ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide Channels has confirmed two stunning new factual titles set to launch internationally in 2011.Μύ

Originating from Australia, Free Rein and The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment come from the production powerhouses Lonely Planet TV, FREEHAND and The Full Box Productions, and will air locally on UKTV, as well as on international feeds of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Knowledge, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Entertainment.

Jana Bennett, President, Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer said, β€œIt remains an important part of our strategy to increase our commitment to local commissions.

These titles represent a fraction of the rich plethora of stories across our markets just waiting to be told and I’m delighted that our international audiences will get to experience them through our channels.”

In Free Rein, a 1 x 50’ special for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Knowledge, film and television legends Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward (The Thorn Birds) go in search of the spirit of Australia on the ultimate horseback adventure across The Kimberley, the Outback’s last frontier.

Although they come from very different backgrounds, two passions that this husband-and-wife team share are a love of horses and a fascination with the true stories of Australian history.

These are the drivers that set them on a challenging personal journey across the remotest region of the country.

Now filming in The Kimberley, Free Rein is a Lonely Planet TV and Freehand production for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Knowledge.

It will launch internationally on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Knowledge in 2011, and also air on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Entertainment.

Executive producer Sue Norton of Lonely Planet TV said, β€œThis is a fantastic project – we’re heading to Australia’s wild west and taking a step back in time to give audiences a true grit Lonely Planet experience.”

The dramatised documentary The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment (1 x 90 or 2 x 60), will tell the story of the most spectacularly successful shoplifting gang in history.

The Kangaroo Gang was a brazen band of Australian thieves who ran riot in London for more than a decade.

Led by its charismatic 'King' Arthur Delaney, the gang targeted the plush retailers of Knightsbridge and Mayfair, as well as crossing Europe to lay siege to the luxury emporia of Paris, Brussels, Rome and beyond.

Based on the book King of Thieves, by best-selling author Adam Shand (Big Shots, the inside story of Melbourne's gangland wars), The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment is produced by The Full Box Productions for UKTV in Australia and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Knowledge globally.

β€œFree Rein and The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment are two superb Australian programmes that will have huge appeal to our local audiences,” said Deirdre Brennan, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide Australia’s Director of Television.

β€œIn Free Rein, we share a remarkable experience with two fascinating Australians as they journey through the breathtaking landscapes of the Outback.

β€œAnd The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment is an innovative recreation of a famous chapter in Australian and UK crime history; it will be a world premiere highlight of our cross-channel Crime & Justice event in October.”

Free Rein and The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment are the latest in a slate of new commissions for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide Channels in 2011, and follow the announcement of Some Say Love, the comedy pilot currently in production by Freehand, and Andy’s Wild Adventures, a co-commission with the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ for the international preschool brand, CBeebies.

Also planned this year are a local lifestyle format from EMEA, another preschool programme and more entertainment and factual titles from Australia.

Μύ

Harriet Otoo