Sky to Wheel Out New Original

A new series about the disabled learning to drive, from the producers of Wheel Blacks: Bodies on the Line and Down For Love, will screen across Sky’s free-to-air and streaming platforms next month.

Here’s the media release:

Sky NZ Originals hits the road with all new series Licence To Drive this July

Learning to drive is a rite of passage, and living with a disability is no exception!

Sky New Zealand Originals hits the road next month with all new six-part factual series Licence To Drive, airing on Sky Open on Wednesdays from 2 July at 7.30pm, with all episodes available to stream on Neon and Sky Go from this date.

From the creators of Wheel Blacks: Bodies on the Line, Sweet Productions, and directed by Candida Beveridge (Down for Love, Grand Designs New Zealand), Licence to Drive will have audiences on the edge of their seats while providing an intimate, compelling and empowering look at the transformative journey undertaken by a group of disabled New Zealanders from all walks of life learning to drive.

Filmed around the motu, each episode follows learner drivers – alongside their patient (and not so patient!) family members and supportive driving instructors, as they experience the emotional highs and lows, the heart-stopping moments, and relatable funny fails during the learning-to-drive experience – all in the pursuit of independence.

From a young man learning to steer with his feet, to Autistic twins who want to take their girlfriends for a spin around the farm, and a teen living with quadriplegia who is trialling ground-breaking adaptive technology, each of the featured learner drivers has their own challenges and motivations for getting behind the wheel.

Some are nervous first-timers, others are coming back from a life-changing injury and must entirely re-learn to drive using different parts of their body.

Sky New Zealand Originals Senior Commissioner Nick Ward says, “Sky New Zealand Originals is immensely proud to join forces with Sweet Productions again to bring Aotearoa audiences this thoroughly entertaining and insightful series that delivers a fresh yet universal take on a familiar journey through the lens of disability.

“We have no doubt that viewers will become just as invested in our learner drivers’ journeys as us!”

Sweet Productions co-founders and series co-executive producers, Robyn Paterson and Jai Waite say, “We’re really excited to bring this new Sweet Productions series to audiences.

“Learning to drive is a pathway to greater independence for so many of us – and we all know learning can be a rollercoaster! We wanted to authentically capture the driving journey of people living with disability, because there are so many ways to make it possible.

“There were a lot of laughs, tears and heart stopping moments along the way and we hope audiences enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Licence To Drive will be available on Neon and Sky Go from Wednesday 2 July, premiering on Sky Open at 7.30pm that evening.

Licence to Drive is a Sweet Productions production, directed by Candida Beveridge (Down For Love, Grand Designs New Zealand), with Series Producer Robyn Paterson (Down for Love) and Executive Producer Jai Waite (Wheel Blacks: Bodies on the Line) and was made with the support of NZ On Air.