News

U.K. network Channel 4 has commissioned a new documentary from Curious Films about TV host and author Paula Yates, who died following a heroin overdose at the age of 41 in 2000.

The two-part doc, titled simply “Paula,” will explore the “life and legacy” of the wildchild presenter, whose relationships with Boomtown Rats’ vocalist Bob Geldof and rockstar Michael Hutchence dominated the headlines in the late 1990s. Yates and Geldof’s daughter, model Peaches Geldof, also died of a heroin overdose at the age of 25 in 2014.

The doc promises to “reveal the real Paula Yates behind the tabloid-driven narrative, drawing on an extraordinary set of never-before-heard interviews, the words of some of those who knew her best and a wealth of archive to tell her story in her own words.”

Yates was a Channel 4 staple during her prime, fronting shows including “The Tube” and “The Big Breakfast” for which she interviewed...

The botched Operation Yewtree investigation, which sought to bring to light historic sex offences perpetrated by British celebrities in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, is set to be examined in a new Channel 4 documentary.

Singer Cliff Richard, radio DJ Paul Gambaccini and former “Pop Idol” judge Neil Fox were among those publicly accused of historic sex crimes during the operation, which launched 10 years ago. None of them were ever convicted of any crimes.

Richard went on to sue the BBC for invasion of privacy after the network broadcast a police raid of his home during the operation. He was awarded £210,000 in damages and over £2 million (2.4 million) in legal costs, although he said the sum didn’t cover the full cost of the legal bills he incurred in a bid to clear his name.

Curious Films (“Caroline Flack: Her Life & Death”) are producing the doc, which will...

The pandemic has hit the supply of new shows in the factual and documentary space, as it has in the scripted arena, attendees of the virtual edition of TV conference MipTV heard Friday.

During his presentation on trends in unscripted content, David Ciaramella, communications manager at research firm K7 Media, said: “There have been few new shows really taking the industry by storm so far this year. Disruption caused by the pandemic is well-known and well-documented in the world of scripted television, but factual and documentary producers have also been affected.

“Bans on travel have meant that wildlife filmmakers are unable to travel to lands a far, whilst access series have struggled to be granted that all important … well, access.

“Most of the programming we’re seeing now has been in development since before Covid-19 swept the globe, and has been held back until the spring season for maximum sales impact.

In today’s Global Bulletin, Amazon Prime Video commissions “Celebrity Bake Off España”; BBC Three sets launch date for “Dreaming Whilst Black”; HBO Max boards “Lucy the Human Chimp”; Banijay Iberia shakes up its executive team; and Beyond Rights acquires “Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death” ahead of MipTV.

Format

Amazon Prime Video is bringing Love Productions and the BBC’s popular cooking format “Celebrity Bake Off” to Spanish cocinas with “Celebrity Bake Off España,” a local version of the program set to feature big names from Spanish sports, music and entertainment.

Sticking with what has worked so well for the franchise thus far, “Celebrity Bake Off España” will pit 12 celebs in a weekly culinary competition to be judged by experts, with one contestant sent home each week.

Trans-Atlantic production house Boxfish TV, producers of the current Spanish remake of the original “Bake Off” for Cuatro, will also produce the...