On 28 February, Fremantle Presents was held at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, central London, as part of the London TV Screenings. Hosted by Jens Richter, CEO Commercial and International, and Andrew Llinares, Director of Global Entertainment, the event showcased Fremantle's exciting distribution and format slates to commissioners and buyers.

Jens Richter, CEO Commercial and International at Fremantle, says: “As we kick-off another busy year, we are excited to share our world-class line-up of programming from the Fremantle portfolio at London Screenings – with our largest-ever English-language slate, A-list talent and IP. We are proud of the breadth of our programming, from unbelievable new documentaries including Whatever it Takes: The Ebay Scandal to exceptional new scripted drama from Sandokan and Iris to the return of the award-winning Daddy Issues. Our impressive portfolio showcases our continued commitment to delivering powerful programming from masterful storytellers that engages with audiences on a global scale.”

Drama and documentary highlights

Fremantle showcased several exciting drama and documentary titles, including:

• Iris from Luther creator Neil Cross, starring Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander, which follows a code-breaking genius who steals the key to a potentially world-changing technology and goes on the run.
• Sandokan, an epic pirate-adventure based on the iconic series of novels by Emilio Salgari, produced by Fremantle label Lux Vide. Fremantle welcomed on stage creator Luca Bernabei and Director Jan Michelini, who were joined by the leading cast including Can Yaman, Alanah Bloor, Ed Westwick, and John Hannah to introduce the first episode.
• Daddy Issues, starring Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey, which will return for a second season. The comedy series is produced by Fudge Park Productions with which Fremantle has an ongoing first-look development deal.
• Whatever it Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal, which tells the shocking story of the eBay scandal from stalking to corporate espionage, and a series of escalating threats that terrorised an ordinary couple.

Entertainment highlights

Entertainment and format highlights included:

• Scrabble, in which contestants battle it out in three acts of Scrabble-inspired challenges for their chance to win a cash prize and the ultimate vocabulary victory. Fremantle recently acquired global production and distribution rights to the format.
• Ants, a Japanese game show, to which Fremantle recently acquired global distribution rights. In the show, contestants are transformed into the size of ants and have to navigate a super-sized world.
• Existing IP such as the iconic Got Talent, Idol, The X Factor, The Piano, The Price is Right, and Password, to name a few.

Andrew Llinares, Director of Global Entertainment at Fremantle, says: “London Screenings is important because it brings together the entire community of buyers and sellers from around the world. It’s a great opportunity for us to share what we’re doing but also hear what other people are doing and have real conversations about where we are in the industry and really where we go from here. Fremantle is proud to present an incredibly diverse line-up of new and exciting formats in this Formats Collection – from globally recognisable brands to easily adaptable and fun formats and shows that tap into the cultural zeitgeist. Our new formats perfectly complement our existing iconic IP and mega format brands that continue to be enjoyed by audiences worldwide. Fremantle’s impressive breadth of innovative formats showcases the unrivalled creativity that we are known for across streaming and linear platforms, displaying our continued commitment to producing memorable entertainment with broad, universal appeal for our partners.”