There was much to be concerned about at the recent Edinburgh TV Festival, but as Michael Burns reports there were also some bright sparks to cheer the industry.
The Edinburgh TV Festival, when the UK TV production community traditionally decamps en masse from ‘the Smoke’ to a conference centre in ‘Auld Reekie’, is an opportunity for big debates to be aired, as well as news revealed of upcoming shows and formats. With almost a week of sessions and panels, it’s impossible to cover everything in one article, but here’s an overview of announcements and a taste of some of the talks.
Edinburgh TV Festival 2023: New slates
On the horizon are Prime Video UK Original documentary The Fake Sheikh; Virdee, a new six-part detective drama based on AA Dhand’s crime novels and starring Sacha Dhawan; Jenna Coleman will star as a rookie detective in The Jetty, a four-part BBC thriller from writer Cat Jones and producer Firebird Pictures. Drama The Tattooist of Auschwitz (starring Harvey Keitel) and a host of factual shows were announced by Sky; a new reality TV series The Fortune Hotel, produced by Tuesday’s Child for ITV and STV in 2024 will be hosted by Stephen Mangan; while Disney+ showed previews of three-part documentary, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story...
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
From AI production to immersive media: European innovators to watch at IBC2026
From generative production and AI-powered post-production to content discovery, immersive experiences and next-generation imaging, a group of EIT Culture & Creativity-backed ventures arriving at IBC2026 offers a snapshot of where European media innovation is heading next.
.jpg)
Innovation Awards: Exploring Content Distribution's final three
Amid a sea of competitive entries, Fergal Ringrose, Chair of Judges for the IBC Innovation Awards, breaks down the shortlisted Content Distribution entries to demonstrate exactly what got them over the line.
Network Control: Turning 5G into a production tool
Speed, flexibility, and reliability – that’s the dream for many a live production. However, when public network coverage is patchy, what’s a broadcaster to do? The 2026 Accelerator Project, Network Control, deploys standardised network APIs to tackle this problem head-on.
Film University Babelsberg to preview immersive Auschwitz project at IBC2026
Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf will present an immersive digital reconstruction of a little-known site associated with Auschwitz at IBC2026, as part of EIT Culture & Creativity's first major presence at the show.
.jpg)
Innovation Awards: Investigating 2026’s Content Creation finalists
What does it take to win a technological innovation award in content creation? Fergal Ringrose, Chair of Judges for the IBC Innovation Awards, assesses the top three projects in the running – revealing the key characteristics of each of the most competitive submissions.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
