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Sky reaches for the stars Intergalactic
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Sky
Zai Bennett reveals why the satellite giant is splashing out on a star-driven line-up for 2021
he prospect of a brand-new Michael Winterbottom drama starring Kenneth Branagh as a pandemic- beleaguered Boris Johnson has already got mouths watering among audiences and critics alike, and This Sceptred Isle is just one of Sky’s bumper line-up of 125 new Sky Originals promised for 2021. Keeley Hawes, Rita Ora and Dame Judi Dench are among the other big names bringing star power to Sky, with the broadcaster announcing 30 exclusive original films and 30 documentaries, all part of an impressive roster that promises 50% more original content than last year. If this seems a highly ambitious project after the production chaos of 2020, Zai Bennett, managing director of content for Sky UK and Ireland, explained that it was the culmination of half a decade’s investment across drama, comedy and entertainment. This has been boosted by Comcast – Sky’s owner since 2018 – pledging to support Sky’s aim of owning its own content: Sky plans to spend £1bn a year on originals by 2024. Bennett told the RTS: “We’re getting into original film for our Sky Cinema service, and landing documentaries in a really big way. We’re about investing in authorship.” He revealed that he had already binged on one high-end drama, Intergalactic. Coming to Sky 1 in April, the series is a mix of soap and sci-fi, following a mutiny on a women’s prison ship in space – what he described as “Orange is the New Black in space”. He noted that “the vast majority of the cast is female – in the sci-fi world, that’s not normally the case. It’s fun, with great production – the money is on screen.” Away from drama, the factual commissions sound equally broad, with titles such as Liverpool Narcos and The Bambers: Murder at the Farm. Bennett said: “It’s about a theatrical premium experience. Character and narrative are really important in our documentaries.” The list includes new profile documentaries on Stephen Hawking and Tina Turner, and Bennett sounded particularly enthused by Bruno vs Tyson. “It’s the story of society at that time through the fights these two guys had,” he said, confident that it would find a large audience beyond boxing fans. Despite the big names on the list, there was good news for aspiring
