Orphan Black finds UK home

BBC Three has acquired BBC America-coproduced drama Orphan Black and concurrently commissioned a workplace doc series.

The first deal sees the UK public channel acquire Orphan from stablemate BBC Worldwide.

The 10-part thriller series themed around a street smart young adult orphan who witnesses the suicide of a woman that looks exactly like her and comes from BBC America and Canada’s Bell Media and Temple Street Productions.

“Orphan Black is an intriguing roller-coaster ride of a thriller with a complex and engaging plot and a virtuoso performance by Tatiana Maslany,” said Sue Deeks, head of programme acquisition, BBC.

Meanwhile, BBC Three controller Zai Bennett and interim BBC One controller Charlotte Moore, who is also the BBC’s commissioning editor for docs and knowledge, have commissioned The Insider, a self-contained episode doc format from All3Media-backed Studio Lambert.

Yesterday, US cable channel TNT ordered its own version, called Inside Job.

Each episode follows five young candidates living together and competing for a fast-track position at top companies, though one is actually a company insider filing reports on the wannabes to bosses.

“The Insider is an exciting new format for BBC Three where applicants for a dream job will go through an interview process like no other. This show should reveal exactly what you need to do to get a job and what to avoid, especially when you think the boss isn’t looking,” said Bennett.