Last checked at 13 Jan 2009 12:18
Date: 13 January 2009
On behalf of: Boomerang Plus Plc ("Boomerang", the "Group", or the "Company")
Immediate Release
Boomerang Commissioned by Channel 4 to Showcase British Athletes on their Journey to the 2012 Olympics
The 4Sport Show, from leading independent television production company Boomerang, is a brand new sports TV series which will get under the skin of British sport and give some of the less exposed sports well deserved network coverage. The 4Sport Show will illustrate the passion and determination of numerous sportsmen and women and profile some of Britain's emerging athletes as they start out on the long road to the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
The first programme will be broadcast on Channel 4 at 8am on Sunday 25 January 2009. It will be presented by the face of Triathlon, Rob Walker, as well as former British Olympic stars Iwan Thomas (400m silver medallist) and Gail Emms (badminton silver medallist), who will also offer their views on the action. The series will run for 10 weeks, each episode lasting an hour.
A host of celebrities will feature in the series, taking part in different sports disciplines. Dame Kelly Holmes will be taking on the complicated and challenging art of Judo with Olympic silver medallist Kate Howie. Mark Foster will be shooting hoops with the Everton Tigers; Jon Snow will be mounting his bike and taking to the Velodrome in Manchester for a cycling master class with one of Britain's Olympic cycling stars; and T4's Rick Edwards will be heading to Loughborough University for a gruelling training session with silver medallist swimmer, David Davies.
Joining this list of superstars will be former Goldie Looking Chain members, Rhys and Eggsy. The boys will be up against elite athletes in a series of highly technical sports science tests to see how the average Joe compares to Britain's best.
Matthew Tune, 4Sports Series Producer for Boomerang, commented:
"It has been a fascinating experience working with such a great mix of sports and their dedicated rising stars. What we are trying to do is apply the same pace and energy that we do with our extreme sports output to these mainstream sports, plus get our presenters as involved in the sports as possible. Whether you are a sports fan or coach potato, this show will grab your attention."
Deborah Poulton, Channel 4's Editor, Off Peak Programming and Sport, added:
"Channel 4 has a long history of bringing minority sports to wider audiences, and The 4Sport Show continues that tradition with a distinctive and original take on some of the less well-known Olympic events."
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Contacts:
Boomerang+ PLC
Gareth Rees, Executive Director Via Redleaf Communications
Matthew Tune, Series Producer
Redleaf Communications
Sanna Sumner / Anna Dunkin 020 7566 6700
boomerang@redleafpr.com
Notes to Editors
Boomerang Plus
The Group, founded in 1994, has extensive experience in producing content in a variety of genres, including youth programming, music, entertainment, children's programming, extreme sports and drama.
Boomerang is ranked in the top five independent television production companies, by revenue, in the Nations and Regions according to the Broadcast Survey (Nations and Regions) 2007.