Caravan’s ‘The Drowning of Paula Leeson’ gets Channel 5 release

Caravan’s latest true crime documentary will premiere in the UK at 8pm on Wednesday 30th April on Channel 5.

The Drowning of Paula Leeson is a gripping feature documentary covering the intriguing case of Donald McPherson, who wakes up one day to find his wife Paula floating fully clothed and face down in the pool at their holiday home in Denmark. At first glance, it’s a tragic accident. But at the autopsy, they see worrying marks on her body and call the police. Donald is tried for murder but the case collapses. He walks free… and then it turns out that Donald is not Donald at all. Unfolding layer by layer, this dramatic true crime tale traces Donald’s secret past and multiple identities in an investigation spanning the globe. It reveals numerous different names; a first wife and child who died in mysterious circumstances; a multi-million-dollar fraud; jail, and connections to organised crime syndicates – plus bizarre beginnings in New Zealand. From one shocking discovery to the next, our suspicions of McPherson’s guilt swing like a pendulum. All the time we’re asking: who is Donald McPherson? And has he got away with murder?

The documentary will be available to stream on 5 video-on-demand platform after airing.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for the documentary on Broadcast.

Field of Vampires to premiere on Secrets of the Dead for PBS

Caravan’s new science-archaeology documentary will premiere on US network’s PBS Secrets of the Dead strand in October 2024.

In rural Poland, archaeologists have made a terrifying discovery. A skeleton buried with a sickle across her neck and a giant padlock on her toe – double protection against her rising from the grave. This corpse was feared to be a real-life vampire. But she is not alone. Now, an international team of experts use cutting-edge science and historical research to investigate who this enigmatic woman was and why she was so feared. Travelling across Europe and the US, they unearth extraordinary rituals and reveal why some bodies were singled out as the ‘living dead’. Calling upon a pioneering facial reconstructor, can they unlock the secrets of the Field of Vampires?

The special, filmed across Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the USA, will launch on PBS in October 2024. A two-part version of the film will also air internationally on Sky History (UK) and SVT (Sweden).

International distribution is handled by Sphere Abacus. Find out more here: https://www.sphere-abacus.com/programme/4350/field-of-vampires

Caravan’s Samuel Mundell selected as Broadcast Hot Shot 2024

Congratulations to Assistant Producer Samuel Mundell who has been recognised by Broadcast’s annual round up of the industry’s rising stars.

Since first joining as a development researcher over 5 years ago, Samuel has risen to be a vital member of Caravan’s creative team. Working across our development and production slate, he has helped take multiple films from first pitch to final delivery for global broadcasters including National Geographic, BBC, Sky, PBS and NHK. He has repeatedly proven his storytelling instincts and strong work ethic as a visionary researcher, writer and facilitator.

He has assisted filming on location worldwide (from Peru to Poland, Istanbul to Edinburgh) with a diverse range of contributors – for award-winning films that span science, true crime, history, current affairs, and survival. When required, he has taken on large aspects of production management work alongside his editorial work making him an extremely skilled all-rounder.

This year, Broadcast’s Hot Shots scheme received a record number of entries. We are delighted Samuel’s talent has shone through and he has been selected as a Hot Shot. Last year, he took an exciting step up to Producer/Director on short episodes for Japanese broadcaster NHK. He has already interviewed mountaineer Nimsdai Purja, choirmaster Gareth Malone and explorer Ella Al-Shamahi, with sole responsibility for delivering all aspects of films that explore the minds and motivations of these inspiring individuals.

As reported today in Broadcast: “Samuel Mundell is committed: in Peru, he continued working on a shoot even when vomiting with altitude sickness at the top of a glacier, when no one else could carry on, to ensure the production got what it needed.

That kind of attitude has made him very well-regarded at specialist factual indie Caravan, where as an AP he has also filmed with paleontologists in Scotland, journalists in London and marine archaeologists in the Black Sea.

“It was obvious from the start that Samuel was going to be astonishingly accomplished and a massive asset to our company,” says Caravan chief exec Dinah Lord. “He is a lateral creative thinker, skilled writer and proactive facilitator. He’s unrivalled in his ability to find a good story.””

“Caravan investigates Field of Vampires for PBS”

Announced today, Caravan is in production on a science-archaeology special for PBS and international distributor Abacus Media Rights.

With exclusive access to unprecedented archeological discoveries, Field of Vampires (1×60’/2×45’) travels throughout Europe and the US to understand how the myth of vampires began, unlock the secrets of the extraordinary ritual burials of those suspected of vampiric behaviour, and explore why some dead people were singled out as being vampires. An intense forensic investigation of ancient skeletons in mysterious graveyards, ground-breaking DNA analysis, and pioneering facial reconstruction techniques answer some of these fascinating questions…

As reported in Broadcast: “Field of Vampires was ordered for PBS’ long-running factual strand Secrets of the Dead and has already been pre-bought by A+E Networks EMEA for Sky History. Distributor Abacus Media Rights, which has global rights outside of the US for the doc, has also secured pre-sales to The History Channel in Poland and Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

The doc is produced and directed by Steven Perring, with Caravan chief exec Dinah Lord, exec producing alongside Stephanie Carter for Secrets of the Dead. The production executive is Johann Insanally, Samuel Mundell is assistant producer.

Lord said: “We are thrilled to be producing Field of Vampires for Secrets of the Dead, which will reveal some startling, unexpected answers to mysteries that have remained hidden for hundreds of years. We’re also looking forward to working with the sales team at Abacus Media Rights who we know will help the documentary reach multiple screens and audiences around the world.”

Jonathan Ford, managing director at AMR, added: “Productions that have a truly original take on a successful genre are always of interest to us at AMR. We know history and archaeological programming really work internationally and we also know the story of vampires continues to intrigue viewers – here we have a fabulous factual series that cleverly combines the two.””.

The special will be released later this year.

Read the full story at:

Televisual – https://www.televisual.com/news/caravan-investigates-field-of-vampires-for-pbs/

Broadcast – https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/international/caravan-explores-vampire-myth-for-pbs/5193313.article

Realscreen – https://realscreen.com/2024/05/13/extra-new-unscripted-titles-in-fox-slate-caravan-to-explore-vampires-for-pbs/

‘How the Holocaust Began’ shortlisted for Broadcast Awards 2024

Broadcast calls the finalists ‘standout shows’ emerging from ‘the highest volume of entries ever’.

‘How the Holocaust Began’ (2023), produced by Caravan for BBC Two and iPlayer, has been selected as a finalist in the Best Specialist Factual Programme at the Broadcast Awards 2024. The nomination acknowledges years of work by an unflagging team to produce a moving, insightful and important film.

In the film, historian James Bulgin reveals the origins of the Holocaust in the German invasion of the Soviet Union, exploring the mass murder, collaboration and experimentation that led to the Final Solution. It can currently be viewed on BBC iPlayer.

The full shortlist can be viewed here: https://broadcastawards.co.uk/shortlist-2024

The awards take place on 8 February at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House on Park Lane.

Caravan nominated for Broadcast Digital Awards

Caravan and ZANDLAND have been shortlisted in the Best Current Affairs Programme category at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2023 for ‘Untold: The Secret World of Incels’ (All 4).

Released in November 2022, filmmaker Ben Zand investigates the dark world of incels in this documentary. After a year-long investigation, Zand gains unprecedented access to the men behind the keyboards. Research finds the community is rapidly growing, and one of the most extreme incel forums has 18,000 members with around 2,500 from the UK.

The documentary also meets a British incel who has never had a proper conversation with a woman in real life. The investigation uncovers shocking extremism, which includes sharing extremely violent and bloody content.

View the full shortlist for the Broadcast Digital Awards 2023 here: https://www.broadcastdigitalawards.co.uk/shortlist-2023

The winners will be revealed at Broadcast’s live awards ceremony on 5 July at The Brewery, London.

5-star review for Caravan’s new Holocaust documentary

Caravan’s latest film, How the Holocaust Began, has been called ‘haunting, vital television’ in a 5-star review from The Times.

In the documentary, historian James Bulgin reveals the origins of the Holocaust in the German invasion of the Soviet Union, exploring the mass murder, collaboration and experimentation that led to the Final Solution. It premiered on BBC Two & iPlayer on Monday 23rd January.

Extracts of critic reviews:

★★★★★ – Carol Midgley, The Times
“If you watched How the Holocaust Began last night, a devastating but brilliant account of the chaotic, improvised origins of Hitler’s genocide in eastern Europe, it’s likely you didn’t sleep very well. Every single detail was horrific, obviously, but the account of the experimental killing site in a Polish forest, set up to establish more efficient ways to murder en masse without ‘traumatising’ Nazi soldiers too much, showed that, even now, the Nazis can still surprise you with their evil.”

★★★★ – Anita Singh, The Telegraph
“Hitler’s Einsatzgruppen death squads carried out many of these murders. But the chilling truth presented here was that they did not – in fact, could not – act alone. They needed not just the tacit support of the civilian population, but their active participation. It is crucial that we understand how the Holocaust was able to develop; blaming it all on the Nazis is to turn a blind eye to the darker side of human nature.”