DNI orders UK lifestyle slate

Discovery Networks International (DNI) has greenlit a slate of UK factual lifestyle content, including a series on relationships with people suffering from extreme medical conditions.

Shocking Love is a documentary series made up of four standalone episodes featuring inspiring stories of people battling rare medical conditions and the relationships they have with their family, friends and partners.

Mormon Half Love and Little Looking for Love were both commissioned by Jon Sechrist, VP of production and development at at DNI, and produced by London-based indie Barcroft Productions with Sam Barcroft and Nina Davies executive producing.

The Man With No Penis is being produced by Chameleon TV and Channel 4-backed True North, with Mark Procter executive producing for DNI. Shocking Breastfeeding, meanwhile, is produced by Discovery-owned London outfit Betty, with David Emerson and Charlotte Reid executive producing. Both were commissioned by Sarah Thornton.

The slate also includes medical anomaly series What Have I Got? The 12-part series, produced by All3Media-owned Optomen TV, explores medical anomalies in a mystery diagnosis format that encourages viewers to play the doctor alongside the show’s experts.

Thornton is the commissioner and Procter is executive producer for DNI. Patrick Furlong is the executive producer and Deirdre Dowling is series producer for Optomen. The show will premiere in the fourth quarter of this year.

My Strange Pregnancy, meanwhile, has been greenlit for early 2015. The 6×60′ series meets mothers-to-be with extraordinary physical conditions and is produced by Cineflix with Rob Carey executive producing. Thornton is the commissioner and Reid is executive producer for DNI.

DNI has also renewed Extreme Beauty Disasters, from Maverick TV, for a third season. All the shows will air on DNI’s lifestyle channels, such as TLC, across 220 countries and territories worldwide.