Netherlands’ NPO1 orders remake of Keshet’s scripted format ‘The A Word’

The A Word (UK)

Netherlands-based public broadcaster EO has ordered a local adaptation of Keshet International’s (KI) scripted format The A Word for its NPO1 network.

The show is being produced by Dutch outfit Fiction Valley and is based on Keren Margalit’s family drama Yellow Peppers, which was first produced by July-August Productions for Keshet Broadcasting.

Fiction Valley’s six-part adaptation will also dramatise a family’s painful but humorous journey of denial and introspection after their young son is diagnosed with autism. The show was previously for BBC One in the UK by Fifty Fathoms and Keshet Productions, with the series running to three seasons and selling to more than 80.

It will be known locally as Het A Woord and is being written by Karin van der Meer and Myranda Jongeling. The 6 x 50-minute series will be directed by Anna van der Heide and Remy van Heugten with Fiction Valley’s Annemieke van Vliet as executive producer.

Het A Woord was commissioned by EO’s Jacomien Nijhof and Arnoud Brunier and is expected to premiere in the Netherlands this year on NPO1.

Bruinier said: “Het A Woord touches on important themes – showing a family’s struggle in raising a special needs child – and does so entertainingly and with a lot of love. Fiction Valley has brought a strong team to the project and we are grateful for the trust that Keren Margalit has given us in bringing this universal story to our local audiences.”

The format has previously been adapted in Greece by Alpha TV and KI’s US-based production arm, Keshet Studios, is developing an adaptation for American audiences.