Avalon Television’s acclaimed sketch show Touch Me, I’m Karen Taylor is to be made for RTL, Germany’s biggest channel. The network immediately picked up an entire series after viewing a one-hour broadcast special developed by Constantin Entertainment. The German production house, who bought the format from Avalon Distribution, will now produce 8x30 minutes to be televised in spring 2009.
Touch Me, I’m Karen Taylor, co-written by and starring BAFTA-winning comedian KAREN TAYLOR, first broadcast in June 2007 on BBC THREE. Offering a fresh and saucy look at the world, the sketch show treated love, life and modern day obsessions to KAREN’s no-nonsense attitude and innuendo-laced humour. A second series has just been screened.
The German version, currently in production, will see hit German comedienne MIRJA BOES reprise the leading role. It culminates Constantin Entertainment’s widescale international search for the right television platform for MIRJA.
Otto Steiner, Managing Director of Constantin Entertainment said: "We are really happy and proud to produce the Karen Taylor show for RTL in Germany. It is a really extraordinary, brilliant and high quality comedy format. With Mirja Boes, one of the best and most famous female comedy artists in Germany, I am sure we will make it a big success at the market leading German broadcaster RTL."
Rob Aslett, Avalon Distribution continues: “We’re extremely pleased that Touch Me, I’m Karen Taylor has been acquired by Germany’s biggest network. We’re really excited that the acclaim achieved in the UK is now starting to attract international buyers.”
ends.
What the press has said about ‘Touch Me, I’m Karen Taylor’:
“Totally hilarious sketch show” shocker! Can it really be true? Ohmilorditsurelyis. More amusing than the last eleventeen sketch shows you can think of, Taylor manages an exceptionally high hit rate. Stratospheric, in fact…Funnier in fact, than The Catherine Tate Show and Little Britain."
Gareth McLean, The Guardian.
For more information please contact Jo Cross or Dan Lloyd at Avalon Public Relations
Tel: 020 7598 7222 or E-mail: joc@avalonuk.com / danl@avalonuk.com
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AVALON DISTRIBUTION
Avalon Distribution is part of the Avalon Group, which was launched in 1989. Avalon comprises of seven key companies: Avalon Management Group Ltd (artistic representation), Avalon Promotions Ltd, (promotions company and live bookings agency), Avalon Television Ltd (production company), Avalon Public Relations Ltd (public relations and marketing company), Avalon Motion Pictures (film development and production company), Tinderbox Television (new format and television joint venture with Channel Four International) and Avalon Distribution.
Avalon Distribution specialises in completed programme and format sales for Avalon Television, Liberty Bell Productions and Tinderbox Television. Recent deals include: BAFTA award-winning The Sketch Show sales to over 30 territories; and the sale of Grumpy television shows to 20 countries worldwide.
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AVALON TELEVISION
Avalon Television is one of the leading producers of award-winning comedy and light entertainment programmes in the UK. Founded in 1993, the independent production house supplies television programming to all the British terrestrial channels and the leading cable and satellite stations, in addition to content for radio broadcasters.
Recent television productions include: the double-BAFTA and British Comedy Award-winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1); Al Murray’s Happy Hour (ITV1) - the British Comedy Award winning peak-time entertainment show; two series of the Royal Television Society and Rose D’Or award-winning sitcom Not Going Out (BBC ONE): the critically acclaimed Touch Me I’m Karen Taylor (BBC THREE); the Rose d’Or award-winning Kombat Opera Presents (BBC TWO), a series of contemporary musical comedies from the creator of the multi-award-winning hit musical Jerry Springer - The Opera, with collaborators including STEWART LEE, DAVE GORMAN and TERRY JONES; a feature-length documentary, written by and starring DAVE GORMAN, entitled Unchained America (More 4); Laura, Ben and Him, a multi-character sketch show for ITV2 written by and starring hotly-tipped new writer performers LAURA SOLON, BEN WILLBOND and MAREK LARWOOD; You Can Choose Your Friends (ITV1) - a 90-minute comedy-drama starring the late ANTON RODGERS and JULIA McKENZIE; a prime-time reality format in the US called Wake Up Call (ABC Network); and The Greg Behrendt Show, a first-run syndication show in the USA produced by Avalon Television and Sony.
Avalon Television also produces radio, with recent projects including: series five of Out To Lunch (BBC Radio 2), a comedy show for Saturday afternoons hosted by RUSSELL KANE - featuring some of the finest up-and-coming comic talent currently working in the UK; a fifth series of DAVID BADDIEL’S acclaimed BBC Radio 4 comic-discussion show, Heresy; series three of Banter (BBC Radio 4), hosted by Sony Award-winning ANDREW COLLINS, a comedy panel show in which the guests including RICHARD HERRING and RUSSELL HOWARD are asked to hammer out Top Threes in categories covering anything from playwrights to Playstation; and series two of Political Animal (BBC Radio 4), a socio-political satire show, hosted and linked by ANDY ZALTZMAN and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (More 4) regular JOHN OLIVER.
