News

A+E Networks EMEA has commissioned award-winning indie Honey Bee, previouslybehind the hit series Ross Kemp: Shipwreck Treasure Hunterand Deep Sea Treasure Hunter, and GroupM Motion Entertainment to make a new 5x60’ series Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain (w/t) for broadcast on Sky HISTORY in the UK in 2024. 

Actor and documentarian Ross Kemp will be investigating and exposing Britain’s surprising and deep-rooted links with the mafia, dating as far back as the 1920s. It’s always been assumed that Britain has had no links to the world's most infamous organised crime organisation, but the truth – as Ross will discover and as recent arrests of mafiosi in the UK reveal - is far more sinister and complex. Since the UK does not recognise membership of the mafia as a crime, it has at various points in history become a safe haven for mafia ‘Cosa nostra’ lieutenants, ‘soldiers’ and hit men who have hidden all over the UK in locations as unlikely as caravan parks and newsagents. 

In this series Ross will start his journey in London, taking us back to 1982, where the body of the so-called ‘God’s Banker’, Roberto Calvi, was discovered under Blackfriars Bridge with his pockets stuffed full of foreign currency from all over the world. From there Ross will embark on an epic odyssey to New York, Italy, Sicily, Colombia and Spain, before arriving back in London, to reveal the intricate path of the mafia’s involvement with Britain over nearly a century. 

On his travels, Ross will be speaking with those closest to mafia bosses, top organised crime investigators, and some who have been affected by their crimes. Ross will use this knowledge to trace the complex network of money, drugs, and criminals, in and out of the UK, creating a historical map and timeline to reveal how the mafia has quietly and effectively inveigled its way into the heart of Britain’s underworld. 

Ross Kemp said,“I’m looking forward to taking viewers into unchartered territory as we discover the relationship between Britain and one of the most notorious organised crime groups in the world, the mafia.”

The series was commissioned, and executive produced by Dan Korn, VP of Programming at A+E Networks EMEA, with Diana Carter, Commissioning Editor and Head of Talent at A+E Networks EMEA. 

Dan Korn, VP of Programming said, “I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified than Ross to expose Britain’s secret links to The Mafia. The series lifts the lid on the UK’s shocking connection to one of the world’s most mysterious and notorious crime families.” 

Series director for Honey Bee is Sam Taplin and Series Executive Producer is Ed Taylor, with Martin Oxley Exec for GroupM Motion Entertainment. Ed Taylor commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Ross, A+E Networks and GroupM Motion Entertainment once again. The history of Britain’s relationship with the mafia has never been fully explored before - it's a highly compelling story that both shocks and surprises.”

Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain premieres on Sky HISTORY in 2024.

 

ENDS
 

For more information please contact:

Organic A+ENetworks@organic-publicity.co.uk

Barbara.Pianca@aenetworks.co.uk 

Editor’s Notes

• www.SkyHISTORY.co.uk
• Sky HISTORY is available on Sky 123, Virgin 131, Talk Talk 327 and streaming service NOW. 
• Clips, viewing materials and images to be provided on request when available. 
• Interview access available depending on availability. 

About Sky HISTORY

Sky HISTORY is the flagship brand of the A+E Networks® EMEA portfolio which is made up of true crime channel Crime + Investigation®; Sky HISTORY2® and free to air channel BLAZE®. Sky HISTORY is available in the UK on Sky, Virgin and on streaming service NOW. www.SkyHistory.co.uk

 

About A+E Networks EMEA

At A+E Networks EMEA, we share stories that matter everywhere, anywhere. A leader in factual entertainment, our compelling, award-winning content connects with millions across the UK, Nordics, Benelux, Germany, Italy, Spain, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Our portfolio of premium brands – The HISTORY® Channel, Crime + Investigation®, HISTORY2®, BLAZE®, and COSMO TV® - inspire and excite viewers with hit franchises (Forged in Fire), must-see dramas (Vikings) and original commissions (The Hunt for Baltic Gold and Ross Kemp: Shipwreck Treasure Hunter). Our stories are global and local, linear and digital, and always compelling. With offices in London, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Munich, and Johannesburg, we are a truly international company that celebrates difference and diversity.

 

About Honey Bee TV

Honey Bee is a fully independent, regional production company. We make unscripted popular factual television programmes for the UK and US – this includes making specialist factual programmes that are broad and accessible, observational documentaries with great characters and access to different precincts and institutions, drama documentaries that re-tell stories from the past and biopics that delve into the lives of those who have changed the world. We strongly embrace diversity on and off screen, and our track record on this stands out as one of the best in the industry. We have a strong environmental ethos. We are named after the bees that live in our three beehives located onsite. A percentage of our profits go to the World Bee Project: http://worldbeeproject.org/

 

About GroupM Motion Entertainment

GroupM Motion Entertainment funds, develops, produces and distributes premium television, digital content and award-winning programming around the globe in partnership with the world’s leading producers, talent, networks, and platforms. Through innovative commercial and creative partnerships Motion works alongside GroupM agencies to produce original brand-funded content and unique entertainment partnerships that create value and help clients play a positive and active role in culture. The company has co-produced over 1,800 series, equating to over 26,000 hours of television across all programming genres. Motion currently operates in 44 countries worldwide with headquarters in London and Los Angeles. GroupM Motion Entertainment is part of GroupM, a WPP company.

Follow Motion on Twitter: @motion_content, Instagram: @MotionContentGroup and LinkedIn.