There was much to be concerned about at the recent Edinburgh TV Festival, but as Michael Burns reports there were also some bright sparks to cheer the industry.
The Edinburgh TV Festival, when the UK TV production community traditionally decamps en masse from ‘the Smoke’ to a conference centre in ‘Auld Reekie’, is an opportunity for big debates to be aired, as well as news revealed of upcoming shows and formats. With almost a week of sessions and panels, it’s impossible to cover everything in one article, but here’s an overview of announcements and a taste of some of the talks.
Edinburgh TV Festival 2023: New slates
On the horizon are Prime Video UK Original documentary The Fake Sheikh; Virdee, a new six-part detective drama based on AA Dhand’s crime novels and starring Sacha Dhawan; Jenna Coleman will star as a rookie detective in The Jetty, a four-part BBC thriller from writer Cat Jones and producer Firebird Pictures. Drama The Tattooist of Auschwitz (starring Harvey Keitel) and a host of factual shows were announced by Sky; a new reality TV series The Fortune Hotel, produced by Tuesday’s Child for ITV and STV in 2024 will be hosted by Stephen Mangan; while Disney+ showed previews of three-part documentary, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story...
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