Rick Fenny.
The Nine Network and UKTV’s channel Eden in the UK have commissioned an observational documentary following an Aussie vet as he encounters wild and domestic animals on land and water in remote, inhospitable locations.
Projucer will make Outback Vet (4×60’), which will track Rick Fenny, the so-called ‘Mad Max’ of his profession, his vet daughter Louisa and marine scientist son Ed as they trek through the wilds of Western Australia.
The Fenny family appeared in Desert Vet, a one-hour special produced by Projucer, which aired on the Seven Network in January 2018. Fenny was the real vet of the footloose kelpie in Kriv Stenders’ Red Dog.
Matty Roberts, Projucer’s co-founder and executive producer, who developed the series with documentary DOP Tim Small, negotiated the Australian deal with Nine’s head of programming Hamish Turner. The series will be renamed Desert Vet here.
Matthew Ashcroft, CEO of Parade Media, the international distributor, brokered the deal with UKTV’s acquisitions manager Charlie Charalambous.
Ashcroft said: “Untold stories from the Australian Outback have proven to deliver big audiences to networks and streamers around the world, and we are excited to collaborate with Projucer for the Nine Network and UKTV.
“The characters Matty has discovered are as diverse as their Western Australia backdrop and we are in for one entertaining and jaw-dropping ride through Australia’s Wild West.”
The series will start shooting in April and is expected to air in late 2019.