Following the success of BAFTA nominated Cutting Edge Katie: My Beautiful Face, Channel 4’s Mark Raphael has commissioned a follow-up four-part documentary series from Mentorn Media, it was announced today (8th July).
Katie: My Beautiful Friends (working title) will follow acid attack survivor Katie Piper as she sets out on an extraordinary journey: to use her personal experience to help rebuild the lives and confidence of people like her who are fighting for normality with a disfigurement or disability.
Katie was contacted by hundreds of people after the Cutting Edge transmitted who identified with her story and asked for her help. The series will follow Katie overcoming her fear of meeting strangers to encounter some of the extraordinary people who have contacted her – while continuing to overcome the personal challenges of her changing appearance, new independence and relationships as Katie rebuilds her own life.
Commissioning Editor, Mark Raphael, said: “The Piper family have been incredibly strong over the last 18 months, allowing Katie to make a huge leap forward. In this series we’ll see Katie using that life experience to help others confront their own situation.”
Mentorn Media’s Executive Producer, Dan Goldsack, said: “Millions of viewers were touched by Katie’s extraordinary determination and strength of character as she took her first tentative steps outside her childhood home. In this series, we’ll see Katie using her personal experience to help others while she continues to readjust to the challenges of a new life with her infectious sense of humour and humility.”
The series producer is Sara Woodford. The series director is Clare E Richards. Sara Hardy and Blue Ryan are joint PD’s for programme 1. The series was developed by Kate Collier and Dan Goldsack.
Notes to Editors
3.8 million people watched Katie: My Beautiful Face on Channel 4, making it the channel’s highest rating documentary of 2009.
The programme has been transmitted in 15 territories around the world including ABC’s 20/20 programme which dedicated an hour-long edition to Katie which was watched by 8 million people.
For further information please contact Louise Plank on behalf of Mentorn Media on 020 8995 3936 or lou@plankpr.com