Britain and Poland team for war drama copro

The BBC is teaming with its polish pubcaster equivalent TVP for a second drama coproduction.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, TVP and Polish prodco Apple Film Production will jointly make The Passing Bells.

The World War One drama will be penned by Eastenders and Life on Mars scribe Tony Jordan and his prodco Red Planet Pictures will also be involved. BBC Cymru Wales will also be a copro partner on the 5x30mins project.

The series will be filmed in Poland and tell the story of the conflict through the eyes of two very ordinary young men who enlist in a war they expect will be over within months.

Jordan said: “This is a hugely important project for British television in this, the centenary of the First World War, a conflict that shaped Europe as we know it today. It was always going to be vital to find a meaningful European partner for this project and working with TVP is something Red Planet is very excited about.”

Piotr Radziszewski, director of TVP1, said: “We have a shared ambition to create bold, compelling drama that will resonate with audiences not only in the UK and Poland but all around the world.”

BBC Worldwide and TVP and Apple Film have previously worked together on pre-World War II drama series Spies of Warsaw, which starred David Tennant (Doctor Who).

BBC Worldwide will sell the new series internationally. It will market it in its original format as well as 2x90mins and 4x45mins versions.