DISCOVERY CHANNEL DIGS INTO ITS FIRST SCRIPTED MINI-SERIES WITH THE PREMIERE OF KLONDIKE MONDAY, JANUARY 20 AT 9PM ET/PT
January 9, 2014
(LOS ANGELES) - Discovery Channel is striking it rich in the New Year with the much anticipated premiere of the network's first-ever scripted mini-series KLONDIKE on Monday, January 20 at 9 PM ET/PT. Featuring an all-star cast including Richard Madden (King of the North Robb Stark on Game of Thrones, A Promise), Abbie Cornish (RoboCop, Limitless), Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) and Sam Shepard (August: Osage County, Out Of The Furnace), KLONDIKE tells the powerful story of the last great Gold Rush in our history. This epic six hour, three night television event kicks off on Discovery Channel Monday, January 20 at 9 PM ET/PT, followed by part two Tuesday, January 21 at 9 PM ET/PT and part three Wednesday, January 22 at 9PM ET/PT.
"We have wanted to get into the scripted game for quite some time but knew we needed to wait for the right script," said Eileen O'Neill, Group President, Discovery Channel and TLC, and KLONDIKE Executive Producer. "We had to think about the kind of story that would appeal to our audience but also be something everyone would enjoy. When KLONDIKE came along, there was no question that this was the story we were meant to tell. This is truly a coming of age story about love, friendship and family but also a story about greed and how it can turn people. KLONDIKE is a beautiful, exciting and epic tale that revolves around GOLD! There truly could not be a better story for Discovery to tell."
Based on Charlotte Gray's book "Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike," the three- part period drama brings to life the tale of seven strangers and their collective fight for survival and wealth in a small, frontier town in the remote Klondike. The journey begins in
1897 when two childhood best friends, Bill (Madden) and Epstein (Augustus Prew) make the perilous journey through the North American wilderness to Klondike boom town Dawson City, "The Paris of the North," where neither law nor order prevailed. In the untamed Yukon Territory during a period of outrageous lawlessness - murder, revenge, riches, violence and redemption awaited these two young, ambitious men who made the arduous, back-breaking journey to Dawson City. KLONDIKE is a man-versus-nature tale that places the characters in a land full of undiscovered wealth, but ravaged by harsh conditions, unpredictable weather and deceptive, dangerous individuals fueled by desperateness - including greedy businessmen, seductive courtesans and native tribes witnessing the destruction of their people and land by opportunistic entrepreneurs.
KLONDIKE is a co-production between Discovery, independent studio Entertainment One (eOne), and Nomadic Pictures, in association with Scott Free Productions. International distribution is handled by eOne Television. Paul Scheuring ("Prison Break," "A Man Apart") is the primary writer and also serves as Executive Producer, along with Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker; as well as John Morayniss and Michael Rosenberg for eOne; Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes serve as co-producers for Nomadic. Josh Goldin & Rachel Abramowitz wrote episodes as Consulting Producers. Eileen O'Neill and Dolores Gavin serve as Executive Producers for Discovery.
The mini-series is produced with assistance of the Government of Alberta, Alberta Film
Development Program.
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than two billion cumulative subscribers in 223 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 162 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Across the Nordic region, Discovery owns and operates SBS Discovery Media, a top- three portfolio of 20 television brands that feature leading nonfiction content, as well as locally produced entertainment programs, sports and the best scripted series and movies from major studios. Discovery also is the leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of digital textbooks, and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit