Branson doc available from December exclusively on Sky documentaries and NOW

The four-part docuseries BRANSON, directed by Chris Smith (100 Foot Wave), debuts in the UK on Sunday 4 December on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW.

Sixteen days before Richard Branson is scheduled to make a potentially historic flight as the first passenger to reach space in his own spacecraft in July 2021, the billionaire entrepreneur sits down for a conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Chris Smith, in light of the risk that lies ahead. Smith ultimately takes us on an expansive and intimate 70-year journey, from Branson’s upbringing as the son of a spirited, tough-love mother in Britain, to his pursuits of extreme, personal daredevilry that serve both to grow his businesses’ brands and feed his insatiable, lifelong thirst for high-stakes adventure.

After dropping out of school where he struggled with dyslexia, Branson began his entrepreneurial career as a 15-year-old publisher of a student magazine and went on to become a millionaire by the age of 22 with the booming success of Virgin Records. His launch of the airline Virgin Atlantic soon followed, along with a myriad of other Virgin branded businesses with varying levels of success, culminating in the launch of Virgin Galactic, his commercial spaceflight company in 2004. His record-breaking, transoceanic boat and balloon challenges, and now his crusade to bring customers to space, have all been positioned by Branson with the Virgin brand front and center. Branson remains a complex figure, committed to both philanthropic initiatives and his own bottom line.

With added insight from family members, business associates, and journalists, and illustrated by decades of archival and home video footage, BRANSON reveals the ups and downs of a man driven by risk taking in both his business and personal life, reflecting on the costs and rewards of his lifelong, relentless optimism and boundary-pushing.

BRANSON is directed by Chris Smith and executive produced by Kate Noble.

For more information, please contact: Patricia Deveer/Marina Forsythe marina.forsythe@sky.uk/marina.forsythe@sky.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Episode Descriptions

Episode 1: “Words and Music”

The series premiere explores Branson’s early years and the influence of his iconoclastic mother.As a dyslexic teenager, he leaves school at age 15 to create a magazine called Student, leading to a mail-order record business and eventually Virgin Records and Virgin megastores.

Episode 2: “Atlantic”

The episode tracks the launch of Virgin Atlantic and Branson’s efforts to attract media attention to his brand, including an attempt to break the trans-Atlantic speed record in a boat, and his death-defying balloon adventure across the Atlantic in 1986.

Episode 3: “Fight or Flight”

The episode chronicles Virgin Atlantic’s battle with British Airways, ending in a libel suit win for Branson. From outsider to wealthy capitalist, Branson continues to push for world records and promotional attention for his company, setting off on a nail-biting Pacific Ocean balloon voyage. He announces plans to develop a spaceflight company to take commercial passengers into space, beginning a decade long pursuit.

Episode 4: “Space”

The series finale tracks the arduous history of Virgin Galactic, from conception to test flights, and the controversial bid from Virgin Atlantic to obtain government support for the airline during the Covid-19 pandemic. As the first passenger flight of Virgin Galactic approaches, Branson defends the benefits of privately funded space exploration and the paradoxes around Virgin’s eco-messaging. Set for July 11, 2021, the launch day follows 17 years of research, testing, accidents, and setbacks, culminating in a successful flight in which Branson realizes his ultimate dream.

About Sky  

Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Across six countries, we connect our 23.4 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news and arts including our own award-winning original content. 

Sky Documentaries is the home of exclusive factual content for all Sky and NOW TV customers at no extra cost. The channel offers world-class factual programming, providing an unmissable mix of premium, original commissions and acquired content that uncover the story behind the story. 

Our technology, including the market leading Sky Q, connects people to everything they love – with entertainment from Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, and apps like Spotify, YouTube, BBC Sounds, Highbrow, Peloton, Fiit, and more, in one place, easy. Our streaming service NOW brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service. Through our new B2B broadband provider, Sky Connect, we offer superfast broadband with business-grade 4G back-up to small businesses in the UK. 

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which will open in 2022, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years. 

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice. 

About NOW  

NOW is the home of brilliant entertainment. Join in for the latest movies, critically acclaimed shows and biggest live sports on over 60 devices – including our app. 

With a Cinema Membership, access the latest blockbusters and unmissable collections with over 1000 movies on demand. 

With an Entertainment Membership, enjoy award-winning dramas and the best of HBO - plus Sky Originals and epic kids TV. 

With a Sports Membership, stream all 11 Sky Sports channels including the Premier League, International Cricket, Formula 1, golf and more. 

Members can also enjoy an upgraded experience with Boost - ad-free* streaming in VOD, Full HD and Surround Sound on up to three devices at once. 

For super-fast broadband, enjoy a contract-free membership with Brilliant Broadband, Fab Fibre or Super Fibre. 

*Ad-free excludes live channels and trailers promoting NOW content. Boost features available on selected content and devices only. See here for full details. 

Learn more: nowtv.com 

See what’s on offer: nowtv.com/offers 

Follow us: facebook.com/NOWTV 

Go behind the scenes: Instagram.com/NOWTV 

Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/NOW