Crime caper “Frauds,” starring Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker, spy thriller “Betrayal,” starring Shaun Evans, and relationship drama “Two Weeks in August,” starring Jessica Raine, head ITV Studios’ Mipcom slate. Variety spoke to ITV Studios exec Ruth Berry about their Cannes market lineup, which contains new shows galore.
“What’s important for us is that we’ve got some brilliant new IP,” Berry says. “It’s been quite tough to break new IP in the last couple of years, but we seem to have them coming thick and fast.”
In “Frauds,” set against the sun-soaked backdrop of Southern Spain, Jones and Whittaker play two con-women pulling off a high-stakes art heist. Berry notes the show’s dark humor. “It’s done in a really fun way,” she says. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything on television quite like that for some time.”
Jones is known for her BAFTA-winning lead role in “Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned” and BAFTA-nominated part in “Gentleman Jack.” Whittaker was the Doctor in “Doctor Who” and in “Broadchurch.” The show also stars Elizabeth Berrington (“Sex Education,” “Brassic,” “Fifteen-Love”), who will be in Cannes with Whittaker.
“Frauds,” comprised of six hourlong episodes, is produced by Monumental Television for ITV in association with ITV Studios. It is a co-production with TeamAkers. The show premieres in the U.K. on Oct. 5 on ITV.
“It’s just fun. It’s different. It’s shot in Spain. It’s beautifully sunny. The landscapes are amazing,” Berry says. “And you’ve got two really fun characters who are also pretty complex. I mean, there’s some pretty nasty porky pie [London slang for “lie”] telling to your best mates. Oh, that’s a bit mean. But again, they’re just fun characters, and they pull off some brilliant stunts. I mean, literally, you will be giggling to yourself and thinking they’re super cool, yet also quite naughty. That escapism is what people are craving in some ways.”
“Betrayal,” comprised of four hourlong episodes, is produced by Mammoth Screen for ITV. It stars Evans (“Endeavour,” “Vigil”) as an MI5 operative fighting to save his career and his family. Evans will promote the show at Mipcom.
“He is leading for us as that slightly complicated spy that we all know and love and seem to want to spend lots of time with,” Berry says. “It really is from that very strong playbook of spy thrillers. So, not surprisingly, he’s having challenges with his family and his wife, his relationships, with work. Meanwhile, he’s pretty sure he’s cottoned on to some pretty serious threats around the nation. He’s battling to get credibility with all of those parts of his life, but he’s right about the threat.”
“Two Weeks in August” is from Various Artists Limited, the producers of “I May Destroy You,” which won two Emmys. The drama, comprised of eight hourlong episodes, is produced for the BBC, in association with ITV Studios. As well as Raine, the cast includes Nicholas Pinnock, Antonia Thomas, Damien Molony, Leila Farzad and Hugh Skinner.
It is a gripping story of a woman who goes on holiday in Greece with her family and friends to rediscover joy in her life, only to find that an illicit kiss quickly turns the dream vacation into a nightmare.
“It’s about a group of friends and family who go on this fabulous two-week holiday – idyllic, nostalgic, all getting together, having their best life. They rock up at the villa, all absolutely stunning, until it’s not,” Berry says. After the kiss, “a spiral of neurotic and sinister behavior starts to unfold.” She adds, “I think chilling, dramatic and highly addictive would probably be my three words for that one.”
Berry adds, “It’s got that vibe about it. Those complicated characters. Anyone could be on that holiday. Many people look at it and think, yep, I know people who remind me of this or that character. It’s about having characters that you want to engage with, and also finding that right tone.”
They are joined by crime procedural “A Taste for Murder,” which is six hourlong episodes. It is produced by Eagle Eye Drama for BritBox. The show offers a fresh take on the genre, blending crime with food and heartfelt family drama on the scenic Italian Amalfi coast. It stars Warren Brown (“The Gathering,” “Ten Pound Poms,” “The Responder”) and is written by Matt Baker (“Hotel Portofino”), who will both be in Cannes.
“There is that blend of crime and food, and that beautiful Amalfi Coast. It’s just a really lovely aspirational crime show,” Berry says, adding that one should be suspicious of the chef in the show but “you’ll have to watch it to find out whether it is” the chef who committed the crime.
Leading the charge for entertainment formats in Cannes will be Emily Atack (“Rivals”), co-host of the brand-new format “Nobody’s Fool,” and comedian Judi Love (“Loose Women,” “LOL: Last One Laughing UK”) star of “Celebrity Sabotage.”
In “Celebrity Sabotage,” contestants believe they are competing in a reality game show to win an incredible prize, but hidden away in a secret HQ, Celebrity Saboteurs are watching their every move, carrying out missions designed to disrupt their success. The more sabotage missions completed undetected, the greater the prize – but if a Celebrity Saboteur is caught, the contestant faces a difficult decision.
“Celebrity Sabotage,” comprised of six hourlong episodes, is produced for ITV by Lifted Entertainment, the creators of hits like “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway” and “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”
“Nobody’s Fool” is a new reality format packed with drama and deception. Unlike traditional quiz shows, the fate of the contestants isn’t determined by how smart they are, but by how smart their fellow contestants think they are. Contestants move into a “Smart House” where they must outwit each other in challenges and daily quizzes that test various aspects of intelligence. The twist is that only they know their real results, leaving it up to each contestant whether to reveal the truth or bluff – with eliminations and high stakes drama along the way. Berry describes it as “a fun, dramatic and deceptive type of game.”
Comprised of five hourlong episodes, the show is co-produced by Lifted Entertainment and Nobody’s Hero for ITV.
“Worlds Apart,” which launches on Oct. 7 on Channel 4, is a treasure hunt series that pairs teens with older adults to bridge the generational gap. The show, comprised of five hourlong episodes, is produced by South Shore.
“I just really love the sentiment of the show,” Berry says. “They start off literally worlds apart, but have to work together in order to get to the answers and win. There’s something really warm and emotional around that.”
“Worlds Apart”
Courtesy of ITV Studios
She adds, “That cross-generational thing is really interesting, and for co-viewing in particular that’s a key part of trying to find ways that you can bring in two ends of an audience to come and spend time together. So, I think a lot of people will identify with that, and you’ll find co-viewing and conversation coming out of that show, not least because I’m sure you’ll have kids asking their grandparents what on earth they’re talking about, and finding that relatability.”
“Time Is Money,” which has 25 hourlong episodes, produced by South Shore for ITV, is a lightning-paced quiz where the cash pot drains with every second.
Lastly is a spin-off from a global phenomenon: “Love Island: Beyond the Villa” is a new reality series that follows familiar faces as they navigate life and love after the villa. The show, which has eight hourlong episodes, is produced by ITV America.
“Love Island: Beyond the Villa” delivered the largest audience ever for an unscripted original series premiere on Peacock, and in its first week generated 77 million impressions across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook.
Talking about the show’s success, Berry says. “I think it’s escapism. It’s about spending time with characters that people can identify with. It’s about having characters people can root for or not, depending on who you particularly like in the villa.”
Berry adds that there have been hundreds of watch parties organized for the show in the U.S. “I think that’s really powerful. I mean, that tells you that this isn’t just about people sitting and watching it alone on a device or at home in their room. This is something that is so culturally relevant they actually want to go and engage with their friends and people they don’t even know to go and watch and share those moments around the show,” she says. “So, that’s a real learning for us about how we take that and amplify that sort of relevance and engagement with the audiences and talk to them in different ways.”
ITV Studios’ non-scripted slate is headed up by the premium access crime series “Operation Dark Phone: Murder By Text,” which is comprised of four hourlong episodes, and is produced by The Garden, the makers of “24 Hours in Police Custody,” for Channel 4.
The series explores the inside story of the world’s biggest law enforcement operation against global organized crime. “It’s an incredible piece of television,” Berry says. “It’s unbelievable what that group of people manage to uncover and penetrate and learn about things that were going on in the world.”
She adds, “I find it quite comforting to know that there are people who know how to penetrate those organizations. It’s comforting that we know what they’re doing, and we just need to find the right way to deal with it.
“There is a whole group of people who are keeping us all safe, who are in that world. And I think we want to spend a bit of time with them, and feel like, yeah, actually, you know, someone’s got our back.”
The show has already been acquired by Seven Network in Australia, SVT in Sweden, DRTV in Denmark, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland and DPG Media for the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The natural history slate includes two series from Plimsoll Productions.
“Extreme Earth” (working title), which has six hourlong episodes, is produced for ITV and ARD in Germany.
Filmed over three years, it reveals how nature is fighting back against the world’s most powerful weather events.
“It’s a really topical piece, brilliantly shot, as you would imagine, coming from Plimsoll, and shows you some really fab evolution in animals,” Berry says. “My favorite story by far is the one about the lizards that are growing longer fingers to hold onto trees in high winds. I think it’s amazing how we forget that evolution can happen at quite a pace, and that nature really is out there every day, facing those elements, whilst we can batten down the hatches.”
In “Secret Garden,” which has five hourlong episodes, and is produced for BBC and ARTE, our own backyards are given the blue-chip treatment and explores the surprising stories of the wild characters living on our doorsteps.
Finally, the slate also features “Ages of Ice,” which has three hourlong episodes, and is produced by Northern Pictures for PBS and ABC Australia. It follows a new generation of “Polarnauts” as they explore Earth’s coldest frontiers, revealing how all our lives are tied to these frozen extremes.
Berry says, “It’s about finding that right tone in the world between, particularly on that non scripted side, talking about what’s happening in the world, but without it being too much of a lesson, you know, do your recycling, otherwise this is going to happen, sort of scenario. It’s much more about: Look, this is the world we’re in. These are the things that are going on. And we need to make conscious choices around how we as viewers want to then engage with that world. So, I think it’s just finding that right tone that hits the audiences really well without it alienating them or giving them reason to not lean in and enjoy the escapism of TV.”
Berry adds, “I think what’s really important for us, and as I’m thinking more and more about what makes great content, what makes us so excited to get out and sell these shows, and work with the creators that we do, is it’s the cultural relevance,” Berry says. “You know, all of those shows, there is something in there that is really about moments that are happening now in the world, things that people should know about, and how you stay culturally relevant in the content that we’re putting out there for the market. So, I’m hoping the buyers feel the same.”
