More4 embarks on a Highland odyssey with Richard Wilson

26 July 2017

STV Productions has been commissioned to make a documentary for More4 following actor, director and broadcaster Richard Wilson as he fulfils a lifelong ambition to explore the Highlands and Islands of his native Scotland.

The 1 x 60’ programme, Highland Odyssey with Richard Wilson (W/T), follows Richard, as he returns to Scotland to embark on a once in a lifetime tour of the north of the country. At 80, the voyage proves a fascinating journey of discovery and personal reflection for Richard.

The one-off documentary captures Scotland’s hidden gems as Richard travels in style from Edinburgh to Mull – first by train on the iconic Royal Scotsman, before taking to the water on The Hebridean Princess with visits to Oban, Iona, Rum and Skye.

Mick McAvoy, head of documentaries at STV Productions, said: “Richard is one of Britain’s most recognised actors with a successful career spanning several decades. This documentary for More4 gives him the opportunity to explore a part of the world where he has always wanted to spend time, while giving the viewer an insight into the unique history and stunning scenery, all through the eyes of the iconic actor.”

Lizi Wootton, Commissioning Editor for Features at Channel 4 adds: “It’s wonderful to have Richard back on our screens, with a project that’s especially personal to him. This promises to be a loving exploration of one of the most captivating expanses of the British Isles.”

 

Notes to editors

STV Productions

 

STV Productions is one of the UK’s leading content businesses with ambitious plans for domestic and international growth. 

The company has a record of success across a range of genres, including drama, entertainment and factual, for a wide range of broadcasters.  Ratings winner Antiques Road Trip has run for fourteen series on the BBC, along with a further six series of sister programme Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.  In entertainment, the company has produced five series of Catchphrase for ITV, and two series of Safeword for ITV2, as well as new reality format Tour de Celeb for Channel 5 and The Dressing Room for UKTV’s entertainment channel W.

Specialist factual successes have included Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered for BBC1, Smithsonian Channel and Discovery Canada and Swallowed By The Sea – Ancient Egypt’s Greatest Lost City for BBC2 and Life After: Chernobyl for Animal Planet US.

In documentaries, Dunblane: Our Story for BBC2, commemorating one of the most tragic days in Scotland’s modern history, won a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Single Documentary.

Other STV Productions documentaries include: Prison: First and Last 24 hours, with a second eight-part series on Sky1; Scotland and the Battle for Britain presented by Andrew Marr for BBC Two; The Lockerbie Bombing for the Smithsonian Channel and ITV; The 7/7 Bombing: Survivors’ Stories for ITV; Rollermania for BBC Scotland and BBC4; The Queen Mary: Greatest Ocean Liner, a documentary for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and Smithsonian Channel; and Fire in the Night, a feature documentary to mark the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, which won a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Single Documentary and the Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

STV Productions has a track record of producing quality returnable drama series including Taggart and Rebus with ambitions to build on this reputation. In the last five years it has produced Fast Freddie and The Poison Tree, both for ITV. It currently has a number of script commissions from the BBC and ITV.

STV Productions has a partnership with Red Arrow International which co-invests in and co-develops projects as well as distributing STV Productions’ completed programmes and formats outside the UK.

In August 2015, STV Productions entered a strategic development partnership with GroupM Entertainment Ltd to create new entertainment, factual and drama projects for the UK and international markets.