A TINY TV production company based in Northumberland has secured a major breakthrough after being commissioned to prepare a series for a national network.
Orion TV, run by husband and wife Bob and Marrisse Whittaker at their Alnmouth home, has reached a deal with satellite and cable channel History to produce a series about a team of banger car racers.
The series has also been picked up by an international distributor and could be aired overseas.
Banger Boys will over the course of eight-hour long episodes beginning in April follow one of the UK’s top race teams, the Dreamers.
The four-man team based in East Sussex buy and spruce up cars to compete in death-defying races across the South East of England, and possibly in the future Europe.
Bob said: “Banger races is one of these things nobody knows anything about. There seems to be a bit of a revival in banger racing. It could be that this leads somewhere.”
Marrisse discovered the Dreamers online four years ago and has followed them since.
“I was specifically looking for something that fit ‘white man van viewing’ – aimed at regular men who like to do practical work.
“I was trying to find something that audiences would like. Cars seem to work for people.”
Bob worked as a reporter and producer for Tyne Tees from 1990 to 1996, and before that worked for the BBC.
Marrisse was a make-up designer and writer on Byker Grove, and also wrote for Hollyoaks.
The couple set up Orion TV together in 2004 to focus on factual programming and have a London office run by Bob’s son Kelwyn.
Last year, Orion had its first commission for Channel Four with Mothertruckers, which looked at the lives of women lorry drivers.
That show was a big hit for the network, and the couple still hope it might be commissioned as a series.
Marrisse added: “We have not done anything for History before, they are really nice to work for.”
International distribution company Zodiac has picked up the series, which could see it screened in America, South Africa and Australia.
:: Banger Boys starts on History on April 11 at 10pm.
