Programmes about slavery, miscarriage and ancient Greece are among the new slate of documentaries unveiled by Channel 5.
The network will also air a docusoap series which explores life at the zoo from the unique perspective of the animals.
The four projects, all for 2020, were announced on Wednesday following Ben Frow’s channel controller session at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Ben Frow, Director of Programmes for @channel5_tv really changes the pace in this controller session with his theatrical energy “I need new blood, new ears, new things and new challenges” #EdTVFest pic.twitter.com/2YcBtM9FQJ
— Broadcast Intelligence (@IntelBroadcast) August 21, 2019
Upcoming series One Thousand Years Of Slavery is from Uplands TV and is set to “transform our understanding of slavery and the slave trade, uncovering forgotten stories, breathtaking locations, living communities and cutting-edge archaeology”.
Miscarriage, produced by ITV Studios Entertainment, will see celebrities and public figures with personal experience of child loss talk about their experiences of miscarriage and stillbirth.
Bettany Hughes: My Greek Odyssey, from Sandstone Global Productions, will see award-winning historian and classicist Professor Bettany Hughes undertake a journey through the original playground of the Greek gods and heroes, to uncover the myths and stories of heroes and their world.
Ben Frow says C5 audience is changing. It’s now more upmarket and intelligent, but difficult to pull in young demographic. “Trying to snare a young person is really goddam hard.” #EdTVFest
— EdinburghTVFestival (@EdinburghTVFest) August 21, 2019
Emporium Productions has been commissioned to make Talking Animals: Tales From The Zoo.
The six-part docusoap series will follow daily life at Jersey Zoo from its residents’ – the animals – point of view.
From gorillas to flamingos, the animals themselves tell viewers their stories and voice their opinions about their lives.