Australia’s ABC, Holland’s NPO Swoop for BBC’s ‘Christine Keeler’ (EXCLUSIVE)
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Keshet International (KI) has secured a slew of sales deals for BBC One period drama “The Trial of Christine Keeler,” which recently completed its run last month in the U.K.
An account of the notorious 1960s ‘Profumo Affair,’ the six-part series chronicles the cover-up of an affair between a British Minister (Ben Miles) and model Christine Keeler (Sophie Cookson) which threatened to destroy the government.
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KI sold first broadcast window rights to the drama into Australian premium drama channel BBC First, with Australia’s national broadcaster ABC taking the second window.
BBC First has also nabbed first window rights in Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg) and Africa, with KI selling second window rights in the Netherlands to Dutch public service broadcaster NPO.
KI sold first window in Spain to the female-skewing Cosmo TV, and in the U.K., Acorn Media International has snapped up home video rights. Both home video and digital rights have gone to Australia and New Zealand’s ABC’s Home Entertainment division.
The show – the first project to be supported by the KI Content Fund – is written by BAFTA Award-winning novelist and screenwriter Amanda Coe (“Room at the Top”) and directed by Andrea Harkin and Leanne Welham.
“It’s been an honor bringing this stunning drama to market, and it’s no surprise that many partners came on board early,” says Keren Shahar, KI’s COO and president of distribution. “By retelling this scandal from Christine’s perspective for the first time, this compelling period piece feels relevant and so very contemporary, despite depicting real-life events from nearly six decades ago.”
Filmed on location in and around Bristol, “The Trial of Christine Keeler” was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, and Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama.
Executive producers are Kate Triggs and Douglas Rae for Ecosse Films, Amanda Coe and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Keshet International distributes the series internationally, alongside Endeavor Content in the U.S.
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