Fred Media picks up two new factual series from ITVS Australia

Inside Central Station: Australia’s Busiest Railway

Australia-based distributor Fred Media has acquired two factual series from ITV Studios (ITVS) Australia and added further shows to its autumn slate.

The ITVS Australia series are: Inside Central Station: Australia’s Busiest Railway (10×60’), which goes behind the scenes at the Sydney train station and will premiere on SBS next week; and Australia Behind Bars (8×60’), which was commissioned by Nine network and provides unprecedented access to three of the country’s toughest prisons.

The two ITVS series will spearhead Fred Media’s autumn slate, which also features observational docuseries Sydney Harbour Force (10×60’), produced by WTFN for Discovery UK, Australia and New Zealand and which follows the struggles and triumphs of the dedicated team of men and women who control every aspect of the iconic Sydney Harbour.

Also in the autumn line-up is reality series The Circus (20×30’), which follows the lives of the Webers, a family of 10 who live together, work together and play together under the backdrop of a circus big top. It is produced by Stripe Studios for NBCU’s Bravo in New Zealand.

Joining them on the slate are five new design-led series from MWC Media: America By Design (12×30’), New York By Design (5×30’), California By Design (6×30’), Heroes By Design (3×30’) and Hotels By Design: Australia & New Zealand (8×30’).

The US-based series look at a range of innovations – from medical advancements to personal devices – coming out of each state, while Heroes By Design and Hotels By Design investigate the most inspirational and contemporary, design-led hotel experiences for discerning travellers.

Also new for autumn is Beyond the Fire (7×60’) from CheekyMac Productions for Channel 10, which follows the stories of Australia’s unsung heroes as they band together to create life from ashes after the Australian Black Summer bushfire crisis.

From existing partner Tastemade, Fred Media will launch 15 new food titles this autumn, including: Lightened Up (7×30’), which sees Erwan Heussaff make healthy versions of commonly loved dishes; Gamer Snacks (4×30’), a unique food show about what to eat without spilling it over your console when gaming; School Night Dinners (4×30’), where hosts Nic Chapman and Ian Haste show you how to spice up family meals; and …With Laura Miller (4×30’), where the quirky host explores food and the natural world, taking us back to our roots.

Rounding out the new titles are two new series from Haciyatmaz Films. Abandoned Places (6×30’) travels the planet to explore everything from abandoned hospitals and fairgrounds to military installations and mansions, while Stories From Hidden Worlds (6×60’) visits remote parts of the globe to meet the people that live and work there.

Finally, Fred Media is launching new seasons of two returning favourites: season three of Paramedics and season two of Emergency, both produced by WTFN for Nine Network. Paramedics films on the frontlines with Australia’s ambulance crews, while Emergency is a dramatic, high-intensity series following the medical heroes at The Royal Melbourne, one of Australia’s biggest and busiest emergency hospitals.