The documentary provides exclusive access to the convicted contemporary art dealer Inigo Philbrick and his fiancée Victoria Baker-Harber
The three-part series, greenlit by BBC Arts, will premiere spring 2024 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in the UK; Blue Ant Media will oversee distribution and pre-sales of the project outside of commissioning territories.
(Toronto, ON – November 9, 2023) Blue Ant Studios has begun production on The Inigo Philbrick Story (w/t), a three-part, documentary exploring the meteoric rise and fall of American art dealer, Inigo Philbrick. Once the art world’s go-to contemporary art broker, he was convicted in a multi-million dollar fraud case that shook the art world and duped investors out of a shocking $86M USD over three years. The series, commissioned by BBC Arts for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, will air in spring 2024 for its audiences in the UK. Filming will be primarily in London New York, Pennsylvania, Vanuatu and Rhode Island. The studio will oversee distribution and pre-sales for the project outside commissioning territories.
The documentary provides exclusive access to Inigo Philbrick and his fiancee, Made in Chelsea star, Victoria Baker-Harber plus never-before-seen archive, video and text messages. The pair were the subject of a six-month international manhunt by the FBI. Philbrick’s ‘catch me if you can’ disappearance ended with his arrest on the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. He was tried and convicted and is currently serving seven years in prison in Pennsylvania.
Alongside the inside story from Inigo Philbrick and Victoria Baker-Harber, the series features interviews with leading art world figures, fine artists, buyers, dealers, lawyers and law enforcement to uncover the truth about the value of art in today’s market.
“We’re thrilled to be working with BBC Arts, to bring this multi-layered story to UK screens,” says Jennifer Harkness, Executive Producer, Blue Ant Studios. “This project is the first documentary that provides exclusive access to both Inigo Philbrick and Victoria Baker-Harber, a love story that spanned multiple countries, multi-million dollar art deals and an international manhunt ending in an exotic, South Pacific archipelago.”
Alistair Pegg, BBC Arts Commissioning Editor, says: “This compelling series promises exclusive access to one of the most jaw-dropping art world stories of recent years.”
The untitled 3×60 series is produced by Blue Ant Studios for the BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Blue Ant Studios’ Jennifer Harkness and Laura Michalchyshyn serve as Executive Producers alongside David Hodgkinson. Gillian Hourihan is co-Executive Producer. Jamie Crawford is the Director and Sarah Sharkey Pearce serves as Showrunner. The series was commissioned for BBC Arts by Alistair Pegg.
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Blue Ant Studios is a leading studio and award-winning production business with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto. The company’s premium slate of programming spans documentaries and docuseries, scripted, unscripted, and reality competition, with recent hits including the award-winning competition series Blown Away (Netflix); original mixology cocktail competition, Drink Masters (Netflix), original competition series Race Against the Tide (CBC); award-winning docuseries The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks (Amazon); investigative docuseries Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell (Peacock and SKY) and groundbreaking documentary series Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies (Peacock). Blue Ant produces the multi-award-winning Canada’s Drag Race (seasons 1-4) and Canada vs. The World (Crave for Bell Media) with new seasons of each in production. Blue Ant Studios is a subsidiary of global media company, Blue Ant Media.
About BBC Arts
BBC Arts is the home of creative inspiration and a place to broaden your horizons. We make programmes that celebrate the things our audiences love – from visual art, photography, film and gaming to books, dance, design, theatre, fashion and architecture – showcasing the very best in culture. BBC Arts is the UK’s most ambitious creators of original arts programmes because we believe in the transformational power of creativity. As the leading force in cultural programme-making since 1922, our archive is the envy of the world.