Curse of the Ancients, codes and cowboys to spearhead Drive’s factual MipTV slate

Professor Alice Roberts fronts Curse of the Ancients

UK-based production funding and distribution firm Drive is taking its biggest slate of factual programming ever to MipTV next month, including a series about cataclysmic events from history.

Drive will be in Cannes shopping over 110 hours of programming from producers including Blink Films, Joined Up Films, CAPA TV, Future Studios and Krempelwood.

The latter two were behind Curse of the Ancients (5×60′), which was made for Sky History and sees professor Alice Roberts look at how scientists are unearthing evidence for cataclysmic events in the past and their consequences.

The Black West (1×60/90′), meanwhile, looks at how Hollywood ignored the fact that in 1875 one in four American cowboys was black and helped inspire many Western movies, effectively erasing them from the silver screen. The doc was produced by CAPA TV for Arte.

Cracking the Code (8×60′) looks at how codes and ciphers have been used for millennia to send secret messages, hide identities and operate outside the law.

Featuring 3D graphics alongside archive and interviews with key players and cryptography experts, the series reveals the high-stakes stories behind the race to unravel a wide range of codes. The series was produced by Blink Films for Curiosity Stream in association with Drive.

In addition to the new titles, Drive will offer a raft of returning series at the market, including Strangest Things, A Ghost Ruined My Life, Made for Murder, A Killers Mistake, World’s Deadliest Weather, Money For Nothing, Helicopter ER and Bangers & Cash.