Talent Television

London, 11 August 2003 - Series 4 of THE VILLA, the show from indie entertainment producer Talent Television that began the reality TV phenomenon, is set to premiere in the UK on Sky One from 20th August. The ten-hour long episodes will air at 10pm on Wednesdays.

THE VILLA Year 4 proves that hidden cameras and 24 hour surveillance doesn't have to be dull, as it takes groups of young and single twenty-somethings off to a luxurious villa in the Costa del Sol with the promise of sun, sex, booze and bad behaviour. The contestants aren't competing for cash, but for each other - and a good time - as they enjoy nights out on the town as well as boozy nights poolside. For the fourth season of the hit reality show, the format has been completely revised, with changes including the axing of the matchmaking computer in favour of pure animal attraction to make the all-important decisions.

A new elimination round has also been introduced, as nine holiday romance hopefuls arrive at THE VILLA on day one, but only six get to stay the full week. In alternate weeks, three guys pick from six girls and three girls pick from six guys following the first night pool party, where contestants show just how far they're willing to go to ensure their survival on the show. The three losers are on the next plane back home the following day, leaving the remaining six to enjoy Sangria, the Spanish nightlife, local talent - and each other.

"The fourth series of THE VILLA will build on the show's hot-property reputation while losing nothing of its freshness," commented Tony Humphreys, Managing Director at Talent Television. "The format is flexible enough for us to introduce new surprises and twists along the way, while still delivering the parties, flirting, romance and infidelity that THE VILLA's loyal audience hunger for."

Produced by Talent TV for Sky Television, Executive Producer is John Kaye Cooper, Producer is Dean Nobes and Executive Producer for Sky TV is Amina Razaq. Voiceover by Chris Moyles.

For further information:

Kate Hobbs / Debbie Lawrence                             Lee Robson
The Lippin Company                                            Sky Television Publicity
+44 (0)20 7745 7189                                          +44 (0)20 7705 3078
khobbs@lippingroup.com                                      lee.robson@bskyb.com
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors:

Talent Television is a leading independent UK format creator and producer of innovative television, video and interactive programming. Talent Television is a pioneer in reality entertainment with The Villa (first produced for Sky One in 1999), as well as counting the Test the Nation series for BBC1 and TV Scrabble series for Challenge TV among its highly successful, prime-time interactive entertainment catalogue. Talent Kids, the company's children's division, recently announced its first commission, to develop a new family game series for Disney Channel UK.

Talent Television also has strong ties with international broadcasters, especially in Japan, with recent HDTV documentary Turner's Return for NHK, and a string of programmes for TV Asahi including the Spaceship Earth series.

Talent Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Talent Group plc.

Sky One is the UK's leading non-terrestrial entertainment channel, wholly owned by British Sky Broadcasting Group ('BSkyB'). More than 16 million viewers in 6.7 million households enjoy an unprecedented choice of entertainment, movies, news and sports channels and interactive services on Sky digital, the UK's first and most popular digital television platform.