Renewals round-up: “Grand Designs,” “Black Gold,” “N2K”

August 17, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

In this week’s renewal round-up, TruTV orders a fifth season of Black Gold (pictured), Channel 4 in the UK celebrates 100 episodes of Grand Designs with a new season, and Middle Eastern broadcaster Alhurra Television picks up season two of N2K (Need to Know).

Original Productions will produce 10 new episodes of Black Gold for TruTV, slated to air this winter. The fifth season will follow the crews in the oil fields of Texas as they drill for oil, struggle against the elements and handle the dangerous equipment.

“Black Gold has been an important part of the TruTV line-up since we re-branded the network in 2008, and last year it really proved its value with the most-watched season yet,” said Marc Juris, executive VP and COO of TruTV.

Black Gold is executive produced by Original Productions’ Thom Beers, Philip D. Segal and Jeff Conroy, while Sarah Whalen is co-executive producer and Brent Henderson is series producer.

Elsewhere, Channel 4′s flagship design program Grand Designs will celebrate 100 episodes upon its 12th season. Airing in September, the Boundless production series will bring back designer and writer Kevin McCloud as presenter.

The 12th season will follow nine couples as they build their own homes in the UK, experimenting with technology, architecture and lifestyles, including a 99ft tall water tower, a minimalist glass box, and the world’s first computer-cut home. Grand Designs will also revisit some of the series’ previously unfinished builds to see the progress made.

“I’m amazed and grateful that so many people still enjoy Grand Designs. And I’m enormously proud to be supported by a tight-knit team of gifted television makers who believe in proper old-fashioned story-telling and documentary making. Long live Grand Designs,” said McCloud.

Finally, UK-based distributor MercuryMedia has finalized a repeat deal with U.S.-backed Middle Eastern broadcaster Alhurra Television for the weekly magazine show N2K (Need To Know). Produced by ITN Productions, the weekly 30-minute series features the most talked-about stories from Twitter and across the Internet.

“N2K is a perfect fit with Alhurra’s commitment to social media, both on the air and through its social media platforms,” said Mark Kozaki, Alhurra’s program acquisition and scheduling officer.

Tags: Alhurra Television, Black Gold, Boundless, Channel 4, Grand Designs, Mercury Media, N2K, Original Productions, Renewals round-up, truTV