UK indie secures Australian format deal

Australian paycaster Foxtel has made commissioned a remake of a UK crime doc series, which the original British producer and format rights owner will create.

6x60mins series Crimes That Shook Australia will air on Foxtel in April following the deal with UK-based format creator Title Role Productions, which sells the format itself on the international market.

A+E Networks UK commissioned the original Crimes That Shook Britain format, which has gone on to air in more than 100 territories via deals distributor Warner Bros. has closed. A new 6x60mins season was today announced for the Crime & Investigation UK network.

The format tells the stories of crimes that rocked nations through the eyes of those closest to them.

The Aussie version will feature events such as paedophile Andrew Garforth’s 1992 murder of Ebony Simpson and a one-man murder spree in Port Arthur that saw 35 people lose their lives.

Jim Buchan, general manager, factual at Foxtel, said: “Crimes That Shook Britain has proved incredibly successful on Foxtel in Australia. As our Crime & Investigation viewers clearly have a thirst for this type of programming, it is a natural step to commission a series focusing on Australia’s own crimes, which will resonate even more with our own and also international viewers.”

Cineflix will sell the finished Australian version.