ITV2 Signs Spin Off Show As First Drama Series
ITV has commissioned the first ever drama series specifically for screening on ITV2, selecting Shed Productions to create Footballers’ Wives – Extra Time to boost the channel’s profile.
The new drama will be a spin-off of the already successful Footballers’ Wives, due to be aired on ITV’s digital entertainment channel later in the year. The programme’s focus is on the late night antics of its parent programme’s well known characters, and their footballing partners, promising all the glamour, parties and the money-fuelled lifestyles surrounding the fictional Earls Park Football Club.
The series is planned to launch directly off the back of Footballers’ Wives Series 4, which transmits this Spring, and will include established faces from Footballers’ Wives, as well as new faces and a number of celebrity cameo appearances.
Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, the creative force behind Footballers’ Wives, have created the series and will lead the writing team. Commenting on the new programme, Daniela Neumann, controller of commissioned programmes for ITV2 and ITV3 said: “I am very excited about this series. It is the biggest thing we have ever done on ITV2. What better way to have drama on the channel than to extend a series the audience already loves and understands, and is a perfect fit for ITV2. It will be a must-view for all Footballer’s Wives fans.”
Extra Time will go into production in March, producing 12 half hour episodes for ITV2. Eileen Gallagher, managing director of Shed Productions said: “It’s very exciting that ITV2 have chosen Shed Productions to create its first ever drama. The Footballers’ Wives brand has terrific appeal and we know Extra Time will exactly fit the ITV2 audience profile.”
The last series of Footballers Wives was a huge success for ITV1, with an average viewing figure of 6.68 million. The programme’s main characters, and their frequently outrageous antics, led to the show regularly topping the 7 million mark, a performance which ITV2 will no-doubt be counting on to boost viewing of Extra Time.
Last year saw ITV announce plans to bolster its early evening schedules with a number of spin off programmes designed to capitalise on the popularity of more established shows. Amongst the programmes believed to be spawning sister shows are The Bill and Coronation Street, while programmes such as the Royal, itself a spin off from Heartbeat, have proved in the past that the format can work well (see ITV Planning Soap Spin-Offs To Boost Autumn Schedule).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
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