it out in three riotous rounds of sporting challenges, testing their sporting knowledge, physical skills and competitive edges.

Following the success of his award-winning documentaries on Gangs, Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Amazon, in ROSS KEMP EXTREME WORLD, Ross shows how international organised crime, terrorists and local criminal networks have created alliances that are destroying the lives of millions around the world.

Over five powerful episodes, Ross and his BAFTA® award-winning team travel to Mexico, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and Chicago to track down, meet and challenge criminals who are responsible for spreading death and mayhem through drug dealing, terrorism, murder and rape. Plus, in a UK-based episode, Ross reveals the grim truth about people trafficking in Britain.

Following on from the hugely successful PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS, SHOWBUSINESS is SKY1 HD’s performance documentary take on the showbiz industry.

The new series will spread its net over London’s West End, the epicentre of the showbiz world, and feature the most jaw-dropping array of performers around. The series will offer the same joy and sensibility of Pineapple, including many visits back to the famous studio that kicked it all off, but will take things to a supersized level.

Following his introduction on Sky1 HD’s PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS, LOUIE SPENCE has become a star in his own right. This new serieswill follow him on his mission to put on a huge West End review show. He has hired a production office and a theatre rehearsal space from which he will cast the best performance extravaganza London has ever seen.

Coke Zero Street Striker Presented by Wayne Rooney is back again for another year and this time the search for the nation’s most skilful street footballer is bigger and better than ever!

We’re looking for raw street talent with the biggest flicks, best tricks and hardest kicks to show their pace, agility and accuracy in a series of challenges at our open trials.

So, if you’re aged between 16 and 24 years old and think you might have what it takes to be crowned Coke Zero Street Striker 2010, just bring your trainers and your mates down to our  open trials for your chance to impress the show’s judges!  Our trials will be held in Cathedral Gardens, Central Manchester on Saturday 17th July or St Martin’s Square, Bullring, Birmingham on Saturday 24th July.

Building on the success of its mobile TV service on iPhone, Sky today announced a Sky Mobile TV app for iPad is now available on the App Store.

Sky Mobile TV is the UK’s most popular mobile TV service and offers a high-quality live TV viewing experience on the move, offering access to all Sky Sports channels and Sky News.

The new bespoke app has been created to take advantage of the increased screen size offered by the new device.

Sky Mobile TV gives sports fans access to the Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premiere League and Coca Cola Football League games as well as live coverage of international and domestic cricket, PGA golf from Europe and the US, Guinness Premiership Rugby, ATP tennis and a range of other sports.  Sky News, the Royal Television Society’s (RTS) News channel of the year, is also available through the package.

Reaching a total audience of over nine million viewers, Sky1 HD’s PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS had everyone from Kylie Minogue to Chris Moyles; Simon Cowell to Kate Moss talking, quickly establishing itself as the cult television hit of the year.

Sky1 HD have signed up the man at the centre of it all, dance expert Louie Spence, for a multi-channel exclusive deal, which promises to have Louie bring even more wildly camp antics to the channel.

Celia Taylor, Head of Factual, Sky1 HD, said: “Louie Spence is a phenomenon. He’s warm, talented, honest and is a brilliant laugh. He’s just the type of person we want to be working with.

PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS was a very big success for us, in no small part due to Mr Spence, his bendy legs and his ability to send up anyone who takes themselves too seriously. We’re really thrilled Louie is making Sky 1 HD his home.”

Sky 1 HD today announced a stellar line up for its new series Must Be The Music. The judging panel will include the current golden boy of the British music scene Dizzee Rascal, multiple award-winning singer, pianist and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Cullum and chart topping singer/songwriter Sharleen Spiteri.

The judges and host will be attending auditions in London, Manchester and Edinburgh over June and July in the search for the UK’s best music act – any age, any song, any style. With such wide-ranging musical backgrounds, the panel are perfectly placed as judges for Must Be The Music, which is open to any type of musical talent, be they a gospel choir, an indie rock band, a rapper or a soprano singer.

In January 2010, Sky1 HD’s spectacular new dance contest GOT TO DANCE shimmied onto the channel to much fanfare. Edinburgh, Manchester and London played host to auditions where competitors took to the stage in front of an expert, contemporary dance panel consisting of Diversity lead choreographer Ashley Banjo, Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, and Coyote Ugly and West End star Adam Garcia.

Host Davina McCall was on hand to congratulate or comfort those who managed or failed to make the grade. Now they’re all back for a second series that promises to be bigger, bolder and better than ever before. This time the stakes are higher as the acts compete for the biggest ever talent show prize of £250,000 in front of an even bigger studio audience of 1,200 people.

Davina McCall said, “I'm not sure if it's legal to enjoy my job so much but GOT TO DANCE is my dream show! It just HAD to come back, I'm so glad it has!”

Building on the success of its mobile TV service on iPhone, Sky today announced a Sky Mobile TV app for iPad is now available on the App Store.

Sky Mobile TV is the UK's most popular mobile TV service and offers a high-quality live TV viewing experience on the move, offering access to all Sky Sports channels and Sky News. The new bespoke app has been created to take advantage of the increased screen size offered by the new device.

Sky Mobile TV gives sports fans access to the Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League and Coca Cola Football League games as well as live coverage of international and domestic cricket, PGA golf from Europe and the US, Guinness Premiership Rugby, ATP tennis and a range of other sports. Sky News, the Royal Television Society's (RTS) News channel of the year, is also available through the package.