Sky Arts bolsters its foreign drama strand with epic Spanish period drama Isabel, plus the returns of melodrama Grand Hotel and French comedy-drama Hard
Hard (Series 2 - 12x30mins) from Friday 17th August 10pm, Sky Arts 1 & Sky Go
“Think a Breaking Bad family drama with a 50 Shades dress code” GQ
Isabel (13x90mins) September, Sky Arts 1 & Sky Go
“One of the most watched programmes in primetime” El Pais
Grand Hotel (Series 2 - 16x90mins) December, Sky Arts 1 & Sky Go
“You simply have to go back for second helpings” Guardian
Sky Arts will bolster its acclaimed foreign drama strand by acquiring the critically-lauded Spanish period drama Isabel, as well as announcing the return of Spanish melodrama Grand Hotel and French comedy-drama Hard. The returning series’ will kick off with a double-bill of Hard, on Sky Arts 1 on Friday 17th August at 10pm.
Charting the life of Isabella I of Castile, one of the most important women in Spain’s history, the award-winning period drama Isabel follows her passionate story from childhood to being crowned Queen. From her political struggles within King Henry IV's court to her wedding to Ferdinand of Aragon, the drama encapsulates the passions, emotions and sacrifices of a woman who refused to just be a figurehead and whose outlook was ahead of her time.The series received the best national TV series prize at the 2012 Ondas Awards, one of the oldest and most prestigious TV awards in Spain. Actress Michelle Jenner won best TV actress at the Fotogramas de Plata Awards for her portrayal of the Queen.
Part black-comedy and part domestic drama, the second series of Hard continues to follow the alluring and sophisticated Sophie as she struggles at the helm of Soph-X, the adult film industry she inadvertently inherited from her late husband. Written and directed by award-winning actress Cathy Verney, the series was applauded by Sky Arts viewers and critics alike, with The Observer describing it as “an extraordinarily funny French import", while The Guardian called it a “very neat piece of work and a total pleasure to watch.”
With the last episode in the first series finishing on a dramatic cliff-hanger, the door will open once more on Palacio de la Magdalena, the Spanish palace which doubles as the backdrop for Grand Hotel. The stylish melodrama, which follows the overarching tale of two young lovers, Julio and Alicia, has been honoured with over a dozen awards including a variety of Spanish National TV Academy awards, Ondas Awards, and Screen Actors Union Awards for its cast. Described as "deliciously moreish" by the Radio Times and "a sumptuous, emotion soaked family saga” by the Daily Mail, it is easy to see why Sky Arts received an unprecedented number of viewer enquiries about the return of this acclaimed series.
“Whether it’s from France, Israel, Italy, Portugal or Spain, I’m proud that Sky Arts has been not only at the forefront of championing drama from continental Europe and beyond, but also that we offer Sky Arts customers a wider range of drama genres than any other channel,” comments James Hunt, Channel Director of Sky Arts. “From period, romantic, crime and comedy there are so many great foreign dramas out there and, with the welcome returns of Hard and Grand Hotel, and the addition of Spain’s most ambitious historical drama in Isabel, Sky Arts really is the home of award-winning foreign drama this autumn.”
Hard was originally broadcast on Canal+, Isabel was produced by the Spanish national broadcaster Television Espanola (TVE) and Grand Hotel aired on the Spanish network Antena 3.
Sky Arts has, over the last two years, become the UK home of foreign drama. Beginning with Italian crime drama Romanzo Criminale in 2011, and followed by the Israeli dramas Be-Tipul and Prisoners of War (Hatufim),in 2012 the original series which inspired Homeland. Since then, Sky Arts has also premiered French language drama Maison Close, Portuguese drama Mysteries of Lisbon and the Italian series Corleone The commitment to foreign drama reflects Sky’s promise to deliver high-quality, exclusive content to customers, supported by a commitment to increase investment in programming to £600 million by 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Dominic Collett Sky Arts Publicist, Sky Press Office
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NOTES TO EDITOR
About Sky Arts
Sky Arts offers an eclectic mix of the best music, arts, biographies, chat shows, film, drama and comedy. Sky is the only broadcaster in the UK and Ireland with channels dedicated solely to the arts, with 48 hours of the best arts content from around the world across Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 daily. Sky Arts now reaches more than 6 million viewers every month.
Recent highlights include Playhouse Presents… a series of one-off comedies and dramas starring renowned talent including Jon Hamm, Daniel Radcliffe, Kylie Minogue, Anna Friel, Idriss Elba and Matt Smith. The channel was also responsible for resurrecting the much-loved South Bank Show and The South Bank Show Awards. Sky Arts also encourages new formats and methods for accessing the arts, working with the ENO and National Gallery to beam the world’s first live opera and first live opening night of an exhibition in 3D to cinemas across the UK and Ireland.
Sky Arts also seeks to connect with culture on the ground; creating and collaborating with the best of the arts in the UK and Ireland to bring new experiences to life. Sky Arts has collaborated with a number of arts organisations including the English National Ballet and has supported the Hay Festival as broadcast partner since 2006. The Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in in 2011 to invest in the arts landscape of the UK. The Series will seek to collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works; Sky Arts Ignition Series: Futures Fund will support five young artists with a bursary of £30,000 each, enabling Sky Arts to back the creation of new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent.
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