SALES
BBC Studios has closed a raft of sales deals for Jimmy McGovern’s “Time,” a BBC Studios production for BBC One which has proved a critical and rating success in its first month on the air, pulling 11.6 million viewers in its first 28 days. The series stars Bafta-winner Sean Bean (“Games of Thrones”) and four-time nominee Stephen Graham (“Line of Duty”) in a powerful story about life inside a prison.
Deals closed by BBC Studios include France and international French speaking territories, Switzerland and Africa (CANAL+), Estonia (ETV), New Zealand (Prime), Greece (Cosmote), Israel (Yes and Hot), Latin America (HBO Max), Russia (Yandex), Sub – Saharan Africa (MNET and ShowMax) and Spain (Movistar+). The series will be streamed by BBC First in Australia and Asia, Canada and Benelux as well as Turkey.
FESTIVAL
The 65th BFI London Film Festival (Oct. 6-17) has unveiled a range of events that are free to attend for the public. Highlights include a discussion with Netflix U.K. features director Fiona Lamptey; “The Rope” series creators Eric Forestier and Dominique Rocher explore the boom in French TV content; an audio celebration of the 1967 sounds of The Velvet Underground’s debut album accompanying Todd Haynes’ documentary on the subject, which is a festival selection; a discussion around Afrofuturism and several shorts programs.
In addition, to accompany his festival selection “The Storms of Jeremy Thomas,” Mark Cousins will lead a conversation with legendary independent producer Jeremy Thomas (“Crash,” “The Last Emperor”) and his friends, while Michael Winterbottom is joined by Asif Kapadia and Mike Leigh to discuss the themes of his new book “Dark Matter: Independent Filmmaking in the 21st Century.”
TRAINING
Pact launched this year’s Indie Diversity Scheme this week from London, with four companies supporting the initiative for the first time: Arganon, Nutopia, Tin Roof Media and South Shore. This quartet joins Endemol Shine U.K.’s founding members Fremantle Productions, Hat Trick Productions and all3Media. This scheme is designed to help underrepresented youth, including women, LGBT, people with disabilities, and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, get into the television industry. Participants will receive hands-on training from ScreenSkills and support from a high-level mentor at their assigned company. The 2021 class includes 11 paid placements of six months. The scheme has a remarkable retention rate, with 77% of its alumni working in television or related sectors today.
LINEUP
Red Arrow Studios International has unveiled the titles which headline its 2021 fall lineup. Fiction highlights include the dramatic tech-thriller “Blackout: Tomorrow is Too Late,” true-crime drama “Australian Gangster” and Season 2 of the award-winning “Stella Blómkvist.” In unscripted entertainment, the company is shopping “Who is the Phantom,” influencer survival competition “#Offlineinthewild,” relationship competition series “Couple Wars” and quiz program “Quizness.” Factual propositions include history series “Deadly Standoff,” a new larger version of “Married at First U.K.,” and the eighth season of “Married at First Sight Australia” as well as Season 13 of “Married at First Sight U.S.A.”
Who is the Phantom
Image Credits: Red Arrow Studios International