Monday 2 July 2018
UKTV has announced that celebrity chef John Torode will be returning to Good Food for a new series of his popular travel cooking show later this year.
Financial backing for John Torode's Middle East (10x30') has come from the Egyptian tourist board, with five episodes being filmed in the country. Additional funding has been secured through the Maltese, Bahrain and Dubai tourist boards as well as Rixos The Palm Dubai, Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Radisson Blu Dubai. Each funding partner will either receive on-screen product placement, or credit mentions in return for their investment.
Previously on Good Food, John has explored the culinary delights of Asia, Korea, Malaysia and Australia where he's discovered sumptuous recipes, jaw-dropping scenery and inspiring cooks. UKTV has teamed up with Blink Films UK for a second time and they've sent John to the Middle East for this series to see what tasty delights are on offer there. As he unearths the region's best recipes, viewers will learn about the fascinating histories of some of its most interesting foods, meet local chefs, and take away tips to recreate some of the delectable dishes at home.
John Torode's Middle East has been ordered by Good Food's channel director, Vicky Walker, and UKTV's commissioning editor, Kirsty Hanson, who also acts as executive producer. The funding deal was brokered by producers of the show, Blink Films UK and UKTV's senior commercial partnerships manger, Kate Norum. The series will premiere on Good Food and will then air on the network's W channel. Blue Ant Media are responsible for distributing the show internationally.
Kate Norum said:
Good Food reaches over 3 million viewers a month and nearly five million people have tuned in to John's previous series on the channel*, making John Torode's Middle East a valuable and attractive proposition for advertisers and partners. We are delighted to be working with Blink Films UK again and the Middle East is brand new territory for John so we're very much looking forward to exploring this eclectic cultural melting-pot with him.
Vicky Walker said: "I can't wait to see John Torode back on Good Food. He is fantastic on screen and previous series have been extremely popular with our viewers, who I'm sure are just as excited as I am to see him adventure through Middle Eastern cuisine."
Dan Chambers, Creative Director at Blink Films UK said:
John Torode's Middle East will be a scrumptious baba ganoush of a show! The travel element will be gripping and what's not to like with the huge variety of delicious food on offer? We're hugely grateful to UKTV, Blue Ant Media, and our various other partners for their support.
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For more information, please contact:
Ali Laurie, Network Communications Executive, UKTV
Stats Measurement
*Channel data - BARB - Q1 2018
**Programme data - BARB individuals, consolidated
About Good Food
Sky / HD 133/255, Virgin 278/280, BT & TalkTalk 313
Good Food features all the biggest names in food including Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, James Martin, Rick Stein and The Hairy Bikers. It has something to inspire and entertain everyone, appealing to both the expert cook and those who enjoy food-led entertainment shows like Masterchef and The Great British Bake Off.
Alongside these, the channel seeks to introduce viewers to new formats and chefs from around the world, like Luke Nguyen's Street Food and Peter Kuruvita's Mexican Fiesta, whilst delivering a raft of exciting originations such as Donal's Asian Baking Adventure, John Torode's Asia and Choccywoccydoodah.
Good Food is the UK's leading pay TV food channel with access to the best culinary talent and a passion for all things in the kitchen.
About UKTV
UKTV is the biggest multichannel broadcaster in the UK reaching nearly 40m viewers every month.
The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market.
The network delivers inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories. Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Studios and Discovery, Inc. - is proud to be the first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.
corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress
About Blink Films UK
Blink Films was created in 2007 by Dan Chambers and Justine Kershaw, previously Head of Programmes and Head of Factual Programmes, at Channel Five.
Since starting Blink they have had success with a range of shows including Bafta for Best Factual Programme for Mummifying Alan and the PANDA for Most Popular Animal Programme, Meet The Sloths.Blink Films food series include Chinese Food In Minutes (C5), Mexican Food Made Simple (C5), Korean Food Made Simple (Food Network), and John Torode's Asia (Good Food). Other series include Shut Ins (C4), We'll Meet Again (PBS), The Brain With David Eagleman (PBS), Treasures Decoded/Secrets (Smithsonian, C5, France 5), The Joy of Techs (Dave), Raised Human (Animal Planet), Missing Evidence (Smithsonian), Monty Don's Italian Gardens (BBC2), Classic Car Rescue (C5), Steph and Dom's One Star to Five Star (C4). And specials include Titanic's New Evidence (C4), The Real Noah's Ark (C4), The Woman Raised By Monkeys (C5), The Great Sperm Race (C4), When Boris Met Dave (C4), and The Lion Cub From Harrods C5).