For Immediate Release:
London – Wednesday 15th January – Woodcut Media and TCB Media Rights are delighted to announce that Season Two of Combat Ships (part of the hit ‘Combat’ franchise), has been greenlit and commissioned by Smithsonian Channel for the US and UK.
Woodcut Media has already started filming the new season which consists of 8 x 1 hour episodes and is scheduled to TX on the Smithsonian Channel later this summer.
“Combat Ships is a terrific blend of military history, maritime engineering and great story telling” said David Royle, Chief Programming Officer, Smithsonian Channel. “We are delighted to be working again with Woodcut – they have a real flair for creating the type of well-paced, visually rich, factual entertainment that our audiences crave on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Combat Ships Season Two (part of the ‘Combat’ franchise which features Combat Trains and Combat Machines), takes an in-depth look at some of the most influential military sea vessels ever made, the strategic roles they played, whilst unveiling some of the lesser known stories surrounding their amazing feats, brought to life through a series of interviews with prominent historians, re-enactments, unique archive footage and 3D graphics.
From Viking Longships changing the course of history, the Elizabethans creating a streamlined galleon that helped defeat the Spanish Armada and influenced shipbuilding for the following 300 years, through to the Japanese warship Yamato the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleship ever constructed, the tactical employment of ocean liners as armed merchant cruisers during the World Wars that led to a deadly U-Boat ‘cat and mouse’ game with the Germans, as well as the rise of stealth crafts and more, Combat Ships also uncovers the design flaws and human errors that condemned some of these great ships to a tragic end!
“Our franchise has grown exponentially as demand for premium military history series never seems to wane. TCB have been a great partner, and the Smithsonian Channel marks a new prestigious platform to premiere this latest instalment of Combat Ships which shines the light on some of the most magnificent seafaring vessels used in warfare throughout history. We are proud to present this new season which no doubt will continue to enthral audiences worldwide,” said Kate Beal, CEO, Woodcut Media.
Season Two is distributed internationally, and deficit financed by TCB Media Rights.
“The Combat franchise is right in the sweet spot for TCB and with long-time partners Woodcut & Smithsonian Channel at the helm for the most ambitious iteration so far, this is an exciting project to be involved with. We’re adding ships to the ever-present need for planes, trains and automobiles series,” said Jimmy Humphrey, Head of Acquisitions, TCB Media Rights.
Combat Ships Season Two is executive produced by Kate Beal and Adam Jacobs (Woodcut Media), Paul Heaney (TCB Media Rights), and John Cavanagh (Smithsonian Channel).
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Smithsonian Channel:
Smithsonian Channel™, a ViacomCBS network, is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease. This is the place for awe-inspiring stories, powerful documentaries and amazing factual entertainment, available in HD and 4K Ultra HD across multiple platforms. Smithsonian Channel, winner of Emmy® and Peabody awards for its programming, is the home of popular genres such as air and space, travel, history, science, nature and pop culture. Among the network’s offerings are hit series including Aerial America, America in Color, America’s Hidden Stories, Apollo’s Moon Shot, The Pacific War in Color and Air Disasters, as well as critically-acclaimed specials that include The Green Book: Guide to Freedom, Black Hole Hunters and Princess Diana’s Wicked Stepmother. Smithsonian Networks also operates Smithsonian Channel Plus™, a subscription video streaming service delivering over a thousand hours of the Channel’s stunning and diverse library of documentaries and series in HD and 4K Ultra HD. Smithsonian Channel is also available internationally in Canada, Singapore, Latin America, the UK and Ireland. To learn more, go to smithsonianchannel.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Woodcut Media:
With offices in London and Hampshire, Woodcut Media, a member of the Anthology Group of businesses, is one of the fastest growing Indies in the UK, producing a broad range of factual programming. A leading true crime producer in the UK (The Killer in My Family, How I Caught the Killer, Jo Frost on Killer Kids, World’s Most Evil Killers, The Krays: The Prison Years), Woodcut’s growing catalogue also includes specialist factual series (Royals on the Frontline, Wings of War, Combat Machines, Football: A Brief History by Alfie Allen), premium one-off and talent led docs (Fiennes: Return to the Nile featuring Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Joseph Fiennes, Cut From A Different Cloth and Mandela, My Dad and Me featuring Idris Elba and The Ivy) factual entertainment shows (How Hacks Work, Around the World in 80 Tricks, Paranormal Captured, World’s Scariest Hauntings). www.woodcutmedia.com
About the Anthology Group:
The Anthology Group is made up of Anthology Studios and Anthology Theatre. Anthology Studios is currently six television and film production companies and a licensing company, all operating across the UK and internationally. Anthology Theatre is made up of a media investment fund advised by FCA regulated Anthology Advisory Partners and a theatre production company. The group combines creativity and financial expertise to develop and produce scripted and unscripted, television, film, digital and theatre content. The group was founded by Bob Benton. Hilary Strong is Group Chief Executive Officer. Jeremy Mills is Chairman of Anthology Studios and Carolyn Bennett is Chair of the group parent Anthology Media. http://theanthologygroup.co.uk/
About TCB Media Rights:
TCB Media Rights was established in late 2012 by Paul Heaney. A specialist in factual and factual entertainment, the company offers a full suite of distribution services, employing its international contacts, experience and knowledge to ensure that every project fulfils its maximum potential. In October 2017, TCB Media Rights was acquired by Kew Media Group. With more than 150 titles in its rapidly expanding portfolio, TCB Media Rights’ has more than 90 producer-partners around the world, including CJZ, Motion Content Group, Icon Films, Like A Shot Entertainment, Woodcut Media and ITN Productions. Its broadcaster clients span all the major factual channels and platforms, including Channel Nine Australia, Channel Seven Australia, Discovery Networks International, France TV, National Geographic, Planete, RMC, SBS Australia, Sky TVNZ, TV4 Sweden and UKTV.
