Scripted


NPO, Cosmote & RTÉ ink pre-sales for Mercurio thriller ‘Payback’

European broadcasters NPO Netherlands, Cosmote Greece and RTÉ Ireland have struck pre-sale deals for Payback, the new crime thriller from Jed Mercurio’s HTM Television. The 6 x 60-minute crime thriller, distributed by Hat Trick International, is written by Debbie O’Malley and is set to debut on ITV1 in the UK this autumn. It follows the story […]

Rubicon TV hires ‘Next Summer’ writer as executive producer

Norwegian scripted firm Rubicon TV has hired Lars Gudmestad, the screenwriter behind Next Summer and The King Of Christmas, as executive producer. Gudmestad will join the Banijay-owned firm, which produced titles including Lilyhammer, Beforeigners and Countrymen, in April. He previously worked at Feelgood and Fantefilm as a writer and development producer and his credits also […]

Candle Media launches non-fiction arm, led by ex-ABC News president

Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media has launched a new non-fiction division, headed up by former ABC News president James Goldston. It will focus on scripted and unscripted series and films that have been inspired by real events, with Goldston serving as president of the new arm. Goldston left ABC News in 2021, having […]

Banijay shutters Singapore office, moves operations to India

Banijay is closing its office in Singapore and moving operations to India as part of a rejig in the region. The move is expected to result in a small number of job losses as responsibilities are relocated to the production & distribution giant’s offices in Mumbai, TBI understands. The Singapore office was predominantly focused on […]

News round-up: Yesterday visits ‘Retro Electro Workshop’; VOYO Bulgaria drama deals; Dandelooo takes’ Super Heroes of Nature’ rights

Yesterday visits ‘Retro Electro Workshop’ UKTV’s factual channel Yesterday has commissioned a new UKTV original series, Retro Electro Workshop a documentary series about the dying art of repairing electronics. The 10 x 60-minute series is produced by Hall of Mirrors and fronted by super-fixer Rob Howard, one of the UK’s last remaining full-time repair men of retro-electronic […]

Channel 4 gets into ‘Big Mood’ for Dancing Ledge comedy

UK comcaster Channel 4 has commissioned Big Mood (working title), a new comedy series from Fremantle-owned Dancing Ledge Productions. The six-part series will follow best friends Maggie and Eddie, played by Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) and Lydia West (It’s A Sin, Inside Man), who have lived in each other’s pockets for ten years, through […]

ZDF Studios & Factual Fiction team for ‘Dorian Gray’ update

Germany’s ZDF Studios and the UK’s Factual Fiction are co-developing a modern update of the Oscar Wilde novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Written by London-based Maiya John and titled #DorianGray, the 12 x 30-minute series is described by ZDF as “suspenseful ride through the life of a teenager as they construct their identity. With […]

Germany’s ZDF remakes Israeli comedy ‘Nevsu’

Germany’s ZDF has commissioned a local adaptation of Israeli comedy series Nevsu. Neuesuper will produce the remake under the title I Don’t Work Here, with the German adaptation directed by Arman Riahi and written by Romina Ecker and Malina Nnendi Nwabuonwor. Originally created by Shay Ben Atar, Yossi Wassa, Liat Shavit and Gal Zaid, and […]

Exclusive: Disney+ EMEA ‘open to copros’ as originals strategy continues

Disney+ is open to coproductions across EMEA as its originals output continues across the region, according to its VP of originals, Liam Keelan. The Mouse House has endured a turbulent six months and CEO Bob Iger recently confirmed plans to cut content spend by around $3bn and return to third-party sales to bolster profits. The […]

AMC Networks to cut content spend by 20% in 2023

AMC Networks is planning to cut its content spending by around 20% this year, down to $1.1bn from $1.35bn in 2022. The reduction, of around $250m, brings content spend back down to pre-pandemic levels, with AMC having averaged around $1bn per years between 2017 and 2019. Speaking on the company’s Q4 earnings call, CFO Patrick […]