ON THE SLATE FOR DARLOW SMITHSON

Exciting upcoming programmes from the multi award winning Darlow Smithson Productions have been announcedUnless you've been living under a rock - or perhaps filming in the jungle - there's very little chance you haven't heard about the crash landing and incredible rescue of US Airways flight 1549 on New York's Hudson River on January 15. The American news story hit media worldwide and, specifically, hit the radar of the UK's Channel 4 and prodco Darlow Smithson. Nearly immediately after the crash landing happened, C4's Simon Dickson commissioned a fast turnaround doc on the event from the production company, entitled Miracle on the Hudson. The 60-minute doc airs tonight and was executive produced by Darlow Smithson's creative director Tom Brisley. "It's really interesting speaking to people who have stared death in the face and come out the other side because it has a profound effect on their way of thinking," Brisley told realscreen. "It was absolutely fascinating to hear the effect the crash had on their lives. People [are] making huge life decisions based on the incident."

The doc interviews eight of the passengers on the flight as well as the police scuba divers and rescuers who were running the ferry boats that saved the 155 people on board. "They raced to the scene in boats that are designed as ferry boats, not rescue boats, so they had to use their best creativity to find ways to rescue the passengers," says Brisley. IMG will distribute the doc internationally.

In addition to this highly publicized doc, Darlow Smithson are at work on a Second World War series with Canada's Cream Productions for History Canada, Channel 4, Nat Geo International, Smithsonian US and the Canadian Navy. Phew.

Entitled Convoy, the four x 60-minute series will use archive footage, reconstructions and interviews with those who fought in the battle to tell the story of the largest naval campaign of the 20th century.