WEDNESDAY 8^TH JANUARY, 8PM, SKY 1 HD

Last summer Ashley Banjo faced his biggest ever challenge as he attempted to get the whole town of Stockton-On-Tees on its feet and dancing in the streets, in the UK’s largest ever street dance.

Over one summer, the people of Stockton had their lives turned upside down when Ashley and Diversity hit their streets to create the UKs largest street dance. In his most ambitious dance project to date, Ashley aimedto persuade the people of this northern market town to join him in a street dance spectacular, hoping to bring the whole community together.

Like a lot of UK towns, Stockton was facing tough times so Ashley and Diversity were given two months to turn the town spirit around. Tasked with forging new friendships and believing that dance can create a powerful connection, Ashley designed an energetic and dazzling street-dance spectacular that would reinvigorate the whole town and unite a community through the power of dance.

He started by bringing together people who had similar jobs but who had never met, from bus drivers and street sweepers, nurses and teachers, to pub landlords and policemen, Ashley wanted to unite the town’s workers by choreographing a series of individual, feel-good street dance routines.  

As Ashley’s volunteers came together, personal journeys were revealed, new friendships were forged, as individuals overcame emotional and physical obstacles in a heart-warming common mission to come together and meet the challenge. For one day only, Stockton’s town square hosted the UK's largest ever street dance with Ashley and his workers bringing the routines and the community together to unite in an unforgettable, show-stopping street-dance finale.

Ashley Banjo commented: “I have always believed that street dance is for everyone, whether you are part of a crew or going solo. This is the biggest challenge I have ever taken on, let's hope I can give Stockton-on-Tees their dancing spirit back.”

Ashley Banjo’s Big Town Dance, Wednesday 8^th January, 8pm on Sky 1 HD

By 2014, Sky will invest £600 million a year in British programmes across its portfolio of channels.  This commitment includes home-grown content such as upcoming entertainment quiz DUCK QUACKS DON’T ECHO, dramas such as MOONFLEET, THE TUNNEL, DRACULA, A YOUNG DOCTOR’S NOTEBOOK, FLEMING and THE SMOKE, comedies such as STELLA, DOLL & EM,THE KUMARS and factual shows such as KARL PILKINGTON: THE MOANING OF LIFE, THE SOUTH BANK SHOW, THE FACE and ROSS KEMP EXTREME WORLD.

Notes to editor

For further information please contact:

Rachel Tate

Publicist – Sky 1 and Sky Living

0207 032 6481 / 07850 732 717

Rachel.tate@bskyb.com

Charlotte Jordan

Junior Publicist

0207 032 1496

Charlotte.jordan@bskyb.com

www.skypressoffice.co.uk

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Photography available from www.image.net or StillsDepartment@bskyb.com

Notes to Editors:

About Sky

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Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.3 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News.   Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.

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Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts. Sky employs 23,000 people, has annual revenues of £6.8 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY). www.sky.com/corporat.