BBC Worldwide Press Releases

BBC Showcase, the world's largest international television market hosted by a single distributor, welcomes an array of talent to the four day event held annually in Brighton. Richard Armitage, Robert Glenister, Dougray Scott, Katy Brand, Craig Cash and the legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin are just some of the famous names that will be joining approximately 500 TV buyers from around the world who come to view the best of British programming.

BBC Showcase (22 to 25 Feb) is the flagship event for British television, providing a major boost to television exports and accounting for around 20% of BBC Worldwide's annual programme sales. The event is an international platform for British talent as buyers view over 1400 hours of TV content and attend premieres of brand new programmes.

The BBC Worldwide event will be launching two new titles, produced by Dangerous Films, to tie in with the 40th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon. The Space Age: NASA's Story, a complete history of mankind's journey into space, and Moonshot, a feature length docudrama depicting the ultimate adventure story of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins will be broadcast later this year. Father & Son, starring Dougray Scott (Desperate Housewives, Mission Impossible II) is another new series that will be available for buyers to view along with Craig Cash's Sunshine, Katy Brand's Big Ass Show and Spooks starring Richard Armitage and Robert Glenister amongst many other titles.

"BBC Showcase is the world's shop window to British television exports - this year we have a formidable slate of 1400 new programme hours from every genre to offer buyers," said BBC Worldwide's Managing Director Sales & Distribution, Steve Macallister. "The four day event provides a fundamental boost to the BBC and to our indie partners, not just through revenues but also by creating partnership opportunities with international media companies."

Also attending the event are actresses Julie Graham from Survivors, Suranne Jones (Unforgiven) and from Canada, Erin Karpluk who stars in a new drama series Being Erica which will have its first international launch at Brighton.

BBC Showcase, in its 33rd year, sees BBC Worldwide generate programme sales on behalf of the BBC and independent producers. The event also provides a forum for generating co production investment into some of the UK's most ambitious and creative productions, a great advantage as broadcasters seek to make tight budgets stretch further and maintain high quality schedules.

Daily screening sessions are held across all genres, as sales teams and leading producers pitch directly to network buyers from around the world. This year's highlights include stunning natural history programmes such as South Pacific, Life, Superswarms and Nature's Great Events, as well as history titles Henry: Mind of a Tyrant and 1066. Key dramas are Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh, and returning series of Mistresses, Primeval, Torchwood, Robin Hood and Doctor Who amongst others. Horrible Histories and 3rd & Bird are some of the exciting new children's series while Gavin & Stacey, which has already sold to 14 broadcasters, leads the comedy titles that also include new offerings Free Agents from the producer of Shaun of the Dead, Psychoville starring Dawn French and Taking the Flak.

• BBC Worldwide is Europe's largest television exporter, generating £212.9 million from programme sales last year
• Over 1400 hours of new British programming will be available to view at BBC Showcase 2009
• The average buyer sits at their viewing booth for 10 hours a day, for four days, to preview as much British programming as possible
• BBC Worldwide does not just sell programmes on behalf of the BBC, but for independent producers as well
  

DRAMA

• Wallander (duration: 3 x 90 mins) A Left Bank Pictures/Yellow Bird/TKBFC series co-produced with BBC, Degeto, WGBH Boston and Film i Skane
• Being Erica (duration: 13 x 45 mins) A Temple Street Productions production for CBC
• Primeval S3 (duration: 10 x 50 mins) An Impossible Pictures production for ITV, ProSieben and M6
• Mistresses S2 (duration: 6 x 50 mins) An Ecosse Television production for BBC and BBC America
• Survivors (duration: 1 x 90 and 5 x 50 mins) A BBC Production
• Spooks S7 (duration: 8 x 50 mins) A Kudos Film and Television production for BBC
• Torchwood S2 (duration: 13 x 50 mins) A BBC production in association with CBC
• Doctor Who S4 (duration: 12 x 45 and 1 x 60 mins) A BBC production in association with CBC
• Sunshine (duration: 3 x 60 mins) A Jellylegs production for BBC
• Robin Hood S3 (duration: 13 x 45 mins) A Tiger Aspect production for BBC and BBC America
• Father & Son (duration: 4 x 50 mins) A Left Bank Pictures/Octagon Films Production for ITV and RTE
• Unforgiven (duration: 3 x 50 mins) A Red Productions production for ITV Duration: 3 x 50'

COMEDY

• Free Agents (duration: 6 x 30 mins) Big Talk Productions and Bwark Productions for Channel 4
• Gavin & Stacey S2 (duration: 7 x 30 mins) A Baby Cow production for BBC
• Katy Brand's Big Ass Show S2 (duration: 6 x 25 mins) A World's End production for ITV
• Psychoville (duration: 7 x 30 mins) A BBC Production
• Taking the Flak A BBC Production
  

CHILDREN'S

• 3rd & Bird (duration: 50 x 10 and 1 x 20 mins) A Little Airplane production for CBeebies
• Horrible Histories (duration: 13 x 30 mins) A Lion TV production for CBBC
• MI High S3 (duration: 13 x 30 mins) A Kudos Film and Television production for BBC
  

NATURAL HISTORY

• Nature's Great Events (duration: 6 x 50 mins) A BBC/Discovery Channel co-production in association with Wanda Films
• South Pacific (duration: 6 x 50 mins) A BBC/Discovery co-production
• Life (duration: 10 x 50 mins) A BBC/Discovery/SKAI/Open University co-production in association with Arte
• Superswarms (duration: 2 x 50 mins) A John Downer Production for BBC and Discovery Channel
  

HISTORY

• Moonshot (duration: 1 x 90 mins) A Dangerous Films production for ITV1, TF1, ProSieben, The History Channel and NTV Japan
• The Space Age: NASA's Story (duration: 4 x 50 mins) A Dangerous Films production for BBC Worldwide
• 1066 (duration: 3 x 50 mins) A Hardy Pictures production for Channel 4
• Henry: Mind of a Tyrant (duration: 4 x 50 mins) A Redhouse DOX production for Channel 4
  

SCIENCE

• Human Journey (duration: 5 x 50 mins) A BBC/Travel Channel co-production in association with France 5
  

LIFESTYLE

• Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey (duration: 6 x 60 mins) A Denham production for BBC
  

DOCUMENTARIES

• Rituals (duration: 8 x 50 mins) A BBC/ Travel Channel co-production
• Feasts (duration: 3 x 50 mins) A Plum Pictures production for BBC
• Ray Mears' Northern Wilderness (duration: 6 x 50 mins) A BBC Production
  

MUSIC

• Later... With Jools Holland S33 (duration: 9 x 60 mins) A BBC Production
  

Lee Leschasin