B’casters experience War and Peace with BBCWW

Broadcasters around the world have prebought BBC Worldwide’s new MIPCOM drama launch War and Peace.

Estonia’s ETV, Greece’s OTE, Lithuania’s LNK, Israel’s YES and BBC First in Australia and the Benelux region have bought the show, which Sweden’s SVT and Denmark’s TV2 have already prebought. Co-distributor The Weinstein Company has also sold it to A+E Networks in the US.

The BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, will hold a keynote session in Cannes next week on Tuesday, October 6 in Grand Auditorium at 12.20pm to promote the BBC-commissioned show, with actors Tuppence Middleton and Stephen Rea, writer Andrew Davies and executive producers Harvey Weinstein, Faith Penhale, Simon Vaughan, Bethan Jones and Ben Donald appearing.

War and Peace is based on the famous Tolstoy novel, and made by BBC Cymru Wales Drama in partnership with The Weinstein Company, BBCWW and Vaughan’s Lookout Point.

BBCWW has sold another new scripted launch, Dickensian, to YES and BBC First in South Africa and Benelux. The Red Planet Pictures production for BBC will also get a MIPCOM launch event on October 7, with showrunner Tony Jordan and director Harry Bradbeer in attendance.

“Literary adaptations and British crime drama have traditionally found big audiences internationally but this MIPCOM slate takes both genres up a gear,” said Paul Dempsey, president, global markets at BBCWW.

“From very modern takes on classic works to gripping psychological thrillers rooted in familiar settings we have a range of series that will excite fans of quality drama all around the world.”

BBCWW also launches Mainstreet Productions-produced ITV drama Unforgotten and BBC Productions’ The Coroner in Cannes.