BBC preps VR, home improvement for daytime

Dirty Rotten Scammers is fronted by Michelle Ackerley (right) and her mother

UK pubcaster the BBC has unveiled a raft of daytime commissions for BBC1 and BBC2, including an interior design series that uses virtual reality.

For BBC1, Lion TV-produced Virtually Home (working title) sees people visualise their dream designs in VR before implementing them in real life, aided by leading UK interior designers including Karen Livingstone and Russell Sage.

Joining Virtually Home on BBC1 is Clean It, Fix It, in which a team of experts help people improve their homes with common-sense hacks that don’t break the bank. The 15×45’ home-makeover show is produced by Curve Wales.

Also on BBC1, Dirty Rotten Scammers (15×45’), produced by ITN Productions, will follow presenter and journalist Michelle Ackerley and her mum as they explore the rise of cyber-enabled fraud, hacking and other web-based crimes.

Quizshow The Bridge of Lies (25×45’), produced by STV Studios, rounds off the new commissions for BBC1. The show will feature teams of contestants competing for cash by crossing a ‘bridge’ made up of stepping stones across the studio floor. Each stepping stone has a different option, and the players must try to get from A to B by stepping on the truths and avoiding the lies to cross the floor safely, or risk falling off the bridge and out of the game.

One new series is set for BBC2. Cardiff Productions’ competitive format Early Peak, Take a Hike (15×30’) sees five walkers going head-to-head to discover the best scenery the UK has to offer.

Meanwhile, BBC1 auction format The Bidding Room, hosted by actor Nigel Havers, has been renewed for a fourth season. The series is produced by Warners Bros-owned prodco Ricochet and is based on German pubcaster ZDF’s Cash for Trash.

In addition, Rick Stein’s Cornwall, in which the chef goes on a journey of discovery around his home county of Cornwall, has been given a second season on BBC2. The 15×30’ travelogue is produced by Shine TV in association with Rick Stein Productions.

Carla-Maria Lawson, head of BBC daytime and early peak, said: “There’s a lot to look forward to this autumn and winter across the BBC1 and BBC2 schedules, with these new titles offering a mix of properly useful and entertaining content that takes us across the UK. You’ll feel like you’re going out when you’re staying in.”