Wales becomes latest country to acquire hit game show ?The Lie?

PRESS RELEASE                

IMMEDIATE: Thursday 2nd October, 2014

 

 

Wales becomes latest country to acquire hit game show ‘The Lie’

 

The Lie’, a co-production between TV3, STV Productions and GroupM Entertainment, has also been re-commissioned by STV for a second series.

 

‘The Lie’ is currently in production in the TV3 Sony HD Studio and the Irish version, hosted by Jonathan McCrea, returns to TV3 screens from October.

 

 

Welsh broadcaster S4C has snapped up hit game show The Lie and will show a Welsh version of the show called ‘Celwydd Noeth’ (bare faced lie) early next year. It makes Wales the third country, after Ireland (TV3) and Scotland (STV), to commission the format and one of four territories interested in airing the show. Other international territories interested in acquiring the game show format which is co-produced by TV3, STV Productions and GroupM Entertainment, include France, the UK and the US.

 

A total of 3000 people are expected to pass through the doors of the TV3 Sony HD Studio in the coming weeks as TV3, STV and S4C begin filming.

 

The Lie sees a team of two contestants attempt to survive a nail-biting series of rounds, risking an increasing amount of cash on their ability to spot the lie. In each round they are faced with a series of statements in a chosen category, from pop culture to current affairs. There will always be one lie but as they get closer to the jackpot, the number of true statements and inevitably the number of pitfalls increase. The anticipation levels rise as the rounds go by, with the lies becoming more difficult to spot. This is a game of strategy, risk-taking and intelligence to win a total cash prize of €10,000.

Ireland

The Irish version of the show, with multi-award winning broadcaster and journalist Jonathan McCrea as host, has already begun filming in the TV3 Sony HD Studio and will hit screens from October. Following the success of series 1 which saw The Lie reach over xx viewers in Ireland, TV3 will this year produce 40x30 minute episodes, 5 of which will air this October, with the other 35 scheduled to air in 2015.

 

Scotland

STV Productions will produce a total of 12x30 minute episodes. Comedian Susan Calman returns to host the second series of the show which is enjoying impressive ratings in Scotland, with a reach of 940,000 across the series. STV Productions will fly 50 contestants over to take part in the series.

 

Wales

The Welsh version of The Lie, called ‘Celwydd Noeth’ (bare faced lie), will get underway in the TV3 Sony HD Studio at the end of September with a total of 20 people to take part as contestants. Welsh production company ‘Cwmni Da’ will produce 8x30 episodes of the show for S4C. Well known Welsh TV personality Nia Roberts will present the series.

 

The Lie, (distributed by Red Arrow International) has been a hit since launching in February 2013. Aside from being ear marked “one to watch” at MIPCOM in Cannes earlier this year, the game show without questions is also continuing to catch the eye of foreign broadcasters with countries like France, the UK and the US all showing an interest in obtaining the format for their own territories.

 

Andrew Byrne, TV3 Group Heat of Development and Formats, said: “The Lie was TV3’s first co-production and first venture into big entertainment game shows. It’s really encouraging to see how far we’ve come in just one year, with external commissions from both Scotland and Wales and interest from France and the UK as well as the US. It has been a real pleasure working with our partners STV Productions and GroupM on the format.

2015 is indeed, looking like another big year for 3studios, with development plans evolving at pace.  We will continue our goal to work with some of the biggest and talented global producers on major new formats and ambitious large scale programming.”

 

Alan Clements, Director of Content for STV Productions, said: “We look forward to getting back in the studio with our presenters and contestants, and to bring this innovative format to peak time audiences on STV and TV3 for a second series, and to S4C for the first time. The second series of The Lie further strengthens STV Productions’ credentials in the entertainment genre, which currently include recommissions for Catchphrase for ITV and The Link for BBC."

 

Gaynor Davies, S4C Content Commissioner for Entertainment says that the offer to co-operate on this new programme was an exciting opportunity: “This is a gripping and addictive quiz which will keep viewers, and the competitors, on tenterhooks. This series will appeal to a wide range of viewers, and is something the whole family can enjoy together. This format in particular offered new and fresh ideas as well as plenty of scope to develop its own Welsh identity. We were very pleased to work with STV, TV3 and Cwmni Da to make it happen, and hope to seek out more opportunities to work in partnership again in the future."

 

The Lie returns to TV3 this October on Monday nights at 8pm.

 

 

ENDS

 

For further information
Sharon McHugh
Head of Press & Publicity

087 922 4143

publicity@tv3.ie                        
www.tv3.ie

 

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Notes to editors

 

About TV3 / 3Studios

Launched in 1998, TV3 is the largest commercial channel in Ireland with an 11.28% market share for Adults 15+ (based on 2013, full year), reaching over 2.6 million individuals each week and over 3.4 million individuals each month.  TV3 has a bigger market share for Adults 15+ than BBC1, UTV, Channel 4 and Sky 1 combined.

 

TV3 Group remains Ireland’s only free-to-air national commercial broadcast company, a status which allows them to represent and provide for viewers independently and without vested interests. The network continues to differentiate itself through an emphasis on Irish and home produced programming, with approximately 40% of its current schedule produced in Ireland.

 

The development of the brand new Sony HD Studio has allowed for the production of bigger formats and even better content for distribution – giving scope for greater impact in the international market. Recent commissions include Tonight with Vincent Browne, Celebrity Apprentice: You’re Fired!, Factomania (360 Productions – a BBC Worldwide format), the new ShowPal™ commercial, Keith Barry: Brain Hacker and Tyrone Production’s School Around The Corner, as well as new shiny floor game shows The Lie, Crossfire and Sitting On A Fortune. TV3 is also due to start filming its new soap opera Red Rock, which is due to hit screens in January 2015.

 

Today, TV3 Group has firmly established itself as the leader in TV entertainment in Ireland. While TV3 strikes the perfect balance between light hearted fun, home-grown daytime viewing and authentic original programming, its sister channel 3e, which was re-branded in 2009, targets a slightly younger audience, and has a bigger share of Adults 15-34 than UTV, BBC2 and E4.

 

About STV Productions 

STV Productions is one of the UK’s leading content businesses, with ambitious plans for growth and expansion in the UK and overseas.

 

The company has a record of success across a range of genres including drama, factual and entertainment, producing a wide range of programmes for a variety of networks, including entertainment shows Catchphrase and Let me Entertain You for ITV and Fake Reaction for ITV2. Further commissions include ratings success Antiques Road Trip, including a celebrity version, for BBC One and Two, drama The Poison Tree for ITV1 and quiz shows The Link for BBC Oneand The Lie for STV and TV3. In 2013, STV Productions was awarded Best Single Documentary by BAFTA Scotland for Fire in the Night, a feature documentary for BBC Scotland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster.

 

STV Productions also works in partnership with US production company, Kinetic Content, licensing original formats in their respective companies and developing new formats, such as the Perez Hilton Super Fan entertainment series for ITV2. 

 

About Group M

GroupM Entertainment co-produces, finances and distributes for a wide range of international television and digital markets.  GME's primary business interests extend across all media platforms and a variety of genres - entertainment, factual, factual entertainment, game shows, quiz shows and drama.  In partnership with some of the UK’s best production talent, GME has delivered primetime series for broadcasters including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky, and has established commercial partnerships with the world’s leading distribution companies.  GME is part of GroupM, the world's leading full-service media investment management operation, a WPP company.

 

About S4C

S4C is the only Welsh language television channel in the world. As a public service broadcaster, it commissions independent producers from across Wales to make the majority of its programmes. ITV Cymru Wales is also commissioned to produce programmes. BBC Cymru Wales provides around 10 hours of programming per week for S4C, including the news and daily soap Pobol y Cwm.

 

S4C broadcasts over 115 hours of programmes each week, including sport, drama, music, factual, entertainment and events, across a range of platforms, including online. S4C offers comprehensive services for children: Cyw for younger viewers, Stwnsh for older children and programmes for teenagers.

 

S4C is available on TV and on s4c.co.uk across the UK. In Wales on Sky 104; Freeview 4; Freesat 104; and Virgin 166. Across the UK, S4C is available on Sky; Freesat 120; and Virgin 166.

 

 

About Jonathan McCrea

Jonathan currently presents Futureproof on Newstalk 106-108. The weekly science programme won the PPI for ‘Best Specialist Speech Programme’ in 2012 and is nominated again this year. Since 2012, he has presented series one and two of the popular programme The Science Squad.

 

Jonathan is also the resident technology expert for The Right Hook with George Hook on Newstalk 106-108, providing advice, guidance and the latest reviews on consumer technology. He has written on science and technology for the Irish Independent, Silicon Republic Newstalk’s Ipad magazine and other outlets. For six years, Jonathan hosted the popular phone-in talk show The Spin on Spin 1038 which won a PPI award for ‘Best Speech Programme’ in 2010 and was nominated again in 2011, 2012 and 2013.