making television worth watching
Founded by Badannie Gee and Jane Lush to create entertainment and popular factual programmes.
Kalooki Pictures co-produces with Hat Trick Productions.
Making television worth watching.
Jane Lush
Founder
It would be fair to say that Jane put fake tan on to our Saturday night screens when she developed and commissioned Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC’s biggest ever global entertainment hit show. As the BBC’s Controller Entertainment and Comedy, it was part of a string of award winning hit shows still enjoyed by millions of viewers today including The Apprentice, Dragons’ Den and Have I Got News For You. Other landmark productions were Test the Nation, the Catherine Tate Show and The Mighty Boosh. When she was the Controller of BBC Daytime she transformed it into the market leader with a raft of breakthrough shows including Weakest Link, Bargain Hunt, Escape to the Country, City Hospital, Flog It and Cash in the Attic. Amongst the enduring hits was Doctors, the first successful launch of a soap since EastEnders. Prior to that, she spent many years as a programme maker at the BBC producing some of its most popular factual shows including Barry Norman’s Film programme and Holiday with Jill Dando expanding it from a 14 part series to one of BBC’s highest rating factual shows on air all year . A personal highlight was working with her doppelganger Barbra Streisand, directing and producing a documentary on the making of the feature film Yentl.
Since leaving the BBC, she has been working in the indie sector making programmes for all the major broadcasters including the Eurovision Dance Contest, Candy Cabs (comedy drama series for BBC1), Great British Hairdresser (E4), Piers Morgan on… (ITV), Fantasy Homes by the Sea (UKTV) and The Underdog Show (BBC2).
At Kalooki Pictures, she was thrilled to work with Bruce Forsyth again making Bruce’s Hall of Fame, two Christmas specials for BBC ONE.
She was the founding Chair of the BBC’s Performing Arts Fund charity which has awarded around £5m to young aspiring musicians through scholarships and mentoring schemes, and giving musical instruments to hundreds of children, one of whom was international pop star Adele.
She is the 43rd Chair of BAFTA and very proud to be so.
Badannie Gee
Founder
Prior to launching Kalooki Pictures, Badannie successfuly headed up the development department at Splash Media. With a love of food, the seaside, pranks and Scousers she created and developed an eclectic portfolio of shows including Desperate Scousewives (E4) Fantasy Homes by the Sea (UKTV Home) James Martin’s Mediterranean (Good Food) James Martin Operation Hospital Food (BBC) Britain’s Youngest Head Chef (BBC Three) Cooks to Market (Sky One) Marbella Mansions (UKTV Home) A Farmer’s Life For Me (BBC TWO) Great British Hairdresser (E4) Flash Prank (MTV international) and Cleverdicks (Sky Atlantic)
Whilst at Splash she also developed and produced the NTA nominated Piers Morgan on Marbella for ITV1 and Imagine: Bolshoi Boy BBC ONE (one of the highest rating episodes of Alan Yentob’s Arts strand.)
Prior to her 7 years at Splash she quickly rose up through the ranks working in development and production for a range of companies including Mentorn, Redback Productions and Scream Pictures. One of her first jobs in telly was developing the hit Channel 4 show You Are What you Eat.
Aside from broadcast shows, she also produced and directed two short films for Nightingale House, a nursing home based in South London. She persuaded stars such as Anton du Beke and Jodie Prenger to take part. These films were hugely successful in helping to fundraise over £3m for the home.
SHOWS
Bruce's Hall of Fame 2014 BBC ONE
Saturday night entertainment comes to life with some of the biggest names in show business taking to the stage to celebrate the artists who inspired their careers. Featuring Jamie Callum, Jason Manford, Jon Culshaw, Jessie Wallace and Alfie Boe.
Bruce's Hall of Fame 2015 BBC ONE
Sir Bruce Forsyth hands over his Hall of Fame to Alexander Armstrong to host. Featuring Catherine Tate, Beverley Knight, Shona McGarty, Kimberly Wyatt and Adam Garcia, Jamie Raven and Katherine Ryan.
Fantasy Homes by the Sea 2018 REALLY, UKTV
Michelle Ackerley is leading the property hunt as she takes buyers all over the UK coast to find their dream home by the sea.
NEWS
Fantasy Homes by the Sea is back again for a new series.
Fantasy Homes by the Sea is UKTV’s flagship property show since it launched in 2006. It has played consistently on its various channels right up until the current day and is now transmitted almost every night somewhere in the UKTV schedule. The last original series was transmitted in 2013.
Fantasy Homes by the Sea has been seen by over 11 million people in the UK with its premiere transmission 62% above the slot average, appealing to a predominantly ABC1 audience and has sold very successfully in the international market place.
WHY 'KALOOKI'?
It’s a card game which bears a resemblance to rummy and is also known as Jamaican Rummy where some say it originated. Both founders of Kalooki Pictures, Badannie and Jane played it with their families from a very young age. It's a game of skill and luck, very apt for producing television. What's more, words with a 'k' sound are funny, or so Neil Simon wrote in his play, The Sunshine Boys:
“Fifty seven years in this business, you learn a few things. You know what words are funny and which words are not funny. Alka Seltzer is funny. You say Alka Seltzer, you get a laugh. Words with ‘k’ in them are funny. Cupcake is funny. Tomato is not funny. Cookie is funny. Cucumber is funny. Car Keys. Cleveland is funny. Maryland is not funny. Then, there’s chicken. Chicken is funny. Pickle is funny.”
And even though Neil Simon didn’t write it, we think ‘crackle’ is funny too....and then there's 'tickle'...
CONTACT
c/o Hat Trick Productions
33 Oval Road, London NW1 7EA
Tel: 0207 184 7777
Contact us using the form below:
Registered address: Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Herts, WD6 1JG
VAT no: 193915573
Company no: 08818383
photographs courtesy of Caroline True