Tag: TV series

Scottish dessert sauce business competes for spot on Aldi’s shelves in Channel 4 series

  • Mairi Hawkes, founder of Lismore business Slainte Sauces, beat hundreds of hopefuls to appear on the show with her ‘adult dessert sauces’
  • Six-part series sees food and drink suppliers compete to be listed in over 1,000 Aldi stores nationwide
  • Aldi’s Next Big Thing, ‘Party’ episode, will air on Channel 4, Tuesday 16 April at 8pm 
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Self-proclaimed islander, Mairi MacFadyen, from Isle of Lismore, will appear on the Channel 4 series Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Tuesday, 16th April, 8pm. 

Mairi is the founder of Slainte, a boozy dessert and savoury sauce company for grown-ups. Sauces include Rum & Salted Caramel, Whisky with Raspberry & Vanilla and White Chocolate & Raspberry Martini – all containing 25% alcohol. 

Hosted by Anita Rani, of Countryfile and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Chris Bavin, of BBC’s The One Show and Eat Well for Less, the six-part series will see suppliers compete in a range of categories including dinners and baked goods, as well as exciting new category additions: party, world, and confectionery. 

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Products are presented to Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, who deliberates on factors such as price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up, before shortlisting contestants down to just two.   

The finalists are then given four weeks to address any feedback, with a follow-up home visit from Anita or Chris who will report back their findings to Julie. The three then taste test the improved products, before Julie decides the winner which will appear as a Specialbuy in over 1,000 stores.   

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, says: “Gone are the days of simple cheese and pineapple sticks, as people are opting for more exciting, extravagant party foods. It’s certainly a category that invites experimentation!”  

Translating to ‘cheers’ in Scottish Gaelic, Slainte, pronounced ‘Slan-cha’, is Mairi’s pride and joy, and she is now looking to claim a spot on Aldi’s shelves.  

Mairi, who makes all the sauces herself, says: “There are no words to describe how big this is for me. I keep pinching myself – is this real? I really want a big contract, I can actually see my sauces in Aldi. I can see myself going in there, taking photos of them. It would really change my life.“ 

The multi-category competition is part of Aldi’s ongoing commitment to support British suppliers. Last year, Aldi spent an additional £1.3 billion with British suppliers and growers, and they provide more than three quarters of all items sold in its stores. 

The supermarket has also introduced a ‘Best of British’ section to its website, which includes a wide selection of groceries from meat to dairy products and everyday essentials, in a bid to help shoppers support British businesses. 

To find out if Slainte’s Boozy Dessert Sauces made it on to Aldi’s shelves, watch Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4 on 16th April. The series will air every Tuesday at 8pm until 7th May.  

Behind the scenes with the UK’s largest regional airline

What really happens when the wheels are down

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens in an airline beyond take-offs and landings, a new ten-part BBC series launching next Monday will offer an exclusive insight into the lives of the younger members of the team at Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline.

Loganair provided all-areas access to camera crews from Mentorn Scotland over several months – filming from as far afield as Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to London Heathrow, as 11 of the airline’s team, ranging from Captain to Aircraft Engineer, balanced their personal lives with the busiest summer at work they’ve faced to date.

It’s far reaching, with the UK’s first commercial pilot living with HIV attempting to update aviation legislation to achieve his dream, while one cabin crew member seeks advice from her best friend as she strives to become a pilot.

The show also follows the UK’s youngest captain from Edinburgh as he juggles life in the air with his love of street performing and his long-distance relationship in Shetland, and an engineer who faces her biggest challenge yet as she converts a plane into an air ambulance in time for a patient to be transported the following morning.

The series also captures the close friendships of those at Loganair as it shows best mates from Manchester and Mauritius settling into their new lives as pilots in Aberdeen, and a special family moment as one pilot surprises his mum with a flight to an island to thank her for her support throughout his career – the first time she’s ever been on a commercial flight with her son flying the plane.

The first episode of Sky High Club lines up for take-off on BBC Scotland at 22:00 on Monday 15 August, with a second instalment on Thursday 18 August.    BBC Three launches the series nationally from 20:00 on Thursday 18 August with two back-to-back episodes.  

A “series drop” of the entire ten episodes will be available through the BBC iPlayer from Monday 15 August.

Jonathan Hinkles, CEO of Loganair, said: “We are all incredibly proud of those who participated in Sky High Club and everyone in the wider team who made it possible.

“During a busy summer, when the entire aviation industry was faced with changing covid restrictions and huge challenges, it was a daunting prospect to invite a TV crew behind the scenes of our airline.  For this to work in the best possible way, we gave the camera crews full access to behind-the-scenes life at Loganair, and I’m truly grateful to the stars of the show for volunteering to share their personal and truly inspiring stories as part of the journey.

“It is our hope that it provides  fantastic encouragement and insight for those contemplating a career in aviation – whether in the air or on the ground – and that we are able to continue welcoming a diverse range of new recruits into the Loganair family.”

Sky High Club, produced by Mentorn Scotland, is the result of a commission from a creative partnership of BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Screen Scotland.

The scheme invited local Scottish Independent production companies to pitch innovative, factual entertainment format ideas that reflect the life experiences young people, with the promise of a guaranteed series commission.

Design Your Dream: TV series looking for talent from Edinburgh

Channel 4 has commissioned a new peak-time interior design contest based in Sheffield in which competitors will take part in a series of design challenges to win their own dream apartment.

In Design Your Dream (w/t), contestants will each be assigned an empty apartment within the Eyewitness Works in the heart of Sheffield to showcase their unique design talent.

The hopefuls will be judged across a series of design challenges within the apartment and elsewhere. Contestants will compete against each other, whittled down until there is only one remaining. The winner of the competition will become the owner of their very own two-bedroom apartment within the historic development in South Yorkshire.

The 8 x 60 series is produced by Remarkable Factual (part of Banijay UK) with executive producers Joff Wilson and Breid McLoone. The series is commissioned for Channel 4 by Deborah Dunnett, Commissioning Editor, Features and Daytime, and Jo Street, Head of Features and Daytime.

The series is made in partnership with Manchester-based social impact property developers Capital&Centric.

Deborah Dunnett, Commissioning Editor, Features and Daytime at Channel 4, comments: “Everybody has their own vision of what makes a home stand out. This series promises to show off the creative talents and tastes of interior designers from around the UK – for a truly spectacular prize.

“I’m looking forward to working with Remarkable and thrilled that the vibrant city of Sheffield is going to be the home of this innovative competition format.”

Kitty Walshe, CEO Remarkable Factual, comments: “We are delighted to be working with Channel 4 on this project. It’s a big factual entertainment format with a really dramatic elimination mechanic that will have viewers on the edge of their seats.

“The life-changing prize is one of the biggest on UK television and we’re excited to be making this innovative new format that’s unlike anything else out there.”

Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital&Centric, said: “Our Eyewitness Works building in Sheffield is packed full of original features and when restored it’ll be a genuine, design-led community.

“It’s going to be awesome to see how the designers put their creative spin on this historic space, with the winner eventually calling it home.”

Filming on Design Your Dream (w/t) will take place this summer, with casting currently in progress.

Budding applicants with a passion for interior design can apply for the series at www.designyourdream.tv

TV show seeks farmers who are keen to diversify their businesses

Exciting new TV series to provide expert advice and ideas on how to diversify and supplement income for farmers across the UK

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Producers are looking for farmers who are interested in creating new sources of revenue from their farms, for a brand new TV series due to film later this year and early 2021. 

It might not be easy to be a farmer these days, with rising overheads, Brexit, bad weather and disease all playing their part, but it’s a generations-old industry that us Brits are known for and this series wants to celebrate that heritage.

STV Productions (who make Catchphrase and Antiques Road Trip) would like to speak to farmers who would be interested in diversifying or making adjustments to their businesses, in order to develop new revenue streams.  Experts will be on hand throughout the journey to help them explore opportunities and realise their ambitions.

The series will be hosted by farmer, author and presenter, Adam Henson who is passionate about local communities rallying round local farms.

Executive Producer, John Redshaw, said: “We’re keen to meet with farmers from right across the UK to take part in what we know will be a hugely positive and upbeat experience – and might even be life changing.  

“By learning about the history of their farms, and studying the potential within their agricultural landscapes, we want to join farmers on their journey to make their diversification dreams a reality.

“Whether farmers are at the ideas stage, have already started their plans, or have successfully diversified, we’d like to hear all about it. Please spread the word, get in touch and help us celebrate the next chapter in our great farming community.”

If you’d like to take part in this new series,  get in touch with the team for a chat with no obligation at farming@stv.tv or call 0141 300 3806.