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The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ announced today that production of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖs Under The Hammer, the property auction television show, is to move to Scotland.

The move is part of the Network Supply Strategy, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's plan to greatly increase network television production from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖs Under The Hammer is made by Lion Television. With a commission of 160 programmes over the next three years, the move of the programme team will be phased.

The show will be led from Scotland and the team will include a mix of members of the existing production and Scotland team. An increasing proportion of the team will be based in Scotland over time.

The new episodes will start to transmit from mid-2010.

The move signals further growth for Lion's Scotland operation. Lion Television has been a significant presence in Scotland for over a decade since it produced Castaway for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.

Since then Lion Scotland has made programmes for all UK channels, co-productions between the UK and the US and series for PBS in the States.

The range of programming has included contemporary documentaries, historical drama documentaries, award-winning drama and factual entertainment.

Newly appointed Lion Scotland MD, Steven Bailey, said: "I'm delighted to be joining Lion Scotland at a moment when the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has made such a commitment to one of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Daytime's major returning series being made in Scotland. It's also a moment when we will be strengthening our development team in Glasgow to grow the range of our output."

Anne Morrison, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Controller of Network Production, said: "The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is committed to building more returning output from indies and in-house production in Scotland so that businesses can plan ahead, hire and train talent. Over time, our aim is for strand moves such as ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖs Under The Hammer to provide the volume production we need to help support the local creative economy."

Liam Keelan, Controller, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Daytime, said: "³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖs Under The Hammer is one of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Daytime's premier brands. It continues to be immensely popular with our audience and will undoubtedly provide a strong factual entertainment base in Scotland for both the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and Lion TV."

Donalda MacKinnon, Head of Programmes, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland, said: "We're looking forward to welcoming the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖs Under The Hammer team to Glasgow. We've got an incredibly busy workload for our Glasgow-based production and craft staff over the next year or so. This and the variety of work in which they'll be involved are a real boost to the creative sector, which bodes well for the future."

Notes to Editors

Network Supply Strategy: in October 2008, The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ stated that by the end of the charter period (2016) half of all network TV production will come from out of London, with 17% of network spend in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2016 and an interim target of 12% by 2012.

Returning programmes and series such as Crimewatch, Casualty, Question Time and The Weakest Link will move to the Nations, to create and underpin sustainable businesses, both in-house and in the wider creative economies.

JIW