ITV Studios label sets up regional base at MediaCityUK

Fast-growing ITV Studios label Possessed is setting up a new regional base in Manchester’s MediaCityUK to be headed up by former BBC Commissioner Caroline Roberts-Cherry.

The first show to be produced at the new base, which is called Man Possessed, will be The Switch, a new quiz for ITV daytime fronted by Sanjeev Bhaskar.

Roberts-Cherry is Creative Director of Saffron Cherry, the multi-genre production company she established in 2013, which is also based in Manchester.

At the BBC, she won RTS and BAFTA awards for the film Ten Pieces II for BBC2 and cinemas. Roberts-Cherry has already worked with Possessed, having overseen three series of the label’s ITV daytime quiz show Cash Trapped.   

Glenn Hugill, Managing Director and Founder of Possessed, said: “We cannot wait to create more opportunities for regional commissions and The Switch is the perfect show to launch Man Possessed.

“It’s fast, genuinely funny and incredibly tense in equal measure, with Sanjeev proving an absolute revelation as host. Plus, you never know who is going to win until the last question, every single time.

“Caroline has the Possessed gene. She is a peerless programme maker and is another outstanding addition to our exceptional team.“ 

The opening of Man Possessed follows the recent announcements that Adam MacDonald and Lesley Davies have joined the label as Chair and Head of Production respectively, and that popular primetime ITV quiz show, 5 Gold Rings, has been recommissioned for two more series.

Man Possessed adds to an extensive ITV Studios presence across the nations and regions, with half of its 24 UK labels based outside London.