NBC Universal has rebranded its UK label Monkey as UTAS UK as it prepares to deliver BBC reality show Destination X and Sky’s UK version of Saturday Night Live.
UTAS UK – Universal Television Alternative Studio UK – replaces Monkey, which has been retired after more than 20 years with staff moving to the new iteration.
Monkey is best known for E4’s long-running constructed reality show Made in Chelsea and spin-off Beyond Chelsea, as well as ITV series The Real Housewives of Chelsea, which will now become UTAS UK productions.
It was acquired by NBC in 2010.
UTAS UK will develop major reality formats, competition series, social experiments and entertainment shows, working closely with the team in Los Angeles, headed by UTAS president Toby Gorman.
Monkey director of programmes Andrew Jackson, who has previously executive produced Endemol’s Big Brother and Lime Pictures’ The Only Way is Essex, takes up the same mantle at UTAS UK.
He is joined by creative director of development Amy Dallmeyer, who has worked for Thames and Betty and was previously a development exec at Expectation, where she worked on Amazon Prime’s Clarkson’s Farm, Channel 4 series Mo Gilligan’s All Star Happy Hour and Sky format The Dyers’ Caravan Park.
Monkey’s former creative director Laura Gibson left last year after 15 months in the post to become managing director of the nascent UK arm of Love is Blind producer Kinetic Content.
In an interview with Broadcast, Gorman said UTAS will continue to work with third-party partners to acquire competitive IP such as Destination X [pictured].
The US version of the reality competition format launches this month, with UTAS UK and ITV Studios label Twofour co-producing the upcoming BBC version.
He added: “UTAS UK has a development team, so we will be originating, we’ll be selling paper formats in the UK and when there’s success there, we would bring that IP the other way too.
“We’re looking for the real North Star and that’s the next big competition show, the next big reality show, or social experiment. The ambition is to be making those for the biggest players in the UK through UTAS UK.”
