News Broadcasting
BBC Worldwide unveils slate for ATF
MUMBAI: From Sir David Attenborough to Jeremy Clarkson, Michael Palin to Jane Austen, Cinderella to Igglepiggle, UK pubcaster the BBC ‘s commercial arm BBC Worldwide goes to this year’s Asia Television Forum (ATF) in Singapore with a crop of natural history, factual, children’s, drama and lifestyle titles and a range of formats that will be available for local production.
BBC Worldwide’s natural history slate opens new chapters while drawing others to a close. Wild China, the BBC’s first ever co-production in China, offers insight into that country. Life in Cold Blood, which tells the epic story of reptiles and amphibians, completes Sir David Attenborough’s landmark overview of life on the planet.
In the drama catalogue, Mistresses stars Sarah Parish and Sharon Small. It follows the lives and loves of a group of 30-something girlfriends. Fairy Tales, whose cast includes James Nesbitt and Denise Van Outen, offers grown-up adaptations of four childhood classics – Cinderella, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Billy Goat’s Gruff and Rapunzel.
Andrew Davies, who had earlier adapted Bleak House and Pride and Prejudice for the pubcaster has now turned his hand to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, while the team behind Primeval present a re-imagining of Frankenstein and the team behind Hotel Babylon present The Whistleblowers, a new high-speed thriller.
From the BBC’s factual, lifestyle and history teams come Warriors. This is a show based on the lives of men such as Napoleon and Spartacus who shaped the world around them. Michael Palin’s New Europe sees the comedian and traveller continue his global odyssey, this time exploring the countries that are part of the so-called new Europe. The motoring magazine show Top Gear will also be showcased.
BBC Worldwide’s children’s catalogue includes In The Night Garden, a modern interpretation of a nursery rhyme picture book from Ragdoll, the creators of Teletubbies, and two new animation series: Animalia, based on the hugely popular books by Graeme Base, and Freefonix, an adventure series following three musical renegades.
New formats include Dance X, recently licensed to ABC in the US, which pits rival dance teams against each other. Find Me The Face is a reality show which follows two top talent scouts as they look to find the next big supermodel. On Fortune – Million Pound Giveaway, five philanthropists give away a million pounds of their own money to deserving members of the public. School’s Out is a quiz show which sends celebrities back to school and tests whether they are top or bottom of the class.
News Broadcasting
Parikshit Luthra exits CNBC-TV18 after 20-year run
Former bureau chief to take brief pause before next role
NEW DELHI: Senior journalist Parikshit Luthra has signed off from CNBC-TV18, marking 28 February 2026 as his final day and closing nearly two decades with Network18 Media & Investments Limited, including eight years at the business news channel.
During his tenure, Luthra interviewed prominent business leaders and Union ministers, reporting on economic policy, corporate strategy, the automobile sector and financial markets. His coverage spanned key inflection points in India’s economic narrative.
He also led new programming formats such as Newscentre, Global Eye and Global Lens, shows that examined politics and foreign policy through an economic prism, reflecting the channel’s push towards globally linked business reporting.
In a LinkedIn post, Luthra said his final weeks were spent covering the Union Budget, the India AI Summit, India’s trade agreements with the US and EU, and the group’s flagship Rising Bharat Summit 2026. He added that he continued anchoring until his last day and briefly met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his closing assignments.
Luthra joined CNBC-TV18 in June 2018 as assistant editor, later rising to senior editor and chief of bureau, a position he held for over two years. Before that, he worked with Republic TV and CNN-News18.
He said he plans to take a short break before embarking on his next professional chapter.
