Today, Mentorn Scotland announces the commission of three brand new programmes for the BBC. This newly announced slate take audiences on a journey from corner shop cookery, to laughing at the unique social media banter of the Scots, to delving into the afterlives of the biggest names in pop.

For BBC Scotland, Corner Shop Cook Off (6 X 60”) is the ultimate culinary show with a twist. Presented by Clare Grogan, in each episode a professional chef will go head to head with our resident chef (MasterChef professional winner Gary Maclean) to create three courses using only ingredients bought from a featured corner shop. All they have to do is make a unique starter, main and dessert, and each course will be judged by regulars of the shop & local community residents. Each week the cooking roadshow will turn up to a different corner shop, travelling all over Scotland.

Comedian Mark Nelson will front Bad Influencer (6 x 30’) for BBC Scotland. According to a recent BT Survey, Scots use social networking sites more than any other part of the UK, and come at it with their own unique sense of humour. This weekly show, where Mark will be joined by two comedy guests, will look through the funniest posts relating to a range of set topics, from family and friends, to dogs and the Scottish diet.

Get Rich or Try Dying (w/t) (1 x 60’) for BBC Four will look at the legacy estate industry via some of the biggest names in pop who are no longer with us. Hosted by Radio 2 presenter Ana Matronic, from the popular band Scissor Sisters, the documentary will look at what happens to pop stars and their estates when they die. Using a combination of interview, archive and investigation, Get Rich or Try Dying will peel back the complicated mechanics of the entertainment industry when it attempts to deal with the business of the afterlife.

Paul Murray, Executive Producer, Mentorn Scotland commented “I’m really proud of all these projects;  Cook Off is a really innovative format that is both entertaining & surprising, Clare is a brilliant host and the cooking is bonkers at times, but also really inspiring. Bad Influencer is a cheeky take on the world around us and how we interact with it, and Get Rich is a fascinating insight into a part of the pop industry that most people will not have given much thought to, but is actually worth multi-millions.“

These latest commissions follow the Mentorn Scotland most recent show, Debate Night (24 x 60’) the topical debating series hosted by Stephen Jardine which premiered on BBC Scotland’s launch week in February. Each hour-long programme allows a studio audience to lead the agenda and put their questions to those in positions of power, and will return to BBC Scotland later this year.

Paul Murray is the executive producer on all three titles. Corner Shop Cook Off was commissioned by Jo Street and Steve Allen for BBC Scotland, and Celia Taylor was co-executive producer. Bad Influencer was commissioned by Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland and Get Rich or Try Dying (w/t) was commissioned by Owen Courtney for BBC Four.

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ABOUT MENTORN SCOTLAND

Mentorn set up its Glasgow office in 2002. Since then we’ve had a continuous and substantial production and development base in Scotland devising and delivering some of our most memorable and most watched content, adding up to hundreds of hour’s original content. 

Scottish-based productions include key titles like the new Robot Wars, Question Time, Traffic Cops and The Big Questions; along with documentaries for Channel 4 and single films like Britain’s Poshest Nannies (ITV); daytime series and popular formats like Cowboy Trap (BBC) and Hotel of Mum and Dad (BBC); and primetime series like Watermen: A dirty business (BBC). Alongside these productions we have made a range of major series for BBC Scotland including How Scotland Works.