WTFN announces new series for Seven, Fred Media to distribute
February 28, 2022
WTFN, the Australian independent production companies, is pleased to announce Police Strike Force (6×60) as its latest commission from Seven Network, following hot on the heels of Code 1: Minute by Minute (8×60).
Police Strike Force, which is due to premiere on Channel 7 and 7plus from Wednesday 2nd March, tells the inside story of the most gripping, heart-stopping, tense and nerve-wracking police investigations, stings, and taskforce operations in recent memory, told by the men and women who broke each case and who were there when it all came crashing down. Using video and sound captured by the New South Wales Police Media Unit, combined with surveillance, search and interview footage taken by the investigating units, Police Strike Force provides a compelling insight into dramatic law enforcement takedowns.
Police Strike Force has been made in partnership with the New South Wales Police Force Public Affairs Branch and represents the first-ever time that an Australian police force has worked so hand-in-hand with a production company. Not only did the police supply privileged access to people and cases, but they also provided much of their own footage for the series – helping to deliver an unprecedented, front row seat to their dramatic, difficult, and often dangerous job.
Code 1: Minute by Minute breaks down the hours, minutes, and seconds of the biggest and most tragic recent news events to impact Australia and profiles the people from all walks of life who will forever be connected, just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, one episode details the 2017 Bourke Street Mall tragedy in
Melbourne, when James Gargasoulas deliberately ploughed his car into the mall killing six people and seriously injuring 27. It was one of Australia’s worst mass murders.
With each episode meticulously researched and dedicated to a different event, the programmes break down in forensic detail exactly how these people came to cross paths. For many, it was a combination of sliding door moments and fateful decisions that set them on a tragic path. Some became survivors, some became victims and others were accidental heroes. Most of their stories have never been told…until now. One episode of Code 1: Minute by Minute aired at the end of 2021; the full series will be broadcast on Seven Network later this year.
Stephen Peters, WTFN’s head of development, who developed both shows and was executive producer for Code 1: Minute by Minute, says: “We are delighted that the team at Seven Network has put such faith in us with these two new series and we look forward to continuing this partnership and delivering further exciting new shows for its viewers.
“Access and relationships were important in creating both new series, but we are particularly indebted to the New South Wales Police who placed a huge amount of trust in WTFN and our ability to deliver a truly authentic programme that accurately reflects their work. No Australian police force has ever been quite so generous with their time and access to privileged materials, and we believe that this really shows on screen. We have created a dynamic and balanced series that puts viewers in the heart of the action like never before.”
Police Strike Force (to be marketed as Strike Force) and Code 1: Minute by Minute are now being launched into the global TV market by Fred Media, the international distributor owned by WTFN. The series will jointly spearhead the company’s spring slate.
Roger Vanderspikken, general manager of Fred Media adds: “WTFN’s ability to gain extraordinary access, work sympathetically with its subjects, and tell fascinating stories, has once again delivered uniquely Australian programming that will work well internationally. We have every confidence that Strike Force and Code 1: Minute by Minute will quickly resonate with global buyers and follow the overseas success of returning WTFN access series such as Paramedics and Emergency.