Fred Media has acquired ITV Studios Australia’s documentary series Inside Central Station: Australia’s Busiest Railway and Australia Behind Bars as part of a new partnership between the two companies.
Set to premiere on SBS on September 12, Inside Central Station: Australia’s Busiest Railway is a 10-hour journey into the operation of Sydney’s rail system as seen through cameras inside the 2000 trains and 175 stations in the network. ITVSA has also secured access to all footage caught on the 12,000 CCTV cameras the company operates.
It’s razor wire, not railways, that is at the centre of Australia Behind Bars, an eight-hour series that goes beyond the walls of three of the country’s toughest prisons to reveal what life is like for the prison officers and inmates that occupy them.
Fred Media general manager Roger Vanderspikken said the company was “very excited” to be partnering with ITVSA to launch the two new series.
“Both titles were made with incredible access, skilful storytelling, and great production values,” he said.
“They reveal new facets about life in Australia and I am confident they will have great appeal to international broadcasters as we formally launch them to the market this autumn.”
ITVSA CEO David Mott said he was delighted for the programs to begin their global journeys.
“Both Inside Central Station: Australia’s Busiest Railway and Australia Behind Bars have been real passion projects for our business and, while uniquely Australian, the themes and stories they convey are universal,” he said.
Fred Media’s autumn slate includes the formal launch of Sydney Harbour Force, the now completed observational documentary series produced by WTFN for Discovery UK, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as The Circus, a new reality series produced by Stripe Studios for NBCU (Bravo) New Zealand that follows the lives of a family of 10 and their adventures under a Circus Big Top.
There is also Beyond the Fire from CheekyMac Productions. Premiered by Channel 10, the documentary follows the stories of Australia’s unsung heroes as they band together to create life from ashes after the Australian Black Summer bushfire crisis.
Returning for the distributor are WTFN observational documentary series Paramedics and Emergency, which are entering their third and second seasons for the Nine Network, respectively.
Elsewhere, there are five new design-led series from MWC Media and 15 new food titles from existing Fred Media partner Tastemade, as well as two new series from Haciyatmaz Films – Abandoned Places and Stories From Hidden Worlds.