Sky 1 HD orders The Kings & Queens of Speech (w/t) from Twofour

Sky 1 HD today (Tuesday 29th July, 2014) announces THE KINGS & QUEENS OF SPEECH (w/t),  a brand new 8 x 60 series from Twofour (Educating Yorkshire), that will take kids from schools across the country and help transform their lives through a debating competition. Working in collaboration with Debate Mate, a revolutionary educational charity that works with 200 schools nationwide and has helped over 4,000 disadvantaged young people to find their voice through debate, THE KINGS & QUEENS OF SPEECH (w/t) is a joyful, uplifting and heartfelt look at the potential that can be unleashed in young adults today.

The commission of THE KINGS & QUEENS OF SPEECH (w/t) ispart of Sky 1 Director, Adam MacDonald’s priority investmentin the channel’s 8pm slot, focusing on fresh thinking factual and entertainmentformats, that he outlined last November. The series will air on the channelin 2015. The commission closely follows the recent announcement of THE SUN SET (w/t),also from Twofour, Sky 1’s first fixed rig series that exploresthe fascinating dynamics of the family holiday. And WELCOME TO MY GARDEN (w/t) whichcelebrates the UK and Irelands’ passion for gardening.

THE KINGS & QUEENS OF SPEECH (w/t) will see Sky 1 visitschools across the UK, charting the journeys of students as they make theirway through a debating tournament. Transforming teenagers into confidentyoung adults, Debate Mate mentors will challenge teams of students to becomefirst-class debaters, building their confidence and developing life changingcommunication skills.

The winning teams from each school will then be brought together for thefirst time, competing head to head in a debating competition in front ofa panel of judges. The finalists compete in a knockout tournament untilone team are crowned the Kings & Queens of Speech 2014.

Adam MacDonald, Director of Sky 1 said “The Kings & Queens of Speech will be a fresh new addition to Sky 1s emerging slate of 8pm programming – it is going to thrill, move and energise Sky 1 customers across the generations”

Dan Adamson, Director of Programmes, Twofour said: "We're thrilled to be following the Debate Mate programme. We are looking forward to capturing all the emotion as young people, regardless of background or academic achievement, prove themselves on a national debating stage."

THE KINGS & QUEENS OF SPEECH (w/t) has been commissionedby Adam MacDonald and Christopher Brogden and will be executive producedby Dan Adamson for Twofour and Deborah Sargeant for Sky. The series produceris Sam Grace for Twofour.

This year Sky will invest £600 million a year in original British contentand production across its portfolio of channels.  This commitmentincludes entertainment shows GOT TO DANCE and DUCK QUACKS DON’T ECHO; dramassuch as STRIKE BACK and MOONFLEET; comediesincluding STELLA, DOLL & EM and MOONE BOY andfactual shows as diverse as 50 WAYS TO KILL YOUR MAMMY, THE SOUTH BANK SHOW and ROSS KEMP EXTREME WORLD.

ENDS

Notes to editor

Further information:

Rachel Tate

Publicist, Sky 1 HD

rachel.tate@bskyb.com

Annabel Rudden

Publicist, Sky 1 HD

annabel.rudden@bskyb.com

www.skypressoffice.co.uk

@sky1

About Sky

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company.  Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.

Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.5 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.

Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator.  Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.

Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi.  NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV.  Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone.

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 24,000 people, has annual revenues of £7.2 billion and is estimated to support a £5.9 billion contribution to UK GDP.  Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY).

About Twofour

Twofour is an award winning television producer creating factual, features and entertainment programming for leading broadcasters across the UK and international market. Twofour's output includes the multiple award winning Educating Yorkshire, entertainment shows such as Splash! and The Jump, and returning factual series including The Hotel Inspector, Channel 5's longest running show. Twofour was awarded Broadcast's 'Best Indie Production Company' title in 2014. http://www.twofourbroadcast.com/

About Debate Mate

Debate Mate is a unique, international educational charity dedicated to improving social mobility using cost-effective peer-to-peer debate mentoring.

Debate Mate runs after school debating clubs in areas of high child poverty, facilitated by students at the best universities, which give disadvantaged young people the skills needed to become exceptional young leaders – confidence, interpersonal communication skills and higher order thinking.

Debate Mate has a strong global presence, operating programmes in Nepal, Africa, Jamaica, the Middle East, and the United States.

Debate Mate runs bespoke workshops for teachers looking to integrate debating into their classroom, and specialised training for students who want to “debate like a world champion”.

By teaching debating through peer-to-peer mentoring, Debate Mate empowers and inspires participants and provides them with powerful role models to raise their aspirations.