Patrick Holland unveils BBC Two’s new spring/summer schedule

Patrick Holland talked in more detail about his vision for BBC Two and the three themes that underpin it: reasserting the role of authorship; feeling more vital and relevant to the audience; and embracing all the specialisms on the channel from science, history, arts and religion to current affairs, natural history, documentaries, music.

The new titles include:

• New documentary series from Keo Films, the makers of Exodus: Our Journey To Europe, explores what it means for families to be living and working on the poverty line
• 20 Days, goes behind the headlines to reveal the extraordinary sequence of events following the resignation of David Cameron, while Patrick Forbes traces the turbulent months following the referendum in Brexit Means Brexit
• New film tells the inside story of the horrific murder of Jo Cox MP
• Annette Bening and Matthew Broderick star in Katrina: American Crime Story
• Major new celebration of the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles
• New history series reveals the creation of the first national secret service during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
• New science series lifts the lid on the latest innovations in surgery, as revealed in the operating theatres of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
• Major new profile of legendary writer John le Carré

Patrick Holland says: “I took the reins at BBC Two last September and it is a terrific privilege to be controller of the third biggest channel in the UK, a channel with a greater number of original titles than any other terrestrial broadcaster, that is a powerhouse of new ideas, new formats and talents, and which has such a vital role to play in the cultural and intellectual and life of the UK.

“I believe BBC Two has a unique role in the broadcasting landscape: to bring the increasingly complex and changing world to the audience through expert perspective, human engagement and great storytelling, and the new programmes I’m announcing today signal my vision for the channel.

“First of all, I want to make the channel feel more vital and relevant to the audience and I’m delighted to announce a number of titles that shine fresh light on contemporary life, from new programmes from Current Affairs marking the first anniversary of the Brexit vote from mid-June onwards, to Breadline, a major new series from Keo, the makers of Exodus, exploring what it’s like for working families living in poverty across the UK.

“Secondly, I want to build on the channel’s great tradition as the place where the audience comes to discover the world and bring broad audiences to all the specialisms; I’m excited to be announcing a fantastic new music programme celebrating the genius of Sgt. Pepper, whilst from history we have Queen Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents, a new series that tells the story of the creation of the first secret service.

“Finally, underpinning all of this is authorship, an essential part of the DNA of the channel. From Conor McPherson’s upcoming new drama Paula, to Damon Beesley’s brilliant new comedy White Gold, every BBC Two programme shares this quality and we have a stunning schedule of new content to look forward to over the next few months on the channel.”

Pictured: Olivier-award winning Denise Gough in Paula, BBC Two’s new revenge thriller by playwright and filmmaker Conor McPherson.

All titles are working titles. 

EDA

Programme Information for spring/summer highlights on BBC Two below:

20 days - Battle For Supremacy

This new drama documentary tells the story of the Conservative Party’s 2016 leadership campaign, from the day David Cameron resigned to the day Theresa May became Prime Minister.

Based on exhaustive research and first-person testimonies, this dramatised narrative goes beyond the headlines to lay bare the politicking and positioning, betrayals and blunders of this extraordinary political time. The programme also features key interviews with people who were intimately involved in the campaigns of the main contenders.

Commissioned by Gian Quaglieni, Commissioning Editor, Current Affairs and produced by Juniper TV. The writers are Justin Hardy and Samir Shah, the Producer is Samir Shah and the Director is Justin Hardy.

Jo Cox: Death Of An MP

On 16 June 2016 the murder of Jo Cox - in the heat of EU referendum campaigning - shocked the nation. Jo Cox: Death Of An MP tells the story of this horrific attack and events surrounding it through the testimony of those closest to it, including Jo Cox's family, eye witnesses and those who knew the murderer, Thomas Mair.

With unique access to West Yorkshire Police’s murder investigation the programme draws together for the first time all the CCTV, archive footage and other evidence that was gathered by the investigating officers.

The result is a forensic exploration of what the prosecutors at Mair’s trial called a 'terrorist' murder’. The programme asks, what led a man with no history of violence to brutally murder a female MP whom he had never met?

Jo Cox's political convictions and the issues she fought so passionately for were at odds with Mair’s viewpoint, which some think motivated him to murder. Who Jo Cox was, and what she stood for, is explored in the film through archive footage and intimate interviews with family and friends.

Set against the backdrop of the EU referendum as the political temperature rises across the country, Jo Cox: Death Of An MP is a detailed account of that tragic day and sheds a unique light on the mystery of why Thomas Mair abandoned his quiet life to commit an act of terrorism.

Commissioned by Gian Quaglieni and produced by Amos. The Executive Producer is Dan Reed and Toby Paton is the Producer/Director.

Brexit Means Brexit

Double Bafta-winner Patrick Forbes follows up the candid, revelatory Brexit: A Very British Coup? with Brexit Means Brexit. This new programme traces the turbulent months since 23 June 2016, with unprecedented access to all the leading protagonists in Westminster, around the UK and beyond. All of them talk openly and honestly as they grapple with the most significant political decision this country has made for a very long time.

Commissioned by Gian Quaglieni and produced by Oxford Film And Television.

Breadline

Britain is the world’s fifth richest nation, and yet… at some schools one in five children arrive at school hungry every day*; almost a third of families live on an income which is below the Minimum Income Standard**; And low wages, zero hours contracts and the new 'gig economy' mean that an estimated 1.7 million families are living in poverty in the UK despite having full time jobs***.

This new series from Keo Films aims to give those people a voice, and will show the reality of what it means to be living - and working - on or below the poverty line.

These films will chart people’s lives over the course of a year, in homes across the whole of the UK, against the background of an ever-changing political and economic landscape.

What is it like to have to choose between being warm or fed? To sleep at work because you can’t afford to travel home? To water down the milk to make it last longer? At a time when the government has pledged to shave £12 billion from the welfare bill, this series will take an unflinching look at poverty in the UK.

Breadline, 4x60, is made by Keo Films. It is commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries and the BBC Commissioning Editor is Clare Paterson; the Executive Producers are Will Anderson and Andrew Palmer.

Sources

* Feeding Britain: Britain’s not-so-hidden hunger
** Households below a Minimum Income Standard: 2008/09 to 2014/15 
*** In-work poverty

To mark the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles on 1 June 1967, the BBC is celebrating with programmes across TV and radio. In early June, BBC Two presents Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution, a new documentary from Huge Films which will present Sgt. Pepper as you have never heard it before - literally.

The film will include extracts from material never before accessible outside of Abbey Road: studio chat between the band, out-takes, isolated instrumental and vocal tracks as well as passages from alternative takes of these world-famous songs. The programme will be written and presented by one of Britain’s leading composers and most admired music broadcasters, Howard Goodall. He will be getting to grips with the album’s musical nuts and bolts.

Using visually-striking set dressing, projections and props, the film will conjure up the multicoloured, phantasmagorical world of Sgt. Pepper.

Commissioned and executive produced for BBC Two by Jan Younghusband, Head of Commissioning, Music TV. It is made by Huge Films, director is Francis Hanly and the producers are Martin R. Smith and Jonathan Clyde.

Science - Operation

Ten million operations are performed in the UK every year, and this new four-part science series focuses on the pioneering work taking place in the operating theatres of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

With 30 theatres under the same roof, numerous life-changing and life-saving procedures are performed here each day, and Operation will lift the lid on the advanced science and new technology being deployed by the surgical teams operating at the cutting edge of medicine.

From robots assisting with keyhole surgery, to burns being healed with synthetic skin, and facial reconstruction with the help of a 3D printer, this series will reveal the extraordinarily innovative and experimental procedures that take place on the frontline of medical science.

With 360-degree access to hospital staff and patients, and specialist cameras equipment revealing never before seen details, Operation will give an unprecedented insight into the science behind the modern medical miracles that take place in NHS operating theatres every day.

Operation, 4x60, is commissioned by Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Natural History & Specialist Factual. The Commissioning Editor is Craig Hunter and the Executive Producers for Dragonfly Film & TV are Richard Bond & Simon Kerfoot.

This is the story of the creation of the first secret service.

Elizabeth I - the Virgin Queen, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, the end of the Tudors and rise of the Stuarts, the union of England and Scotland, the Gunpowder Plot. Behind these iconic stories of a volatile age were two of the most remarkable figures in British history: a father, William Cecil, who plotted the execution of Mary, and his son Robert, who masterminded the end of Elizabeth’s reign and her succession.

This three-part series for BBC Two reveals their extraordinary contribution to our island story.

In the late 16th century, Britain was Europe’s pariah - a protestant island on the northern edge of a catholic continent. England had no police force, nor even a standing army. Into this maelstrom stepped two civil servants - William and his son Robert Cecil - who devised and ran a semi-private secret state. They introduced Britain to the art of ‘spyery’, foiling countless plots against Elizabeth’s life. They also eliminated their rivals - by killing them if necessary. They became kingmakers, sending one queen to her death and handing the English crown to her son.

In a unique approach, historical experts have been tasked with taking the audience inside the mind of a different protagonist. The film will explore the politics and positioning around the Queen - a game with the highest stakes, where a false move could lead to your execution.

Commissioned by Tom McDonald and being made by 72 Films where the Executive Producer is David Glover and the Series Producer is Chris Durlacher.

This September, to coincide with the publication of John le Carré’s new novel, A Legacy Of Spies, BBC Two presents a major documentary profile of the legendary writer.

The new novel sees le Carré (pictured) return to his most beloved character, George Smiley, for the first time in over 25 years.

The secretive world of Smiley and Cold War intrigue that made le Carré a bestselling writer famously drew on his own experience working for British intelligence in the 1950s and 60s. But in the many interviews he has given over the years, le Carré’s own life story has often appeared as elusive and enigmatic as the characters in his books.

For this film, James Naughtie has been granted an exclusive interview and the opportunity to explore for himself le Carré's fascinating life and his extraordinary literary career. Making use of over half a century of archive interviews, classic film adaptations and a compelling encounter with le Carré at its heart, this will be a landmark profile of a writer who has achieved the rare feat of both popular success and critical acclaim.

Commissioned by Mark Bell, Head of Commissioning, Arts and being made by BBC Studios, Pacific Quay Productions. The Executive Producer is Richard Bright.

Image credit: Nadav Kandar

Katrina: American Crime Story

Also announced today, though not airing as part of the spring/summer line-up, is BBC Two's acquisition of the second instalment of the hit anthology series American Crime Story.

It will focus on Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, and its catastrophic aftermath.

The new season boasts a star-studded cast including Annette Bening and Matthew Broderick.

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says: “With the first instalment, The People v. O.J. Simpson, the brilliant Ryan Murphy and his team crafted a unique and utterly compelling television event which managed to get the nation talking once more about one of the biggest cases in history. It is with great anticipation that we welcome the second instalment of American Crime Story to BBC Two.”

American Crime Story is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions, and is distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Related Media Centre Links

• BBC to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles