UK production companies are continuing to test YouTube as a platform for factual and fact-ent formats, with Spark Media Partners and South Shore Productions among the latest indies to launch talent-led podcast projects designed for digital-first distribution.
Spark has launched Pre-Loved Profits (pictured), a weekly series fronted by consumer journalist Alice Beer and valuer and collectibles expert Dan Hatfield. The show examines the hidden value of everyday possessions, combining consumer advice, collectibles expertise and sustainability messaging around reuse and recycling.
The series is produced for Spark by Catherine Mabb, with episodes filmed at Podcast Room in Hanover Square. It is being distributed on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Spark Media Partners founder Steve Havers described the format as a podcast that “examines and unlocks the hidden value of everyday possessions”.
The opening episode features items including a 1991 Argos catalogue, vintage china, old trainers and rare football memorabilia, with the hosts discussing what can be sold, kept or diverted from landfill.
South Shore Productions has also moved into the space with Truth Be Told, a video podcast fronted by Zara McDermott. The first episode, launched on a dedicated YouTube channel on June 23, generated around 3,000 views in its first week on the platform. A second episode is due to drop today.
The series features McDermott in conversation with people whose lives have been shaped by extreme or extraordinary experiences, including survival stories, escape narratives, crime, cults and high-stakes decision-making.
The first episode features Juliana Bühring, who discusses her upbringing in a global cult and later life, including her work as an author and endurance cyclist.
Mel Leach of South Shore Productions said the launch marked “an important milestone” for the company as it introduced its first dedicated talent-driven YouTube channel.
The launches underline a rapidly evolving shift among TV producers towards platform-first factual formats that can be developed outside traditional broadcast commissioning, while still drawing on recognised talent and established production expertise.
