Genghis Khan leads the charge as Dash Pictures grows unscripted slate

Nat Geo is on board Genghis Khan: The Secret History of the Mongols

UK indie production company Dash Pictures has added five unscripted commissions to its slate, including a documentary series about Mongolian warrior-ruler Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan: The Secret History of the Mongols (6×60’) is produced in association with National Geographic and recreates the bloody battles and globe-spanning adventures that shaped one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen.

Meanwhile, What Really Happened: American Independence is a six-part follow-up to Emmy-nominated series Frontier. Coinciding with next year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it details the undiscovered stories, heroes and villains of the American Revolution. Both titles are being distributed by Sphere Abacus.

The unscripted slate includes Great Estates from Above, which uses drone and aerial photography to capture the splendour of English stately homes Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard, Burghley House and Penshurst Place. It has been pre-bought by Channel 4 for its More4 channel and Boat Rocker is handling sales.

Dash Pictures has two factual series about the Mafia in pre-production. Elvis & The Mob – The King & the Underworld explores the intersection of Elvis Presley’s superstardom and the criminal empire of Las Vegas; while Marilyn & the Mob investigates Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with mobsters.

Both docs are produced in association with Sphere Abacus, which is handling worldwide distribution.

Daniel Sharp, founder and executive producer at Dash Pictures, said: “At Dash, we are able to unite leading teams of researchers, writers and experts to create prestige factual programming that successfully combines broad appeal and high production values that our broadcast partners know works for them and their audiences.”