US Remake Of Endemol Shine Australia’s Drama Sisters Announced

Annie Weisman and Jason Katims will produce the one-hour drama for Fox under a competitive put pilot commitment.

Endemol Shine Australia-produced drama, Sisters, has been picked up by Fox in the US under a put pilot deal. The one-hour drama will be produced by co-executive producer Annie Weisman (Desperate Housewives, The Path) and executive producer Jason Katims (The Path, About A Boy, Parenthood).

Fox made the put pilot commitment “in a very competitive situation” and has Weisman and Katims producing in a team that also includes the original series’ co-creator, ESA Drama Producer Imogen Banks (Offspring, Puberty Blues), Jeni Mulein, Universal TV and Endemol Shine North America president Sharon Levy.

Imogen Banks co-created the original Sisters with Jonathan Gavin (Offspring, The Beautiful Lie) for Network TEN. Starring Maria Angelico, Antonia Prebble, and Lucy Durack, the show premiered on TEN in 2017 and launched in the US as a Netflix Original in September 2018.

Sisters follows the story of only child Julia Bechly who finds her life turned upside down when her father is forced to reveal that, over the course of his career as a fertility doctor, he used his own sperm to conceive dozens of children. As Julia determinedly begins to track down an increasingly large group of siblings, she discovers only two sisters among a veritable sea of brothers – both sisters quickly become a part of her redefined family.

The story has parallels with that of real-life US fertility doctor, Donald Cline, who was sued and given a 365-day suspended jail sentence in 2017 when it came to light that he supplemented his sperm for the fertilisation of around 50 unsuspecting women throughout his career.

Sisters will be a Fox co-production with Universal in association with Endemol Shine North America.

Endemol Shine Australia Honoured In An Array Of International Awards

MasterChef Australia picks up a national Asian Academy Creative Award for Best Non Scripted Entertainment whilst Family Food Fight wins the International Content Innovation Award for Factual Entertainment Program of the Year.

Endemol Shine Australia has been recognised in a raft of international awards and nominations, including in the Asian Academy Creative Awards and the International Content Innovation Awards, both held in Cannes, France this week. 

MasterChef Australia picked up the national Best Non Scripted Entertainment Award for Season 10 at the Asian Academy Creative Awards last night (Monday 15 October), whilst Family Food Fight scooped an International Content Innovation Award for Factual Entertainment Program of the Year in Cannes the night before.

Having been named one of the national winners in this year’s Asian Academy Creative Awards, Masterchef has been judged by industry professionals as “the very best in [its] own nation” and will represent Australia (one of sixteen countries) in the Gala Finals held at Capitol Theatre in Singapore this December.

Speaking about this year’s nominations, Asian Academy Creative Awards President Michael McKay says, “We gathered expert judges from right across the region to assess the work in each country and after the appointed panel had cast their votes, there were instances where a fraction of a point separated the shows”.

Australia has eighteen national wins under its belt, with MasterChef recognised alongside Method Studios’ work on Game of Thrones (Best Visual or Special FX), Network TEN’s The Project (Best News Programme) and ABC’s Hard Quiz (Best Game or Quiz Programme) among others.

Back at home, four of our talented editors – Melinda George (MasterChef, S10 Ep18), Federico Felixberto (Australian Ninja Warrior, S2 Ep1), Leanne Cole and Louise Massignat (Married At First Sight, S5 Ep31) – have been nominated in the Best Reality category at the Australian Screen Editors Guild Ellie Awards, which will be announced later this year. Congratulations to all!

Shane Gould Wins Australian Survivor 2018

The Olympic icon takes home $500,000 and the title of Sole Survivor.

Swimming world record holder and Australian legend Shane Gould, 61, has been crowned the Sole Survivor of Australian Survivor: Champions V Contenders.

Winning by one vote in the gripping finale, the Olympic icon managed to outwit, outlast and outplay the 23 other contestants after 50 days in the challenging tropical region of Savusavu, Fiji, securing the win along with $500,000 in prize money.

“It feels surreal,” Shane says. “It’s been a while since I’ve won an Olympic medal, and it was a challenge to see what I’m made of, to do something crazy!”

What began as twelve Champions and twelve Contenders commencing an unforgettable journey to play the world’s greatest game concluded with three original Champions – AFL Triple Premiership Footballer Brian Lake; Criminal Barrister Sharn Coombes; and swimming great Shane Gould – taking on their last chance at Immunity in the final episode.

In the ultimate endurance test, Brian, Sharn and Shane held onto an idol on top of a pole in the open waters, perched with their feet on narrow pedestals and exposed to the natural elements. Unlike the final challenge in previous seasons of Australian Survivor, this year contestants were required to keep both hands on the idol and both feet on the pedestals they were balanced on at all times.

Offering an extra motivational incentive to endure the harrowing challenge, host Jonathan LaPaglia surprised the remaining castaways with an emotional visit from their loved ones.

Battling immense seasickness from swaying atop the pole, Shane was the first to concede, collapsing into her husband Milton’s loving arms after one hour and 18 minutes. Desperate for the win, Brian’s attempt to crack Sharn’s determination and her loyalty to Shane resulted in a heated exchange between the duo as they continued to fiercely battle it out. Just after two hours, Brian made the fateful mistake of throwing his hat to Jonathan, thus breaking the rules of keeping both hands on the idol and eliminating himself from the Immunity Challenge by default.

With Sharn winning the all-important Immunity Necklace, her decision to stay loyal to her original alliance saw her take Shane through to the final Tribal Council.

At the last Tribal Council of Australian Survivor: Champions V Contenders this year, Sharn and Shane made their final emotional pitches to the jury. With nowhere to hide, the duo faced down their adversaries, tackling tough questions and criticisms head on and explaining their strategies and social games.

The deciding votes were dramatically cast and with only one ballot between them, Jonathan revealed Shane Gould as Australian Survivor: Champions V Contenders Sole Survivor.

MasterChef Australia Nominated For An International Emmy Award

MasterChef is up against three international shows in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category.

Nominations for the 2018 International Emmy®Awards have been announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and MasterChef Australia is up for the Non-Scripted Entertainment award.

MasterChef is among 44 nominees across 11 categories and 20 countries. The show is up against Hoe Zal Ik Het Zeggen? (Did you get the Message?), a Belgian hidden camera comedy produced by Shelter; Thai Broadcasting Company’s shiny-floor singing competition The Mask Singer; and Top Chef México, produced by Sony Pictures Television de Mexico/Cinemateli.

Also being recognised is Endemol Shine Group’s CEO, Sophie Turner Laing, who is to receive a special award for her work at the helm of our network of more than 120 creative production companies across 23 markets.

Other nominations in this year’s International Emmy’s include Endemol Shine Israel’s Nevsu in the Comedy category and Endemol Shine Boomdog’s El Vato Season 2 under Non-English US Primetime Programme. Writer and producer Greg Berlanti (Dawson’s Creek, Blindspot) joins Sophie in being up for a special award presented by the Academy.

Bruce L Paisner, President and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, says, “Looking at the diversity and geographic spread of this year's nominations across all continents and platforms it is clear that excellence in television is a global phenomenon which transcends culture and language.”

Winners of the 2018 International Emmys will be announced on 19 November 2018 at the Hilton New York Hotel.

Natalie Bassingthwaighte Opens The Door To Changing Rooms

Television Favourite to host revamped renovation hit, coming to Network Ten in 2019.

Beloved entertainer, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, will be bursting back onto television screens and into Australian homes as the host of the revamped renovation hit Changing Rooms, which will air on TEN and WIN Network in 2019.

A woman of many talents, Natalie has had a long association with Network Ten with previous appearances on Neighbours as manipulative schemer Izzy, chef Gillian in The Wrong Girl and her standout role as presenter on the reality dance hit, So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

More recently Natalie joined other celebrities to face her fears in the South African jungle on season four of TEN’s hit family entertainment show I’m, A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.

With her warm and positive outlook, Natalie is the perfect choice to guide every day Australians through the rewarding, but sometimes stressful, process of renovations.

On joining the show, Natalie says, “When Network Ten called to ask if I would be interested in hosting a show called Changing Rooms I said “you had me at Changing Rooms”.

“I absolutely love everything to do with design and I am forever quite literally changing every room in my house! It’s the perfect fit and I am incredibly excited.”

Changing Rooms will follow keen and creative couples swap houses with their family, friends or neighbours. Guided by leading designers, each couple will decorate several key rooms in each other's homes before meeting up again for a final reveal.

Network Ten Executive Producer for Changing Rooms, Sarah Thornton, says, “Natalie is the perfect choice to host Changing Rooms. She is fun, authentic, and engaging, and that is what has made her so popular with Australian television audiences for many years.

“We are thrilled to see her bring a contemporary twist to the original and best home renovation show.”

Changing Rooms will be produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Network Ten and will start production in October 2018.