A picture of the Haçienda Apartments (formerly the Hacienda nightlub)

WISE OWL FILMS TO MARK HAÇIENDA’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY WITH BBC2 RETROSPECTIVE

Wise Owl Films has been commissioned to make The Haçienda: The Club That Changed Britain (w/t) - a one hour retrospective on one of the world’s most influential clubs.

It’s 40 years since the opening of the Haçienda - the legendary Manchester nightclub and music venue which unleashed the acid house and rave scene, brought us bands like New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and James and influenced the next generation of bands, including Oasis.

In this star-filled documentary, we’ll hear from the key ‘players’ in the Hacienda’s history and from club regulars. The Haçienda was at the forefront of music and youth culture in the 80s and early 90s, an iconic venue further cemented into history in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People. 

A picture of Guy Garvey stood next to a projector. the title reads, 'Guy Garvey From The Vaults'

WISE OWL FILMS LANDS THREE MORE SERIES OF SKY ARTS’ GUY GARVEY: FROM THE VAULTS

Wise Owl Films has been commissioned to make three more series of the Sky Arts music documentary brand Guy Garvey: From The Vaults.

In each of the 15 new episodes, Elbow frontman Guy Garvey curates more clips of his favourite songs and performers from the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties from shows all found in the ITV Archive.

The series unearths both studio performances (including some which never made it to air) and revealing interviews that have in some cases remained on the Archive’s shelves for decades. 

The clips come from programmes made by ITV companies around the country – from Granada Television’s Celebration and The Other Side of Midnight to Tyne Tees’ Razzmatazz, the Central TV kids show Tiswas to LWT’s Night Network and Supersonic - chronicling not just changing musical tastes from punk to funk, reggae to Britpop, but an evolution in the UK’s social and cultural history too.

In each episode, Guy gives his personal take on the tracks from a year or musical genre, as we hear about the performers who inspired his own song-writing career. 

WISE OWL FILMS RAMPS UP ITS MUSIC DOCUMENTARY SLATE WITH NEW COMMISSION - WHEN NIRVANA CAME TO BRITAIN’

Wise Owl Films has landed its second BBC Two music commission with a 1 x 60 minute documentary looking back at the time Nirvana spent touring the UK, as well as examining the influence that British music had on the iconic American rock band.

Following on from When Bob Marley Came to Britain, When Nirvana Came to Britain tells the story of how between 1989 and 1994, Nirvana introduced a new and exciting brand of rock music to the UK, changing the musical landscape of the time and influencing a generation of British youth.

The programme charts the band’s rise from their very first British tour, during which they performed in pubs and tiny venues, through to their legendary and infamous TV appearances on programmes such as The Word and Top of the Pops - moments that helped to cement their status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet and brought grunge culture to the mainstream.

Wise Owl’s new series - Yorkshire Firefighters, commissioned by BBC England, starts on BBC2 at 8pm on Thurs July 29th

This unique four-part series takes us onto the frontline with the men and women keeping their communities safe during the pandemic. It’s a rare chance to go behind the scenes with this inspirational band of West Yorkshire firefighters.

Filmed using the latest technology, viewers will be brought closer than ever before to real-life emergencies, seeing inside burning buildings and getting to the heart of the action.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has 900 firefighters with a diverse range of personnel dedicated to serving a population of more than two million people – often in remote, highly dangerous and life-threatening situations.

Each episode shows the men and women behind the visors as they help communities during last winter, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. 

From bringing under control one of the biggest fires seen in Bradford in decades, to helping vulnerable people at home, expect drama, jeopardy, hair-raising moments and firefighters working day and night to be the best at what they do – with plenty of Yorkshire warmth and humour along the way too.

NEW SERIES OF WISE OWL’S HIT SKY ARTS SERIES LANDS TODAY

Five new episodes of the Sky Arts music documentary series, Guy Garvey: From The Vaults are available from today.

The Elbow frontman has curated a further five hours of his favourite artistes and songs from the Seventies and Eighties, with the new series continuing to uncover rare and previously unseen footage.

The first series, which aired in 2020, included unseen performances by music icons including Kate Bush, and the new episodes will also unearth rare concert and studio performances and revealing interviews that have stayed hidden on the shelves for decades.

Like series one, the second series is also centred around shows which were made by ITV companies around the country – from Central TV’s Revolver to Border TV’s Bliss and Tyne Tees Television’s The Tube - chronicling not just changing musical tastes but the evolution in the UK’s social and cultural history too.

This time the series features the musical sights and sounds of 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985 and 1987, featuring emerging musical genres including the British Ska Revival, Britfunk, gothic rock and the political pop sounds of the early 80s.