UKTV History--a channel operated by UKTV, which is a joint venture between the BBC and Flextech--has announced a major new multiplatform interactive commission, entitled "Britain's Best," which will feature celebrity gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, encouraging the audience to nominate and vote for their favorite British historical site. The components of the commission include two linear-TV series and a special, airing on UKTV History; on-demand video that will be available via the UKTV History Web site starting March 9th, as well as via mobile downloads; red-button interactive TV; and strategic partnerships with around 100 organizations, such as History Matters, English Heritage and the National Trust. The commission, which was ordered by Adrian Wills, channel head of UKTV History and UKTV Documentary, and by Jo Clinton-Davis, UKTV's head of commissioning, is being produced by Lion TV--which altogether has created over 15 hours of content for it (i.e. five 60-minute episodes for each of the linear TV series; one 90-minute linear-TV special; and 25 two-and-a-half minute films for Web and mobile delivery). "'Britain's Best' is UKTV History's most ambitious commission to date, both in terms of scale and budget," UKTV's Wills said in a prepared statement. "We're investing the channel's entire 2007 commissioning budget into this ground-breaking event, so we can deliver high-quality content created specifically for each platform--television, online and mobile--a first here at UKTV. We want to actively engage and build a community that is as passionate about Britain's rich heritage as we are." Added UKTV's Clinton-Davis: "One of the novel aspects of this commission is we'll be creating modular films that will work as a narrative but can also be stitched together in different ways--either thematically, chronologically, or geographically--on the linear platform or customized for different applications in the non-linear environment."
The commission's first five-episode linear TV series, which will premiere in April, will feature 25 historic sites, categorized by type (e.g. castles, gardens, palaces, religious buildings, and historic houses). Each show will investigate the history of these sites, and viewers will be invited to vote for any of the 25--or to nominate and vote for other sites they feel are also of major historical significance--via the red button, the Web, landline or mobile phone. The commission's second linear TV series will premiere in July. Each of its five episodes will be hosted by a different celebrity, who will champion historic sites located in his or her region of origin. The commission's 90-minute grand finale will air in September and will see Titchmarsh announcing the winning historical site, as voted on by viewers.
According to UKTV, user-generated content will also play a key role in "Britain's Best": in addition to being able to vote for and nominate their favorite historic sites, viewers will be able to make comments, and upload videos to the UKTV History Web site for other viewers to watch online or download to their mobiles. UKTV says that the commission's UGC component will "create a unique online directory with honest comments and personal memories of some incredible places, inspiring others to discover and learn more about their own local heritage."
Originally Published: January 31, 2007 in [itvt] Issue 7.16 Part 3
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