• Local adaptations of hit format to be produced in France, Sweden and Portugal
Red Arrow Studios International has secured a trio of new deals in Europe for the multi-award winning series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, which will see local versions of the social experiment format produced in France, Sweden and Portugal.
Originally produced by Red Arrow Studios company CPL Productions for Channel 4 in the UK, Canal+ in France has commissioned a four-episode local version, which will be produced by A Tableau Productions to air in 2020; in Sweden, Meter is producing four episodes to air on TV4 during 2020; while Fremantle Portugal is in production on a four-episode local version for RTP, to premier in 2019.
Bo Stehmeier, President, Red Arrow Studios International said: “Many countries around the world are dealing with the challenges associated with an increase in ageing populations, so Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds is a particularly timely format which tackles an important subject head on. As the format continues to draw strong ratings internationally, we’re thrilled that audiences in Sweden, France and Portugal will also now be able to enjoy this thought-provoking, heart-warming and entertaining show.”
Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds attempts to dramatically improve the health and wellbeing of retirement communities by bringing together ten older residents with a group of 10 four-year-old pre-school children for six weeks.
The old and young volunteers share daily activities designed by a team of experts, including a gerontologist and a geriatrician, who measure and analyse the older groups’ physical and mental progress. The older volunteers undergo a series of baseline tests at the start of the experiment, and their activities are tracked and tested throughout. The results at the end of the experiment are extraordinary, with significant changes in the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the older volunteers.
The format has been licensed to over 13 territories in just over two years, including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Finland and Israel. The show’s original UK production has proved to be a huge hit for Channel 4, with Season Two ranking as the number one show of the day across its run. The UK version has also scooped multiple awards including a Broadcast Award, a Grierson Award, two Edinburgh TV Awards, two C21 International Format Awards and two Realscreen Awards.
The deals were concluded by Tobias Schulze, VP Sales, France & German-speaking territories and Yi Qiao, Senior Sales Manager, Benelux, UK, Scandinavia, Africa and Middle East.