´óÏó´«Ã½

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ today announces the commission of Legacy, a new six x 60-minute series presented by Sir Gerry Robinson for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Legacy, currently in production, will confront some of the emotional dilemmas people face in writing a will and help them with the often taboo process of dividing up their estate.

Shockingly, around 70% of people in the UK do not have a legally valid will – leaving their families very vulnerable. Dying without a will can lead to people you love receiving nothing, or paying huge tax bills unnecessarily.

Now, one of the country's leading businessmen, Sir Gerry Robinson, wants to help change all this. Using his business acumen coupled with his experience in helping family businesses negotiate their way through difficult times (I'll Show Them Who's Boss), he will steer people through the often-complicated process of writing their wills. Working alongside him will be an expert lawyer in this field.

Choosing between the people you love is never easy. What do you do if you have remarried and now have step-children to think of, in addition to your own kids? What if one of your children has gone off the rails? What if you can't agree with your partner on the best way to divide everything up?

Sir Gerry will tackle dilemmas such as these each week, finding ways through the obstacles, and showing viewers how the law really works.

Sir Gerry says: "I was astonished to discover how many people in this country haven't written a legally-binding will.

"I want to help people put their estates in order. It's tempting to put off addressing issues like this. But in the long-run, that only stores up trouble.

"Would you rather write your will yourself, or have the government write it for you by default?"

The series was commissioned by Mark Linsey, Controller of Entertainment Commissioning, and Janice Hadlow, Controller of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Mark says: "This promises to be exciting, must-watch television with real purpose at its heart. It will be a fascinating insight into an often taboo subject, reflecting the wide range of diverse and distinctive factual entertainment the ´óÏó´«Ã½ continues to offer viewers."

Talkbackthames Head of Factual Entertainment, Michele Kurland, commented: "I'm thrilled to be working with Gerry Robinson again, his experience of business married with the passion he showed in working with families on I'll Show Them Who's Boss makes him the perfect person to help work through the often very sensitive process of writing a will."

Legacy is a Talkbackthames production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two. Executive Producers are Michele Kurland for Talkbackthames and Jo Wallace for the ´óÏó´«Ã½. The series producer is Alf Lawrie.

AC2