Following a hugely successful first series of The Great House Giveaway, Welsh indie Chwarel has secured a deal with Channel 4 for two new series.
Chwarel, based in Criccieth, was founded in 2001 by director, producer and entrepreneur Sioned Wyn Morys and previous succcesses include The Horse Hoarder and Children’s Ward,
The first series of the hit show The Great House Giveaway launched in 2019 and has been Channel 4’s best performing new 4pm launch.
The series averaged 816k with a 8.5% share; up +21% on the slot average for volume and +17% for share.
Now Chwarel have been commissioned for 50 more hours in daytime and 10 in peak.
As with series one, some of these hours will be co-commissioned with S4C, with eight episodes in series two being filmed back to back.
Five episodes have been commissioned to air later this year as part of Channel 4’s Black to Front project.
The new series should be out on Channel 4 in September and the Welsh language version (Ty am Ddim) S4C in January 2022.
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The pioneering series, which was edited remotely around the country during lockdown, is presented by Simon O’Brien (Find It, Fix It, Flog It; Lost and Found),
In each programme two people who have never met and have never owned a home before are given a lump sum to buy a property at auction.
The pair then have six months to revive the property into a habitable and desirable home. If they don’t sell – the house goes back to auction.
The series was commissioned for Channel 4 by Kate Thomas, commissioning editor for Daytime & Features. The commissioner for S4C is Llinos Wynne.
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Kate Thomas said “I am delighted that this ground-breaking new property series has found the audience it deserves, and I am excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with S4C again on a big hit show that will be transformative for the television community in Wales and the West.’
Sioned Morys, executive producer at Chwarel added: “The Great House Giveaway has been a rollercoaster of a project to work on, in what has been extraordinary circumstances, both in the final post-production for the series and launching a new format in the middle of the year that we’ve all experienced.
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“We are thrilled by the reaction both from the viewers and from the channel. To be recommissioned and promoted to a prime-time series is everything and more that we could have hoped for. Bring on more partnerships, property and plastering."
She added: "This commission is what every production company dreams of.
"It really puts us on the map and makes people sit up and take notice. It allows me to invest in new talent and new ideas. And we’re doing it from Criccieth – which is testament to the fact that you can now operate a media production company from anywhere in the world. You don’t have to be in London."
Channel 4’s 4 All The 海角视频 strategy aims at a significant increase in the organisation’s Nations and Regions content spend – from 35% to 50% of main channel 海角视频 commissions by 2023. worth up to £250m more in total.
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