The 10-part series will run from October until July 2022 on ITV’s main channel, ITV4, and ITV Hub.
Against The Odds is produced by ITV, funded by Coral and developed by Supernova, ITV Sport and the7Stars content team, with commercial creative output for the series, including idents and activation, supervised by Drum.Presented by leading members of ITV Sport’s presenting team, the series includes Ed Chamberlain, Francesca Cumani and Oli Bell, alongside Gabriel Clarke and Mark Pougatch.
Delivering an insight across the world of sport, the documentary series focuses on some of the most integral moments from several big industry names, with each episode coinciding with major sporting events, including The Ashes, the FA Cup and the Six Nations.
The stars featured in the series will range from individuals who have overcome hardship to gain success in their respective sports. Defying the odds, against the odds.
The first episode will feature UK flat jockey, Hollie Doyle, based on her rise to the top of her profession. Future episodes will include fellow riders Guy Disney and Johnny Murtagh. Chris Brocklehurst, Coral Head of Brand Marketing, said: “The history of sport is full of teams and individuals battling adversity and beating the odds. This new ITV series will tell the stories behind the sporting triumphs of many familiar names.
“From trailblazing flat jockey Hollie Doyle to Guy Disney’s inspiring and remarkable story, we’re sure that the nation will have their favourites.
“This is a brand new format for Coral and it brilliantly captures some of the most compelling and exciting stories in sport and cements Coral’s position as a leader in sport.”
A Cheltenham special will take place ahead of the Cheltenham Festival on the grey racehorse, Desert Orchid. Darts World Champion Gerwyn Price will also be featured with further names to be announced.
The partnership enables Coral to benefit from a full activation package where both ITV and Coral can stream the series across multiple platforms. Coral platforms will enable behind-the-scenes footage on its platforms, in-store promotion and branding alongside talent-signed merchandise for competitions.
Simon Daglish, Deputy Managing Director, ITV Commercial, said: “We have been delighted to work with Coral on this exciting series of sport insight programmes. Increasingly Advertiser Funded Programmes are being used to help create a more engaged form of dialogue with consumers and Against the Odds is an excellent example of this. It has been a great experience working with Coral and we are excited to broadcast the series.”
