BBC AMERICA GREENLIGHTS FIVE MORE SPECIALS OF "THE NERDIST"

The BBC AMERICA original specials, based on Chris Hardwick's hit podcast, return in December with a year-end review of all things nerds love

New York - November 11, 2011 - BBC AMERICA's General Manager, Perry Simon, today gave the green light for five more specials of The Nerdist, based on comedian, writer, Doctor Who fan and web pundit Chris Hardwick's hit Nerdist podcast. The commission follows the successful and buzzed-about pilot hosted by Hardwick, which premiered in July as part of BBC AMERICA's comedy block the Ministry of Laughs. The Nerdist will continue to be produced by Nerdist Industries and Comcast Entertainment Studios, with Chris Hardwick, Alex Murray, Jay James, Gary Snegaroff and K.P. Anderson serving as executive producers.

The five specials (2x60; 3x30) will air throughout the next year, coinciding with big events for the channel. The Nerdist will feature panelists from LA to London, including celebrity guests, comedians, bloggers, and podcasters, in a comedic roundtable discussion. The first special will premiere on December 24, 9:00pm ET/PT, as a one-hour year-end review of all the things that nerds love from pop culture to tech trends and more.

Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide America says: "The Nerdist pilot, which featured The Doctor, Matt Smith, and Craig Ferguson joining the Nerdist team as guests, earned strong buzz and was an excellent pairing with the midseason premiere of Doctor Who. We couldn't be happier that we will continue working with Chris and are excited that The Nerdist will be a part of our biggest events over the next year."

Chris Hardwick says: "We had mammoth amounts of fun making The Nerdist for BBC AMERICA earlier this year with Craig Ferguson and Matt Smith and can't wait to make more nerdy nerd nerdness in the upcoming specials. I thank BBC AMERICA for allowing people to further consume our wee podcast with their eyes."

The Nerdist podcast, named one of the best comedy podcasts by Rolling Stone, is a top 10 comedy podcast on iTunes and has featured guests from Andy Samberg to Jon Hamm to Zach Galifianakis.

The Nerdist joins BBC AMERICA's stable of all-new original programming, including new comedy panel show Would You Rather? with Graham Norton premiering December 3 plus Richard Hammond's Crash Course and Copper premiering in 2012.

About Chris Hardwick:

One of Time magazine's "140 most influential people on Twitter," Chris Hardwick is a professional stand-up comedian and self-proclaimed nerd who currently hosts Web Soup, writes for WIRED magazine, contributes to Attack of the Show, makes regular appearances on Chelsea Lately, The Soup, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and more. Hardwick's Nerdist Empire extends beyond the podcast and @nerdist on Twitter to include the popular blog Nerdist.com and his new book, The Nerdist Way, from publisher The Penguin Group.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), four Golden Globes(R) and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 71 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.