UKTV goes Down Under for double Prospero commission

UKTV has commissioned two new series from Prospero Productions. Brit Cops Down Under (8x60) for U&W and The Legend of Outback Gold (w/t) (6x60) for U&YESTERDAY will also both be available on its free streaming service, U.

Brit Cops Down Under is a documentary following a group of seven UK police officers as they make the momentous decision to uproot their lives and move to the other side of the world to become Western Australian Cops.

Western Australia is the largest, most remote and sparsely populated police district in the world. On arrival, the new recruits undergo three months of training, including taser and firearms, and they must pass all units before starting a three-month probation period on the beat. But it's not just the work that's tough. They are starting their lives all over again, some with young children and partners, leaving family and friends behind.

Brit Cops Down Under is commissioned by UKTV Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment Commissioning, Helen Nightingale, and ordered for U&W by Director of Programming - Factual & Factual Entertainment, Adam Collings, and Director of Commissioning, Hilary Rosen. Executive Producer for Prospero Productions is Julia Redwood, and the Series Producer is Meredith Watson Jeffrey. The programme will be distributed outside the UK by DCD Rights.

The Legend of Outback Gold (wt) is a documentary adventure series following amateur treasure hunters and lifelong friends, Jeff Harris and Brendan Elliot who, at 10 years old, learned at school about a huge deposit of gold and made a pact to find it.

The story goes that prospector, Harold Lasseter, claimed to have seen the riches in remote Outback Australia, but when he returned in 1930 to re-discover the gold, he perished in the outback. He left behind a diary filled with clues that the treasure hunters will follow across hostile land and in extreme temperatures. Now, in a last-ditch attempt to find the legendary gold, they'll be joined by experts, including a geologist and a historian. Jeff and Brendan are determined to find the infamous gold deposit that will change their lives forever, and potentially start a new gold rush.

The Legend of Outback Gold (w/t) is commissioned by Commissioning Executive, Tracy-Jean, with Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment Commissioning, Helen Nightingale, and ordered for U& YESTERDAY by Director of Programming, Factual & Factual Entertainment, Adam Collings and Director of Commissioning, Hilary Rosen. Executive Producers for Prospero Productions are Julia Redwood and Jules Fortune. The Series Producer and Director is Eliot Buchan. BossaNova will handle international distribution outside the UK.

Helen Nightingale, UKTV head of factual and factual entertainment, said, I'm delighted Prospero Productions are making both series for us. Brit Cops Down Under follows people making a massive life change, and the series really captures the emotional upheavals that come with that, they are balancing doing what's best for their families, while also starting an exciting, essential and challenging new job. And The Legend of Outback Gold promises to have plenty of twists and turns as the team use all manner of skills and ingenuity on the search for the legendary loot. Both series are very different, but both bring the best of British and Australian characters and values to the screen in a way I hope our viewers will really appreciate.

"Both series bring the best of British and Australian characters and values to the screen in a way I hope our viewers will really appreciate."Prospero Productions owner, Managing Director and Executive Producer Julia Redwood said; These two commissions are incredibly exciting for Prospero and we're over the moon to be working with UKTV! This is not only a wonderful opportunity for us to continue to broaden our partnerships in the UK, but also to demonstrate how Australian and UK stories can combine to create entertaining, engaging programming that I hope will appeal to a wide audience.

Brit Cops Down Under is in post-production and will air on U&W in February 2025. Legend of Outback Gold is in production and will air on U&YESTERDAY in early 2026. Both series will also be available on the free-to-air streaming service, U.

For further information please contact:

Dave Barnsby - Senior Publicity Manager

Notes to Editors:

Brit Cops Down Under image (Picture shows: Picture shows: Michael Wilson on the beat in Halls Creek. UKTV/Prospero Productions)

About U&W

U&W is Broadcast Digital Awards' Entertainment Channel of the Year for 2024. Its quality mix of UKTV Originals features heart-warming shows led by some of the UKs most-loved talent, uplifting series shining a light on heroic emergency services, and true crime programming that prioritises empathy for the victims at the heart of each story. U&W is life unfiltered. It's those raw and genuine heart swell moments where emotions run high, and those moments where we reveal our true selves and where all life is captured. U&W Original programming includes the award-winning Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over and Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA, At Home With Katherine Ryan, Katie Piper's Jailhouse Mums; the incredible frontline workersof Inside the Ambulance, Young Midwives of Essex, Nurses on the Ward and 999 Rescue Squad; and the shocking true crime stories of Back From The Dead: Who Kidnapped Me?, Red Flag and Lies, Deceit & Betrayal. U&W is also the exclusive home to carefully selected acquisitions such as the joyfully competitive MasterChef franchise, including MasterChef Australia, MasterChef USA and MasterChef Juniors.

About U&YESTERDAY

TV for curious minds, revealing fascinating factual stories from the world around us.

U&YESTERDAY showcases original series such as Abandoned Engineering, Dream Car Fixers, Find It

LINK:	https://corporate.uktv.co.uk/newsroom/double-prospero-commission...
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