CONTENT LONDON: C21 hears from the producers of the eight formats selected for the Global Entertainment Formats Pitch at Content London today about why they think the market needs a show like theirs.

The Content London Global Entertainments Format Pitch focuses on three key genres: primetime entertainment, reality and social experiment, and studio-based gameshow. Taking place at Content London today in Hall 2, Kings Place, the pitch is designed to discover the next great international hit from the most creative emerging formats creators.

Chosen from more than 80 submissions, the winning pitch will receive a £30,000 (US$37,900) marketing prize from C21Media, with shortlisted projects being showcased to the global coproduction community during this week’s event.

The winning project, selected by an esteemed panel of judges, will be announced tonight at 6pm in Hall 3. For more information about each project, click here.

Shrunk
Dark Slope, CanadaFrom the creators of Floor is Lava, Shrunk is a high-intensity gameshow in which teams of two compete in challenges with one complication: they are shrunk down to a relative size of one inch tall in a world where cans of soup are as big as humans and a mosquito is a Kaiji monster.

The show begins with a host and three teams of two on a typical shiny-floor gameshow set. Suddenly a perilous, oversized obstacle course is revealed, behind which is a massive LED volume stage. Contestants must use speed, ingenuity and teamwork to make it to the final challenge and win the cash prize.

The show was co-developed by Toronto-based entertainment company Dark Slope alongside Haymaker West (Floor is Lava) and Hacksmith Industries. Presenting the show at Content London are Dark Slope founders Dan Fill and Raja Khanna, who both co-created the format with producer Irad Eyal, who was behind Floor is Lava. The showrunner is Anthony Carbone, who also worked on the hit format.

Red Flag
Thinketers, Spain
Red Flag is a dating format in which a single person known for their poor choices in love will go on dates with three suitors. The singleton will wear the ‘red flag’ ring, which vibrates whenever a suitor says or does something that signals they’re not the right match. The single person’s best friends will be the ones deciding what counts as a red flag.

“Today’s audiences are attracted to dating shows that offer a fresh and entertaining twist. People love content that combines real problems with humour, and Red Flag taps into this trend by adding an interactive and comedic element, making it engaging and highly shareable on social media,” says Thinketers’ head of content Teo Palomo.

“Red Flag offers a unique blend of humour, entertainment and social commentary on modern dating. It stands out in a saturated market by highlighting the role of friends as ‘guardians’ of relationships – something that many viewers can relate to. At a time when people are looking for feel-good, uplifting entertainment, this format brings laughter and a fresh perspective on dating.”

Gammy Paulus

Guess the Future
Gammy Paulus, Indonesia
In this gameshow, contestants are asked to predict what will happen a few weeks from the present time for a certain situation, condition or event. A few weeks later, the host will check whether the contestants’ predictions were correct – if they are, they will receive points.

“TV viewers everywhere love gameshows and look for formats that are different to board games,” says format developer Gammy Paulus. “Humans like to predict circumstances, situations, conditions and events. They are often proud if their predictions come true.”

Paulus was the winner of the Asia TV Forum Format Pitch in 2017 with gameshow Ranking and again in 2019 with Don’t Block the Numbers.

Six Weeks to Save Your Marriage
Rider Productions, UK
This reality show follows six married couples on the verge of splitting up. At the start of the show they agree to apply for a divorce if they don’t change their minds after six weeks of intense help. If they do decide to stay together, they renew their vows in front of family and friends.

“There’s a huge demand [for a show like this] as everybody is affected by divorce but TV doesn’t really cover it, unless it’s a straight therapy-style show. Six Weeks is the flip side of Married at First Sight and Love is Blind. We all love the ‘what happened after/next’ sections of the shows and we all spend hours talking about our relationship issues. It’s time this subject was addressed but in a modern, glossy, engaging style, for the millions of fans of those shows,” says creator and producer Lee Rider.

The Greatest Puppet Star
Here’s the Thing Productions, Canada
Aimed at a broad demographic of 25-65, The Greatest Puppet Star sees puppet makers from across the country battle it out in a series of high-stakes creative challenges, building and performing puppets for a chance to be crowned the nation’s top puppet star.

“This is not a children’s show. This is about supremely talented artists creating multiple different styles of puppets that ‘speak’ on topics ranging from the entertaining to the political to the dark,” says exec producer Allison Grace (Lost Car Rescue, Mary Makes it Easy, Anti-Diva: The Carole Pope Confessions).

“Puppets are a perfect medium for telling diverse, inclusive and sometimes surreal stories. Puppets transcend their physical forms, becoming powerful and innovative tools for storytelling, emotion and social commentary. And puppetry is having a renaissance.”

Kyle Whitelaw

The Quiet Game
Sonic Nursery Creative, Canada
The Quiet Game is a gameshow in which contestants must perform noisy tasks as quietly as possible to avoid elimination. Everyday activities, like preparing a meal or moving through a room full of obstacles, are transformed into suspenseful and hilarious challenges monitored by decibel meters.

“The show’s flexibility allows it to be adapted for any market and its strong potential for social media engagement, such as live tweeting during the show or sharing funny moments, and at-home participation ensures that audiences will feel involved and connected beyond the screen,” says Sonic Creative Nursery’s president Kyle Whitelaw (Knock Knock Ghost, Sew Fierce, It’s All Sunshine & Rainbows).

“The demand for interactive, family-friendly gameshows is at an all-time high. Formats like Wipeout and wFloor is Lava continue to attract broad audiences, and viewers crave experiences that combine humour, suspense and playful physical challenges.”

Sonic Nursery Creative was a finalist at the Content London Formats Pitch in 2023 with Ultimutt Design.

Djordje Stankovic

The Right Question
Threec Production, Serbia
The Right Question is a quizshow about the questions rather than the answers. Contestants are given an answer for which they must come up with the correct question. A panel of three quiz experts will judge whether the question meets all necessary criteria and the contestant who excels at inventing questions across various rounds is crowned the episode’s winner.

“Quizshows are consistently among the most in-demand programming worldwide. The need for new, fresh quiz concepts is proven by the rapid popularity of recent formats like The Floor and The 1% Club,” says screenwriter and format creator Djordje Stankovic (Hat-trick). “The Right Question requires a different type of thinking and gameplay that hasn’t been represented before. The format has substantial potential for transmedia success – viral potential on social media, a board game adaptation and more.”

Pavlo Cherepin

Time Machine
United Heroes, UK
A history-themed gameshow, Time Machine sees two teams compete in challenges tied to the culture, science, history and daily life of the past. Each episode has a different theme – from plagues to fashion, from music to infamous murders – and the teams must navigate different historical eras and solve complex problems.

“The only travels that haven’t been covered yet in unscripted are time travels. Our experience in scripted and VFX, together with our unscripted competences, brought the organic hybrid content solution to the table. With production technologies like virtual studio becoming more affordable nowadays, we can have a top-quality picture with reasonable budgets,” according to producers Pavlo Cherepin and Egor Olesov.

United Heroes’ credits include Scarman, Supermatch, Auto-Goal and Weekend Without Parents.