Source: Broadcastnow
Sky 1 has ordered factual shows fronted by Ross Kemp and Steve Jones that will air around World Earth Day and boost awareness of the broadcaster’s Rainforest Rescue charity campaign.
Former T4 presenter Jones will travel through the Amazon with his two brothers in the 1 x 60-minute Great Amazon Adventure (working title), produced by Ginger Productions. It will air on 19 April.
Ginger’s exec producer Ed Stobart said: “We went to great pains to reflect living in the Amazon as it really is.”
Sky 1 and Ginger both said they were keen to work with Jones again on docs due to his appeal to both male and female viewers.
The show will go out the day before the first part of Kemp’s 2 x 60-minute film, produced by Tiger Aspect, which focuses on issues affecting the region, such as deforestation and economic pressure.
Ross Kemp In The Amazon (working title) is executive produced by Clive Tulloh.
Sky is hoping the docs will drum up donations from viewers for its three-year push with the WWF to save 1 billion Brazilian trees.
Celia Taylor, factual commissioning editor for Sky 1, ordered the productions to draw audiences in, rather than lecture them on environmental issues.
“We hope Ross Kemp and Steve Jones can make the issues more populist,” said Taylor. “The aim is to bring attention to our Rainforest Rescue project, but it’s about raising awareness, not a charity-thon.”