Produced by Endemol Shine North, part of Endemol Shine UK, the ten-part series features top UK crime writers discussing real life crime cases that inspired their work
LONDON, UK – 29 June, 2017 – CBS Reality, owned by AMC Networks International – UK and CBS Studios International, announced today a new and exclusive CBS Reality Original commission, “Written in Blood,” as part of the channel’s autumn line up.
The 10×60 series produced by Endemol Shine North for CBS Reality brings fact and fiction together as bestselling thriller writer Simon Toyne, author of The Boy Who Saw and other titles, meets other top UK crime writers to discuss how their works of fiction have been inspired by real life crimes. Each episode delves into a different criminal case using reconstruction, real life footage, interviews with senior police officers who worked on the cases, along with family members, key witnesses, and other experts.
In the first episode, Toyne meets Mark Billingham, award-winning author of the Tom Thorne crime novels, to discuss and investigate the honour killing of Banaz Mahmod. The case had such a profound impact on Billingham that it proved to be the starting point of his 2017 novel and Sunday Times bestseller, Love Like Blood, set in a world in which families will do anything to protect their honour.
The other authors featured in “Written in Blood” are Alex Marwood, Peter James, Angela Clarke, Luke Delaney, Elly Griffiths, RC Bridgestock, Marnie Riches, Simon Kernick and Howard Linskey.
Simon Toyne said: “Everyone I’ve ever met is obsessed with real life crimes and the people who commit them, and crime writers are no different. In this series I get to talk to some of the brightest lights in crime about the darkest criminals in history; and I absolutely loved every second of it.”
Sam Rowden, Director of Programming, CBS Reality and Executive Producer on “Written in Blood,” added: “Our audience consumes crime across all media, so we were keen to bring the world of crime books on screen and investigate how literature is so often inspired by the true crimes the CBS Reality audience loves to watch. A glimpse into the world of crime authors has brought a great new addition to the traditional true crime re-telling format, with Simon Toyne guiding us perfectly through this journey.”
Rick Murray, Creative Director, Endemol Shine North, said: “Seeing true crimes through the eyes of authors has proved to be as fascinating as we’d hoped. As someone who knows the world of crime fiction inside out we are delighted to be working with Simon Toyne who has helped bring the series a fresh and unique insight into some of the most disturbing crimes of modern times.”
A podcast with additional, in-depth conversation about each case will be available via Acast and iTunes.
CBS Reality is the biggest factual entertainment channel in the UK amongst adult women and a Top 10 most watched non-PSB channel amongst all adults[1]. The channel has invested significantly in original programming consisting of in-depth and relevant real life crime stories that resonate well with CBS Reality’s loyal audience.
Other CBS Reality Originals include “Murderers and Their Mothers,” “Killer Clergy,” “Stalkers Who Kill,” “The Day I Should Have Died,” “Uncovering Melanie’s Murderer,” “Encounters with Evil,” and most recently “Teens Who Kill” and “The Jury Room.”
The key art and a portrait of Simon Toyne can be downloaded at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9savocg2h6paknj/AADzdEMC0PtBSvZnfqXMeYaLa?dl=0
For more information on the channel please visit:
http://twitter.com/cbs_reality
About CBS AMC Networks UK Channels Partnership
The CBS AMC Networks UK Channels are a portfolio of six entertainment channels owned by the CBS AMC Networks UK Channels Partnership established in September 2009 between CBS Studios International and AMC Networks International – UK.
The channels include CBS Reality, CBS Reality +1, CBS Drama, CBS Action, CBS Action +1, Horror Channel and Horror Channel +1, and feature a broad assortment of drama, reality and long form content from CBS’s extensive television library, complemented by entertainment programming from third party suppliers. CBS AMC Networks Channels reach viewers in more than 25 million homes throughout the UK via the Sky, Virgin Media, Freesat and Freeview platforms.
CBS Studios International, the leading supplier of programming to the international television marketplace, is a division of CBS Corporation.
AMC Networks International – UK is a business unit of AMC Networks International, a leading producer and distributor of television channels reaching subscribers in more than 140 countries and territories, including Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and spanning a range of genres, including movie, lifestyle, entertainment, sports, children’s and factual. AMC Networks International is the global division of AMC Networks. For more information, please visit: www.www.amcnetworks.com/amcni
About Endemol Shine UK / Endemol Shine North
Endemol Shine UK is the producer behind a diverse range of hits including “Ambulance,” “Big Brother,” “Black Mirror,” “Broadchurch,” “Fortitude,” “Humans,” “Hunted,” “MasterChef,” “Mr. Bean,” “Peaky Blinders,” “The Island” and many, many more. Making more than 2,000 hours of programming a year, across a range of platforms, the group is made up of 20 production companies and labels and 5 digital and commercial businesses. Endemol Shine UK is part of the Endemol Shine Group – the global content creator, producer and distributor producing world class content for all platforms in 28 markets around the world.
Endemol Shine North is a label within Endemol Shine UK which specialises in ambitious factual television and content creation for major brands. Based in Manchester, recent global hits include “Idris Elba: Fighter” for Discovery and “Supercar Megabuild” for Nat Geo.
[1] based on 0900-2959 daypart, All adults 2016
Source: BARB/Techedge, audience shares based on whole day viewing, adults