007 Creator Drama ‘Fleming’ Spies Sales with BBC Worldwide

LONDON — BBC Worldwide, the distribution arm of the U.K. broadcaster, has pre-sold British dramas “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” and “Quirke” to a raft of broadcasters around the world ahead of their transmission in the U.K.

“Fleming,” which is a four-part spy drama miniseries starring Dominic Cooper and Lara Pulver, has been pre-sold to 12 territories, including France (ARTE), Australia (ABC), Canada (Showcase and BBC Canada), Portugal (ZON), Pan Nordics (HBO), Sweden (TV4), Denmark (DR), Norway (TV2), Belgium (VRT), Turkey (Sinema TV), Africa (BBC Africa) and Japan (WOWOW). The miniseries premieres in the U.S. on BBC America on Jan. 29.

“Quirke,” which is a three-part crime drama miniseries adapted by screenwriters Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson, has been licensed to five international broadcasters. It will air in Germany (Degeto), Croatia (HRT), Denmark (Danmarks Radio), Iceland (RUV) and Slovenia (RTV).

“Fleming” is an Ecosse Films production, commissioned by BSkyB and co-produced with BBC America. Cooper plays Ian Fleming, a charming, sophisticated maverick whose dilettante, pleasure-seeking life was turned around by WWII, and ultimately led to the creation of the best-known spy in the world, James Bond.

“Quirke,” which is based on the books by Benjamin Black (pseudonym of Irish writer John Banville), is a co-production between BBC Drama Production, Element Pictures and Tyrone Productions.

Gabriel Byrne plays Quirke, a chief pathologist in the Dublin city morgue, and a charismatic loner, whose job takes him into unexpected places as he uncovers the secrets of sudden death in 1950s Dublin.

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