TVF takes Sean Bean to MipTV

UK factual distributor TVF International is heading to Cannes with a two-part documentary about the Battle of Waterloo, fronted by Game of Thrones star Sean Bean.

The Battle of Waterloo with Sean Bean (2×60’) marks the 200th anniversary of the famous 19th century clash, which saw a French army under the command of Napoleon defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition. The programme comes from UK indie Wavelength Films and was commissioned by History.

Bean rose to fame in Sharpe, the TV series set between 1809 to 1818 and based on Bernard Cornwell’s novels about a fictional British soldier fighting during the Napoleonic wars.

Talent-led programming is a dominant feature of TVF’s MipTV line-up, which also includes the latest episode of travel series Bridge the Gap (4×60’), fronted by actor and producer Chris Bashinelli.

Elsewhere, leading Hollywood star Matt Damon narrates Extreme Realities, a 1×60’ documentary revealing the connections linking climate change and extreme weather events to civil unrest, global terrorism and bloody conflict. The film comes from Emmy-winning filmmakers Hal and Marilyn Weiner, who make the Journey to Planet Earth strand for PBS.

Titles on the factual entertainment slate include True Footballers’ Wives (7×30’), which features personal interviews with women in relationships with sports stars.

Among other offerings are Gibson Group’s Bullies (3×60’); PBS cooking franchise Original Fare (30×30’); CBC specials The Cholesterol Question and The Truth About Vitamins; TLC’s Detox with Bobby Chin (2×60’), produced by Beach House Pictures; and returning seasons of successful international franchises, including the third series of ZDF/ARTE’s home and garden show Country Dreams (7×30’).

TVF will also launch shortform lifestyle content at the market, including School of Life’s self-help shorts, voiced by philosopher Alain de Botton.

Alice Hamlett, head of programming and acquisitions at TVF, said: “It’s great that market demand for factual content is so high – we’ve been able to handpick our Mip slate in direct response to trends of requests coming our way. The result is more than 200 hours of third-party programming, and we’re proud of the quality and scope of these productions across series, standout specials and shortform.”