1. A KEY FOR CHANNEL 4
Among the new unscripted slate of Channel 4, it’s worth pointing out another one (in addition to the 2 described in Friday’s Espresso of 20th May): Key To a Fortune.
The format (commissioned to Crackit Production) starts from an interesting premise: each year in the UK, millions of pounds worth of vacant homes sit unclaimed. These hidden treasures belong to ordinary people, unknowing inheritors to treasured estates that were once owned by a distant relative who left no will.
The series follows the host Jean Johansson (pic below) on a mission to find these unaware inheritors, reunite them and help them decide what to do with their windfall. Thanks also to some co-presenting property experts, each family receives suggestions for how to unlock the potential in their house. But whether they decide to share it, sell it as it is or find a way of adding value, it’s a decision the families must all make together.
2- FINLAND DARES SPECIAL FORCES
The Finnish version of SAS: Who Dares Wins for Nelonen’s Ruutu SVOD platform will be produced by Banijay Finland, that holds also the global distribution rights.
The original format, taking its name from the Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army, has been on air on Channel 4 since 2015 (7 series produced so far + 3 celebrity spin-offs) and has already been adapted in 6 different countries.
The Finnish version will recruit a roster of celebrities who will be put through a series of physical and psychological tests modeled on the Special Forces selection process to see if they have what it takes to be chosen for elite training. The training team in Finland is led by a navy veteran, who will be joined by former elite servicemen to run the course and provide insight into the process.
Definitively a real classic of action formats.
3 - FORMAT & TECHNOLOGY
Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and other cutting-edge technologies have been used for several years in unscripted in different ways. In the near future they may become game-changers.
In particular, Virtual Reality can be used as impactful set designs (see Lost In Time 2017, and family Piggy Bank - see Friday’s Espresso 21st Jan). More recently they have been used to create “hybrid formats”, shows that put in the same “cross medial spaces” real and virtual people (e.g. Mystery Star Date - Friday’s Espresso 3rd December and Alter Ego - Friday’s Espresso 26th November).
Now, with Your Body Uncovered with Kate Garraway (produced by Remarkable Television), on air in the last months on BBC TWO at 8pm, something completely different has been created. The host Kate Garraway and doctor Guddi Singh meet patients with everyday medical conditions and take them through an immersive medical consultation using cutting-edge technology to allow them to see what is going on inside their bodies.
Thanks to special VR glasses, the patients literally look inside their bodies to discover the effects of their illness (for instance what happens to their lungs when they have Covid).
The participants’ reactions to these shocking scenes are particularly moving.