Sky1 has snapped up Don’t Tell the Bride, the latest BBC3 series to move to another broadcaster following the decision to make the channel online-only.
Sky1 has struck a deal to initially air two series, in which grooms organise the entire wedding day for their bride, from next summer.
The show aired for 10 series on BBC3, and one on BBC1 in June, but its future was uncertain after the corporation said late last year that it would not look to recommission programmes such as Don’t Tell the Bride and Snog Marry Avoid?
The move was thought to have been instigated by the show’s production company, Renegade Pictures, part of Warner Brothers Television UK, with the Sky deal coming just days after the BBC Trust confirmed the closure of the BBC3 TV channel early next year.
Sky has said that the show will be “pacier in format” than it has been on the BBC. However, the broadcaster promised not to tamper with the formula of the show too much.
“Fans can expect the usual traditions along the way: bad budgeting, hideous hen-dos, the odd disgruntled mother of the bride and a healthy dose of bridal bling to satisfy even the most die-hard Don’t Tell the Bride fans,” said Sky.
It is thought that about two-thirds of fans of the show are already pay-TV subscribers.
“Many of our customers are already huge fans of the show so we’re delighted to be giving the brand new series a home on Sky1,” said Adam MacDonald, director of Sky1. “Charting wedding dramas for nigh on a decade, Don’t Tell the Bride is best-in-class family-friendly entertainment and a British TV institution to boot.”
Sarah May, executive producer at Renegade Pictures, said: “I’ve been part of this show since the very first episode. It’s the dreams and expectations of the young couple brave enough to take on the Don’t Tell the Bride challenge that really makes this series what it is, and will continue to be the foundation of the show as it moves to Sky.”
Other BBC3 shows to be snapped up by rivals include Family Guy and American Dad, both of which are moving to ITV2.
