Discovery finds Hidden Treasures, Lost Relics

Lost Worlds & Hidden Treasures has been acquired by Discovery

MIPCOM: US factual specialist Discovery has picked up local broadcast and SVoD rights to a pair of UK documentaries being shopped by transatlantic producer and distributor Entertainment One (eOne).

Lost Worlds & Hidden Treasures (3×60’) first aired on UK channel BBC4 in 2019 and has previously been licensed to broadcasters including SBS in Australia, DR in Denmark and NRK in Norway.

The series focuses on three archaeological treasures discovered in 1939, on the eve of the Second World War: the Sutton Hoo hoard of Dark Ages treasure; the Lion Man, a 40,000-year-old ivory sculpture found in a cave in Southern Germany; and the Olmec heads, stone sculptures made by an ancient lost civilisation and found in the jungles of Mexico.

The show, recently renewed for a second season, is produced by Alleycats Films with cultural historian Dr Janina Ramirez. It is executive produced by Emma Parkins and Alleycats MD Ed Stobart.

The other doc is Lost Relics of the Knights Templar, which follows prolific treasure hunters Hamilton White and Carl Cookson as they discover their rarest collection yet – a hoard of Knights Templar treasure.

The 5×60’ series premiered on Sky History in the UK and has previously been picked up by Telus in Canada and RTP in Portugal. The investigative history series is produced by eOne, Fired Up Films and Krempelwood, with funding from Northern Ireland Screen.

Both docs form part of eOne’s slate at this week’s Mipcom Online+.