Wise Owl Films land two new Channel 4 commissions

16 November 2021

Leeds-based Wise Owl Films has been commissioned to make two new shows for Channel 4; Second-Hand For 50 Grand (w/t) and My Second Hand Home (w/t)

Second-Hand For 50 Grand (w/t) will follow the staff and customers of one of Britain’s leading companies in pre-owned luxury, Xupes. The 3x60 minute series will go behind the scenes at a key point in the company’s history, exploring the growing market for second-hand chic in the luxury goods industry – from Chanel handbags to rare Rolex watches to precious jewellery and vintage sunglasses. This series follows the success of the initial 1x60 minute show - dubbed by press as “Bargain Hunt meets Selling Sunset”- that aired on Channel 4 this April.

Will Rowson,  Commissioning Editor Factual said: “This important Leeds commission offers up a great opportunity to delve deeper into the ever expanding market of the luxury good industry and explore the fascinating and lucrative financial gains that are possible in this unique industry.  The Wise Owl team did an excellent job on the single which performed 16% over slot average. I’m delighted their hard work has paid off with this commission”

My Second Hand Home (w/t) is a competitive property format centred around the growing trend of refurnishing our homes with pre-loved and upcycled goods. The 1x60 minute show will see two first time buyer households go head-to-head over four weeks to see who can furnish their home in style – from the bed to the sofa, the fridge to the bath-tub – but for the least amount of money. Presented by Sabrina Grant, the show will come full of tips for anyone wanting to bag a bargain for their home.

Louisa Compton, Head of News Current Affairs and Sport said:  “Buying a home is one of the most expensive things we ever do.  This programme will offer up an exciting mix of competitive edge matched with great advice on how to save as much money as possible in order to achieve your dream  home.”

Adam Vandermark, Commissioning Editor, News and Current Affairs added: “I am delighted we have commissioned this from Wise Owl in Leeds as they have been fantastic to work with. This unique consumer idea has lots of potential given the boom in second hand goods, and with money saving, sustainability and a competitive spirit at its heart it should do well.”

Wise Owl Films’ Creative Director Mark Robinson continued: “It’s such an exciting time to be working in television in Yorkshire with the opening of C4’s new HQ so we’re delighted to be working with them on these two new projects. In a way they’re both very different – the potentially global detective work needed to track down a rare Gucci handbag and the much more local search for a pre-owned sofa to transform a living room, but both hit on a very real trend in consumer sustainability. We’ll want to tell the human stories behind the trend”.

Second Hand For 50 Grand (w/t) has been co-funded by Channel 4 and produced in association with All 3 Media International who act as the show’s global partner. The series is commissioned for Channel 4 by Will Rowson, Commissioning Editor, Factual. The documentary will be series produced and directed by Richard Macer and executive produced by Matt Drury for Wise Owl Films.

My Second Hand Home (w/t)  has been commissioned for Channel 4 by Adam Vandermark, Commissioning Editor, News & Current Affairs. The programme will be produced by James Knight, directed by Imogen Willcocks and executive produced by Mark Robinson for Wise Owl Films.