Disney+ has announced a raft of reality commissions including the return of the iconic dating series Blind Date, reimagined for a contemporary audience.The new Blind Date series will begin in a secret location, where contestants must choose between three potential suitors, hidden from view behind the legendary Blind Date wall, the only thing standing between them and their potential true love. The series originally ran on ITV in the UK from 1985 to 2003 hosted by Cilla Black, and then returned from 2017 to 2019 hosted by Paul O’Grady, racking up over 400 episodes in total.The new series new (10×45’) is executive produced by Matthew Worthy & Kieran Doherty for Stellify Media (a Sony Pictures Television-backed company) and Graham Stuart for SO TV (part of ITV Studios). The series was commissioned and is executive produced by Sean Doyle, Executive Director, Unscripted for Disney+.Within the new slate is also a new reality series, The Rooneys (working title). The series (10×40’) is produced by Lorton Entertainment and Blast Films, and will feature Coleen and Wayne Rooney, along with their family and friends, as they step into a new chapter of their lives. Audiences will follow Coleen as she navigates new entrepreneurial endeavours, while Wayne swaps training for the school run. The series was commissioned by Doyle and is executive produced by Jon Swain, Commissioning Executive, Unscripted for Disney+.The final show in the mix is Jamie and Sophie: Raising Chelsea (working title), which features ‘nearly parents’, Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, as they embrace parenthood. The series is produced by Dorothy St Pictures in association with Jampot Productions. Their new Disney+ Original series will take viewers on a no holds barred whirlwind journey of the next chapter in their lives.Speaking of the upcoming series, Laing and Habboo said: “For nearly a decade, we’ve brought audiences along the highs and lows of our personal and professional lives through TV, radio, social media and our podcasts. It’s such an honour to now partner with the incredible teams at Disney+ and Dorothy St Pictures to bring our next chapter to viewers across the globe. Navigating our lives with a baby on the way has opened up a whole new stage of our relationship – we can’t wait to give you a front row seat.”Doyle commented: “We’ve seen great success over the past couple of years with our Disney+ Original unscripted series such as Finding Michael, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story and more recently, Flintoff. Our distinctive offering of combining the most talked-about household names and their incredible life experiences has hit the right note with our audiences who are looking for authentic and captivating real-life stories. As our slate evolves, we want to continue working with world-class producers and homegrown talent in the reality space, with a focus on female-skewed factual. These shows will complement our existing and iconic reality offering from our US studio partners, including The Kardashians and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. We’re really grateful to be working with the Rooney’s again, along with Jamie and Sophie for the first time, and Blind Date is a brilliant opportunity to bring everyone’s favourite dating show to a large scale with the potential to resonate with a whole new generation.”Filming is underway on The Rooneys and Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo: Raising Chelsea. Production will begin on Blind Date later this year.
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