‘The Sunday Times Best Places to Live’ set to debut on TV

Sky Media has announced a new sponsorship with Halifax that will bring the popular The Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Live’ list live to Channel 5, in a two-hour TV special this Sunday, 14th May.

In collaboration with Sky Media, Paramount (Channel 5), and media agency Zenith UK, Halifax launches its first AFP (advertising funded programming) campaign with wider commercial assets to support. The two-hour show produced by Paramount’s in-house studio builds on the existing 2-year-long partnership between Halifax and The Sunday Times. The sponsorship campaign sees a range of idents and supporting media that runs across Linear airtime, Channel 5’s social media platforms and the channel’s on-demand service, My5.

For over ten years, The Sunday Times has been celebrating the Best Places to Live in the UK. The annual list highlights the most desirable and attractive locations across Britain celebrating affordability, great schools, fast connectivity and good transport links in hotspots across the UK; including bustling cities, lively town centres, and picturesque villages nestled in the beautiful British countryside.

Now, the list is a TV special, brought to the big screen for the first time. Fern Britton – joined by Ore Oduba and Sunetra Sarker – countdown the top ten Best Places to Live in 2023 as they travel to every corner of the UK to explore each unique location. The show follows these top presenters as they go beyond the stats to find out what makes each place so special and what it feels like to live there. In each place – whether urban or rural – they chat to the locals, enjoy local activities and experience for themselves what life is like in one of the UK’s Top Ten Best Places to Live. The content is a natural fit for Channel 5’s audience - a broadcaster for the people, all across the country and a place for regional voices.

Recipe is producing the supporting TVC and ident assets that showcase the features of some of the locations that have Halifax branches, such as Birmingham and Chichester. The TVC’s celebrate the areas and what Halifax colleagues working there love about them – from recognisable landmarks to architectural features and local points of interest.

Karin Seymour, director of client and marketing, Sky Media, said: “As part of our latest partnership with Halifax, we’re really excited to launch The Sunday Times Best Places to Live content this weekend, to the perfect audience on Channel 5. The AFP brings together three of the country’s favourite presenters - Fern, Ore, and Sunetra - to take viewers on a guided tour to some of the country’s most beautiful locations, celebrating exactly why they’ve made the top ten.”

Helen Davies, the editor of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2023, said: "Over the past decade, The Sunday Times has built up Best Places to Live to become the definitive guide celebrating the very best of Britain's towns, villages and cities -- and not just old favourites, but highlighting buzzing communities across the country. It's fantastic to see it come alive as a television show.”

Fern Britton, presenter, said: “I’ve been reading the Sunday Times Best Places to Live list since it first began in 2013 – and I’m so excited to be able to join as the list expands onto TV. One of the great things about my job is the different people I get to meet, so travelling up and down the country with Ore and Sunetra to some of its most idyllic spots has been a fantastic experience.”

Kim Kinnaird, the director of Halifax Mortgages, said: “At Halifax, we know it’s where you live that really makes somewhere feel like ‘home’ and what people look for when choosing where to live is a very personal choice. We know that the housing market can sometimes feel daunting when there are so many locations and things to consider. Taking a look at these fantastic locations is a great start, with options for different budgets and family situations, alongside an exciting blend of urban and rural living. We are excited to be bringing these stunning locations directly into people’s homes with this first of its kind programme.”