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MUMBAI:
Travel media outfit Lonely Planet Television (LPTV), Singapore-based
production company Beach House Pictures (BHP) and the Media
Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) announced at Mipcom
the launch of a new 13-part flagship television series Lonlely
Planet: Roads Less Travelled, in conjunction with broadcaster
National Geographic International and distributor BBC Worldwide.
The
show is a cross-platform travel adventure franchise featuring for the first time
real-life Lonely Planet authors on the job as they scour the world’s roads
less travelled in search of the latest and greatest travel experiences on earth.
Lonely Planet founder and independent traveller Tony Wheeler is slated to be one
of the four authors featured in the new series. Lonely
Planet Television head Laurence Billiet says, “Everybody thinks being paid
to travel is one the best gigs in the world but at Lonely Planet we know it’s
a really tough job. In this series for the first time on television we’ll
reveal behind-the-scenes what it’s really like to be a Lonely Planet author.”
The
show will premiere on the Nat Geo Adventure channel next year in Asia, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle
East. A cross-platform initiative, the new series will be supported by a website
showcasing the itineraries featured in the TV series as well as complementary
Lonely Planet destination content and travel services. Over time, the multi-platform
franchise is expected to span DVD, mobile and web-TV. The
series will be co-produced with Beach House Pictures, who have worked with Lonely
Planet on a number of television productions since signing an agreement with LPTV
in 2005 to co-produce all Lonely Planet-branded television series in Singapore. Beach
House Pictures MD Jocelyn Little says, “We’re excited by the opportunity
to join forces with the Media Development Authority of Singapore, National Geographic
and BBC Worldwide for the first time on such a major flagship series. All the
partners believe strongly in the potential of this unique series, and expect it
to turn into an on-going multi-media franchise”. MDA
CEO Dr Christopher Chia says, “Lonely Planet is a cultural icon well-loved
by many all over the world. This is a wonderful opportunity for Beach House to
co-produce with well-known international partners who share the same vision of
delivering quality content on multiple platforms to the global audiences and showcase
the world’s best travel experiences to the world“. | 
