Discovery orders family reunion series

Discovery has commissioned Separated at Birth, a seven-part series that will follow surprising and emotional family reunions.

The 7x60mins series will be produced by CTVC and go out on Discovery Networks International channels next year.

It will follow different family reunion stories, from serendipitous reunions to yearlong searches for loved ones.

Discovery said the series will mix observational documentary techniques and user generated footage captured by family members as their journeys are documented in real time.

Sarah Thornton, vice president, factual entertainment, production and development, DNI, commissioned the series. “This ambitious series is unlike anything Discovery Networks International has ever commissioned,” she said. “We hope viewers around the world are compelled by the journeys that unfold across the series.”

CTVC is a UK factual indie whose credits include several shows for UK broadcaster Channel 4’s current affairs Dispatches strand and David Suchet: in the Footsteps of Saint Peter for BBC1.

The commission is the latest under the creative leadership of Phil Craig (pictured) who joined Discovery earlier this year.