C4 preps celeb biography format

Channel 4 (C4) in the UK has picked up a Norwegian celebrity biography format for local adaptation.

Born On launched in Norway earlier this year and was licensed by Modern Times Group-owned distributor DRG. Outline Productions has been commissioned to make a 4×60’ UK series.

The format explores the lives of three individuals born on the same day, one of whom is a famous figure, the others ordinary people with extraordinary stories to tell – none of whom knows each other.

Blending interviews and personal archive, each programme combines the individuals’ personal stories with the major historical events they have all lived through, revealing their contrasting experiences of the same events and the unseen intersections between their lives.

The show was originally created by Norwegian prodco Monster, part of DRG’s Nice Entertainment Group, for local broadcaster NRK.

Executive producers for Outline Productions are Laura Mansfield and Bridget Boseley, and the series producer is Mary Crisp. The series was ordered by C4’s commissioning editor Rob Coldstream and Ralph Lee, deputy chief creative officer.