Unheard Diana tapes series heads to world market
Unheard recordings of Princess Diana are heading to the global television market.
Cineflix Rights has taken worldwide sales rights to Diana Unheard, a three-part documentary series built around previously unheard audio of the late princess, as reported by Deadline. Sales rights means Cineflix will now sell the show to broadcasters and streamers in different countries.
The series was made by Love Monday TV, an independent producer from the United Kingdom. Independent here means a company working outside the big broadcasters and studios. It makes the programme, then a distributor finds it homes around the world.
The story starts in 1991. That year Diana held a set of private conversations with her friend James Colthurst. The talks were taped in secret.
Those tapes became the basis for Andrew Morton's book Diana: Her True Story. The book carried Diana's account of her life inside the royal family to a wide public. Love Monday worked directly with Morton and Colthurst to secure access to several hours of the original audio.
Both men appear in Diana Unheard. Morton brings the context of the writer who shaped the tapes into a book. Colthurst brings the memory of the friend in the room.
On the audio Diana discusses her marriage and royal life. That includes Prince Charles and Camilla, now King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and the then-Prince Andrew. Those passages form part of the audio featured in the series.
The next step is commercial. Diana Unheard will get its international launch at MIPCOM in Cannes. MIPCOM is the international television market in Cannes where sellers present new shows to buyers from around the world.
What makes this stand out for viewers is simple. Much has been written about Diana. Far less has been heard from her directly in long form. Three episodes gives the production room to let those tapes play at length.
A three-part run is short. It tells one story across three episodes. For buyers, that shape is simple to place in a schedule. For audiences, it is simple to finish in a few nights. Where and when it will air will depend on those deals.
