Sky History has secured the rights to Castles SOS, a new AI-powered documentary series that uncovers the hidden stories of British castles—spanning royalty, ruins, and large-scale restoration. The three-part series is produced by Will Hanrahan’s FirstLookTV for Hearst Networks EMEA and is currently in post-production. British broadcaster Rick Edwards fronts the project.
Sphere Abacus will distribute the series globally.
According to Hanrahan, the creative direction of Castles SOS began with a simple question: how to tap into the global appetite for royal storytelling in a way that feels “new and different.” The answer emerged from focusing on castle restoration while using AI-driven visuals to reveal forgotten narratives.
“Each time we went to any of these places, we asked, ‘What are the royal stories in here that nobody’s told before?’” Hanrahan explained in an interview with Deadline. The result is a blend of archaeology, history, and human drama—enhanced by cutting-edge generative AI.
The series highlights restoration efforts supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the UK National Lottery. Viewers will see craftsmen, historians, and local communities working to preserve Britain’s architectural past.
Alongside restoration work, Castles SOS spotlights remarkable human stories embedded in castle walls. These include a boy-king who nearly died at Fyvie Castle, a queen who hosted carriage races at Lowther, and a king known for starving his enemies at Hay Castle.
As debates intensify around AI’s role in film and television, FirstLookTV insists that all AI sequences in Castles SOS follow strict ethical guidelines.
“We shoot original material and then train our AI tools to only use that or material cleared for global use,” Hanrahan said. “We are feeding the data into AI and seeing what it can come up with—and it’s mind-bogglingly good.”
The AI-driven reconstructions will depict battle scenes, historical environments, and architectural recreations, offering a cinematic approach to factual storytelling.
The acquisition reflects a broader trend: factual producers are increasingly turning to AI to elevate historical reconstructions. Daniel Korn, VP of Programming at Hearst Networks EMEA—who acquired Castles SOS for Sky History—recently purchased Ed Gein: Original Psycho, another documentary using AI-powered visuals.
Hanrahan believes AI has tremendous potential if used responsibly. “AI can do such wonderful things. Why not train it to do it the right way?”
With the series now in post-production, Castles SOS is positioned to become one of Sky History’s most ambitious blends of technology and storytelling.
কলকাতায় অবৈধ নির্মাণ রুখতে কড়া পদক্ষেপ নিল কলকাতা পুরসভা (KMC)। শহরের তিনটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ এলাকায় বেআইনি…
কলকাতায় অবৈধ নির্মাণকে ঘিরে নতুন করে রাজনৈতিক ও প্রশাসনিক চর্চা শুরু হয়েছে। এই আবহেই তৃণমূল…
বর্তমান সময়ে নিরাপদ বিনিয়োগের পাশাপাশি নিয়মিত আয়ের সুযোগ খুঁজছেন অনেকেই। শেয়ার বাজার বা ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ বিনিয়োগে…
গত কয়েকদিন ধরে তীব্র গরম ও অস্বস্তিকর আবহাওয়ায় নাজেহাল বাংলা। বিশেষ করে দক্ষিণবঙ্গের একাধিক জেলায়…
দেশের বাজারে সোনা ও রুপোর দামের ওঠানামা সাধারণ মানুষের কাছে অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। বিশেষ করে বিয়ের…
রাজ্যের বিভিন্ন সরকারি দফতরে দীর্ঘদিন ধরে শূন্যপদ নিয়ে আলোচনা চলছিল। এবার সেই বিষয়েই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ পদক্ষেপ…