ITV Commissions Penn & Teller Series

UK TV channel ITV1 has commissioned a six-part
series, Penn & Teller: Fool Us,
from September Films and 1/17 Productions.

That follows the Jan. 7 airing of a Fool Us 90-minute special that drew 4.7
million viewers.

The series, budgeted at north of $3.2 million, is
a reality competition of sorts, in which aspiring magicians will try to fool
the veteran prestidigitators for a chance to perform with Penn & Teller in
their Las Vegas show.

DCD (We TV's Bridezillas),
which owns September Films, will be selling the special, series (six, one-hour
episodes) and format rights at MIPTV in April, according to the company.

The series will air later this year.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.