Global Showbiz Briefs: ‘Bates Motel’ In UK; ‘Not Another Happy Ending’ To Close Edinburgh; BBC Worldwide & Foxtel
In a significant first-run deal, Universal Channel has acquired A&E Network‘s Bates Motel for the UK. Handled overseas by NBCUniversal International Television Distribution, the series is a contemporary prequel to the Alfred Hitchcock feature Psycho and stars Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz and Nestor Carbonel. It debuted in the U.S. on March 18 and was renewed for a second run last week. Universal Channel acquired both seasons. Bates Motel is produced by Universal Television for A&E. Carlton Cruse, and Kerry Ehrin are exec producers.
World’s Oldest Film Fest Adds ‘Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan In ‘Not Another Happy Ending’
The Edinburgh International Film Festival, which is celebrating its 67th edition this year, will close with Not Another Happy Ending. The film, directed by John McKay, stars erstwhile Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan along with Stanley Weber and Lost’s Henry Ian Cusick. The world’s oldest continually running film festival will host the world premiere of the romantic comedy on June 30. Claire Mundell’s Glasgow-based Synchronicity Films produced the picture about a struggling publisher whose only successful author is blocked by euphoria following her first success. The festival, which starts on June 19, said today that it will also be adding a retrospective of films by prolific American director Richard Fleischer including Soylent Green, Fantastic Voyage and The Girl In The Red Velvet Swing.
Australian Paybox Foxtel Strikes New Deal with BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide will launch a new premium BBC channel on Foxtel, offering British drama and comedy as close as possible to UK transmission dates, in mid-2014. Among the first offerings will be the 10-part drama The Musketeers. The deal, which also gives Foxtel first-look at all BBC Worldwide lifestyle programming, is a blow to pubcaster ABC, the traditional home of the Beeb’s shows. BBC content will be available on demand at no extra charge and on the Foxtel Go mobile service. The new channel, likely to be named BBC Premiere, will sit alongside UKTV, BBC Knowledge, CBeebies and BBC World News on the platform.
Related stories
A&E Renews ‘Bates Motel’ For Season 2
‘Bates Motel’ Premiere Ratings Hit A&E Drama High
Hot TV Trailer: A&E Series ‘Bates Motel’
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
