BBC Global Channels launches new channels in Poland in December with a raft of critically acclaimed and award-winning acquisitions.

 

Kicking off on BBC Entertainment is the addictive drama series, Footballers' Wives, which follows the lives of a fictional group of professional footballers and their glamorous partners.

 

Whilst the series takes a look at the glitz, fame and money that inhabit their world, it also reveals the dark secrets and treachery that accompanies it.

 

The show is produced by Shed Productions and distributed by Target Entertainment.

 

Critically acclaimed and BAFTA-award winning Life on Mars is a witty and action-packed drama from Kudos Film and TV. Starring John Simm (State of Play) the series follows Sam Tyler, a driven and ambitious young detective from 21st century Manchester, who after a near fatal car accident wakes up, dazed and confused - in 1973.

 

Struggling to understand what is actually real, Sam wonders if he's gone back in time or has merely gone insane. Philip Glenister (Vincent) also stars as DCI Gene Hunt, Sam's hardnosed boss who is not afraid to use brute force to achieve results.  
 
British Comedy award winner Star Stories takes a satirical look at the stories behind some of the world's biggest superstars - Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Sadie Frost and Jude Law, David and Victoria Beckham and George Michael.

 

These fantastical dramatisations may not be completely truthful, but are a hilarious alternative. In an age where celebrity worship is the new religion, this series is the perfect antidote. Star Stories is produced by Objective Productions and Distributed by C4 International.

 

Bursting onto BBC Lifestyle is multi-Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay with his Kitchen Nightmares and The F-Word. In the Emmy-winning series Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon sharpens his knives and his tongue to come to the aid of failing restaurant owners.

 

With his potent mix of passion, perfectionism and inspirational leadership, Gordon has just one week to turn a business around and save it from financial ruin.

 

Gordon Ramsay's BAFTA nominated F-Word is the ultimate guide to all things food. It's more than a cookery show. It's more than a talk show. It's more than a reality show. It’s the F-Word: a no holds barred, cookery-celebrity-talk-reality roller coaster of a ride.

 

Filmed in a Central London restaurant, each show turns the kitchen into a high-octane environment as a brigade of amateur cooks join Ramsay to cook mouth watering menus for a full dining room and some special celebrity guests- and every dish is something you can cook at home.

 

Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and The F-Word are produced and distributed by Optomen Television Ltd.     

 

Winner of the prestigious Rose D'or award for best reality programme 2007, The Secret Millionaire airs exclusively in Poland on BBC Knowledge.

 

The series follows multi-millionaires who go undercover to live in some of the UK's toughest areas. They conceal their true identities and immerse themselves in communities with the aim of finding people that they think deserve their financial help. On the last day of their visit, they reveal their secret and write a cheque that could change the recipient's life forever.

 

The Secret Millionaire is produced by RDF Television and distributed by RDF Rights.

 

In the BAFTA-winning series Ross Kemp on Gangs, former EastEnders hardman Ross Kemp travels around the world to get up close and personal with some of the most feared and infamous gangs.

 

Ross comes face to face with gangs fighting for control of the slums in Brazil, the Mongrel Mob in New Zealand, Neo-Nazi’s in Russia and the notorious Numbers gang who inhabit the Pollsmoor high security prison in South Africa. Ross Kemp on Gangs is produced by Tiger Aspect and distributed by IMG.

 

Airing exclusively on the CBeebies channel is RTS award-winning series the Numberjacks. Hugely popular in the UK, Numberjacks features superhero numbers who journey into the real world to solve problems, with the help of real children as agents.

 

Children love helping the Numberjacks on their thrilling missions, whilst developing the maths skills they require to give them a great start in nursery and at school. Numberjacks is an Open Mind Production, distributed by Beyond Distribution.

 

Nominated for both a Humanitas and multiple Emmy® Awards, ToddWorld™ is the animated series that explores common themes and the social challenges of a young child’s life with colour, humour and quirky charm.

 

Based on the best-selling books of Todd Parr, the programme brings the same intelligence, offbeat sensibility and visual punch to television.

 

ToddWorld is produced by Mike Young Productions, Discovery Kids, Dataquest and Telegael and distributed through Taffy Entertainment.

 

Commenting on the new acquisitions, John Taite, BBC Global Channels' Director of Programming EMEA said: "We are delighted to be launching our new channel portfolio in Poland with such a fantastic line-up of programming.

 

"By adding award-winning acquisitions to our premium BBC programmes we will ensure our Polish viewers enjoy the very best in innovative, high quality television."

 

BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies will launch in Poland on the Cyfrowy Polsat platform on 2 December.

 

The channels will showcase the best of programming from the BBC and other UK production houses.

 

Louise Loffel

 

 

Notes to editors:

BBC Entertainment is BBC Worldwide's wholly owned channel showcasing the very best comedy and drama from the BBC and other UK production houses.

 

The channel launched first in Asia in October 2007, to critical acclaim. Paul Kay of the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) hailed the arrival of BBC Entertainment as "the TV success story of [2006].

 

Having changed its name from BBC Prime and concentrating on the best of British comedy and drama, this channel now boasts the most consistently watchable primetime line-up on Hong Kong screens, and offers a welcome alternative to the monopoly American shows… And with a back catalogue as extensive and innovative as that of the BBC, this channel’s potential is surely limited only by its own ambitions."

 

The channel will be lectored in Polish BBC Lifestyle is an inimitable destination offering inspiration for home, family and life. The channel dishes up six key programming strands to entertain, engage and inspire viewers.

 

Food: Serving up the best food and cookery shows with world-famous chefs promising enticing gastronomic journeys around the world; Home & Design offers expert advice and design knowledge to help viewers transform houses into perfect homes; Fashion & Style brings honest, practical advice and fashion tips from some of the world’s top style gurus; Health helps improve diet and nutrition with expert advice; Parenting provides child psychologists and advisors to help with busy or stressful family life; Personal Development helps enrich mental wellbeing and achieve inspiration in all aspects of life.

 

The channel will be lectored in Polish.

 

BBC Knowledge showcases the best of the BBC's award-winning factual and non-fiction entertainment programming. The channel provides five key programming strands enabling simple appointment viewing: The World delves and explores new cultures around the world; Science & Technology explores new frontiers, from space to motoring; People explores aspects of the human body and mind; The Past brings historical events, places and people back to life; Business offers invaluable advice to help stay on top of today’s challenging business world.

 

The channel will be lectored in Polish.

 

CBeebies is a pre-school channel for children aged six years and under with a programme schedule that has an emphasis on educational entertainment and supported by the core BBC values that make the channel trustworthy, reliable, informative and educational. In the UK, CBeebies offers a mix of new and landmark, high-quality, UK-produced programmes to educate and entertain the BBC's youngest audiences. The service provides a range of pre-school programming designed to encourage learning through play for children aged six and under, in a consistently safe environment.  The international CBeebies channel is also commercial-free and is wholly-owned by BBC Worldwide.

 

The channel will be dubbed in Polish.