C21Podcast

Louis Theroux and Arron Fellows of Mindhouse Productions on how they’re developing new talent and documentaries alongside the authored shows Theroux is known for; and Warner Bros reality supremo Mike Darnell on his experiences on American Idol, Hell's Kitchen and more, and why he believes TV needs to take big swings on new formats rather than rebooting existing ones.

Golden Globe and Emmy award winning actor Damian Lewis and author Ben Macintyre discuss their espionage drama A Spy Among Friends, which this week heralded the launch of new streamer ITVX; and Fifth Season co-founder and CEO Chris Rice talks about what's next for the company formerly known as Endeavor Content and the future of the TV business.

Warner Bros Television Group chairman Channing Dungey on her hopes for a Harry Potter drama series and concerns over a US writers’ strike; and The Ink Factory's Michele Wolkoff, Waterside Studios' Jeff Norton, Banijay's James Townley, Nevis's Anni Fernandez and OUTtv's Philip Webb on the trends shaping the industry next year, all live from Content London 2022.

VRT's Elly Vervloet, coordinator of the European Broadcasting Union’s Drama Initiative, on the importance of collaboration between public service broadcasters and streamers on high-end scripted projects; and Wildside's Mario Gianani and The Apartment's Lorenzo Mieli on the two Fremantle-owned Italian prodcos' strategies, the virtues of risk-taking and place of development.

ACF Investment Bank's Thomas Dey on helping Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment raise US$125m and the sale of The Lord of the Rings trilogy for even more; former Channel 4 exec Kelly Webb-Lamb on her new UK indie Mothership Productions and why the privatisation of her previous employer would be a bad idea; and Trioscope's LC Crowley on the hybrid animation studio's evolution and working with Game of...

Sir Ian Rankin and Viaplay's Filippa Wallestam on their new adaptation of the author's bestselling Rebus detective novels; Thai Randolph and Bryan Smiley on the expansion of US comedian Kevin Hart's production company Hartbeat; and Cosmo Media Labs' Alexander Bushnell and Goldfinch's Phil McKenzie on the metaverse and Web3 technology.

Samsung's Jennifer Batty on growing the electronics giant's FAST channels business; Amcomri Entertainment's Robert Price on the Abacus Media Rights owner's expansion; director Simon West and producer Miguel Menéndez on RTVE/Amazon seafaring epic Boundless; and Sipur's Emilio Schenker on the Israeli prodco's new reality dating format Hungry for Love.

Taskmaster's Alex Horne on the latest international versions of the UK comedy entertainment format; Dr Michael Mosley on new BBC Studios science series How to Live to 101; Moonbug Entertainment's Nicolas Eglau on the CoComelon owner's expansion; Bavaria Fiction's Marcus Ammon on growing copro opportunities; and Banijay's Rob van der Vleugel and Sil Geurtsen on new balloon art talent show Blow Up.

From Mipcom 2022 in Cannes, we hear from writer, actor and director Hugo Blick and Drama Republic's Greg Brenman about their latest collaboration The English; from Federation Studios' Pascal Breton, Newen Connect's Rodolphe Buet and Asacha Media Group's Marina Williams about the growing influence of French companies on the international TV business; and from the C21 and Cveinteuno teams about the...

Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne on the distribution giant's first Mipcom as a combined entity since acquiring Endemol Shine, the addition to the business of Beyond International and how FAST channels and financial volatility are impacting the industry; and the C21 team on the stories and themes that will shape this weekend's MipJunior in Cannes and the main confab starting Monday.

Lionsgate Television Group's Kevin Beggs, speaking at Content Canada, about how the US studio is adapting to the changes brought by Covid and streaming, and where the industry's headed next; and Tomorrow Studios' Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements on how the ITV Studios-backed producer behind Snowpiercer and Cowboy Bebop has built up to its latest series, Showtime horror Let The Right One In.

Blockchain Creative Labs and Bento Box Entertainment's Scott Greenberg on how blockchain technology is set to transform TV; Marblemedia's Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg on going beyond glass-blowing, chainsaw-carving and sandcastle-building; and showrunner Alexi Hawley on ABC police procedural spin-off The Rookie: Feds.

Michael Lucas, creator and writer of The Newsreader, on preparations for season two of the ABC Australia drama; Blue Ant Media's Carlyn Staudt on her programming priorities for Canadian wildlife network Love Nature; and Yeti's Sarah Stevenson on the Welsh indie's move into true crime with CBS Reality.

Director Louise Hooper on her latest work on Netflix epic fantasy adventure The Sandman, based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels; The Mediapro Studio's Marta Ezpeleta on the Spanish company’s expansion in the US; and Bitsmedia's Nik Emir Din on new streaming service Qalbox, which is busy buying programming for Muslim audiences.

Banijay's Lucas Green on a new wave of TV reboots that will see shows including Big Brother and Gladiators return to UK TV screens; YouTuber Joe Sugg discusses his BBC Studios-backed unscripted start-up Final Straw Productions; and Gold Wala's Faraz Osman speaks about the challenges facing UK indies as the prospect of Channel 4 privatisation looms.

Wildlife filmmakers Keith Scholey of Silverback Films and Chadden Hunter from WildBear Entertainment on the evolution of natural history documentaries and their coverage of climate change; and BBC Studios' Melanie Rumani on the kind of programming she's looking to acquire for the company's channels around the world.

Banijay's Owain Walbyoff on how TV companies are tapping into the growing popularity of immersive experiences; Ukrainian producers Daria Leygonie-Fialko and Igor Storchak on documenting the country since Russia's invasion; and Rockerdale Studios' Michelle Singer on unearthing comedy talent at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.

Top execs from Banijay Group, BBC Studios, Blink49 Studios and MGM discuss industry issues including the rise in popularity of immersive experiences based on TV shows, UKTV's acquisition needs, vertical integration at the US studios and the deepening ties between Silicon Valley and Hollywood.

Tubi's Adam Lewinson on the Fox-owned AVoD service's programming strategy and what Netflix's about-turn on advertising means for the industry; Paramount's Nicole Clemens and Starz's Kathryn Busby on the trends shaping the industry right now; and Eureka Productions' Chris Culvenor on the Fremantle-owned Australian-American outfit's expansion plans.

343 Industries' Kiki Wolfkill on the Paramount+ TV series spin-off of the Halo sci-fi video game franchise now prepping for season two; Cineflix Media's Peter Emerson on how the Canada-headquartered company is broadening its scripted line-up; and My Daughter's Killer exec producer James Rogan on the new Netflix true crime documentary.

Red Bull Studios' Bernadette McDaid and director Leo Burley on BBC documentary The Real Mo Farah; Banijay's Kitty Walshe on her plans for Remarkable Factual and RDF Television; and Onza Américas' Emiliano Calemzuk, Gonzalo Sagardía and Harvey Grisalez on the the Spanish production company's Miami-based subsidiary.

Writer and director Peter Kosminsky on his new Channel 4 cyber thriller The Undeclared War and concerns over privatisation of the UK public broadcaster; New Metric Media's Mark Montefiore and Jeff Hersh on scaling the Canadian Letterkenny maker; and DeAPlaneta Entertainment's Diego Ibañez on the opportunities and challenges for animation in Spain.

Director Bill Eagles on his new series The Reunion, an English-language mystery thriller for the European Alliance of public broadcasters; and ERR's Tiivi Tüür, 1+1 Media Group's Olga Slisarenko and Mariia Bielaia, and Globo's Isadora Filpi – all from Natpe Budapest – on the latest developments in Central and Eastern Europe.

Banijay Iberia CEO Pilar Blasco, global head of content development James Townley and EMEA head of scripted Lars Blomgren, plus DLO Producciones chairman and founder José Manuel Lorenzo discuss topics including new rules impacting local producers and the content pipeline between Spain and Latin America, at last week's Conecta Fiction AND Entertainment coproduction event in Toledo.

Blink49 Studios CEO John Morayniss on the Endeavor Content-backed company’s first projects; Disney EMEA VP of animation Orion Ross on the Mouse House's new series; and BlackBox Multimedia head of development Chiara Cardoso on the dramas it has coming out of the UK, Italy and Spain.