Banijay is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay is present in 16 territories.
Banijay is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: The Hardacres

  1. Banijay Rights Sends Premium Scripted and Factual Package to Australia

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights Sends Premium Scripted and Factual Package to Australia

    Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of content powerhouse Banijay Entertainment, today announces it has signed a landmark premium scripted and factual package deal with Australian public broadcaster ABC.

    The agreement comprises Welsh crime drama The One That Got Away, the modern re-imagining of iconic detective series Bergerac, the forthcoming Grantchester season 10 and revealing documentary series Picasso.

    The deal was negotiated by Lyle Bettson-Barker, SVP Sales, Australia and New Zealand, Banijay Rights, who said: “From gripping thrillers and period dramas to fascinating documentaries, we’re in no doubt this incredible ensemble of premium Banijay Rights programmes will captivate viewers across Australia. With such a strong and genre diverse line up of scripted offerings, partnerships like this are a testament to our depth and breadth.  Once again, we’re proud to secure this deal with our partners at the ABC.”

    Head of Programming, Acquisitions & Streaming ABC, Roberta Allan said, “Our audiences will be pulled into mysteries, grandeur and history with these world class series. We are thrilled that these titles will be joining our incredible slate of content on ABC TV and ABC iview.”

    Head of Acquisitions ABC, Dallas Krueger, said, “I’m delighted that ABC audiences will be treated to a stellar line-up of content. This deal underscores the strong collaboration between the ABC and Banijay Rights.”

    Set in the west Wales coastal town of Pembroke Dock, The One That Got Away brings together a top-class team of Welsh crime drama talent. The shocking murder of a nurse opens old wounds in a small-town community, throwing a historic conviction into doubt, raising the horrifying prospect of a copycat killer and reuniting two former lovers tasked with finding the killer. The series is written by Catherine Tregenna (The Bench, Law & Order UK, Lewis and DCI Banks) and stars Elen Rhys (The Mallorca Files, Craith/Hidden), Richard Harrington (Y Gwyll/Hinterland) and Rhian Blythe (Y Golau/The Light in the Hall, Craith/Hidden). All six episodes are directed by Sion Ifan (Y Gyfrinach/The Secret). Produced by BlackLight TV (a Banijay UK company), the series is the English-language version of Welsh-language drama Cleddau, an original series commissioned by Welsh-language channel S4C, supported by Welsh Government via Creative Wales.

    Produced by BlackLight TV, (a Banijay UK company), Bergerac is based on the original series created by Robert Banks Stewart, which starred John Nettles and ran for nine series on the BBC between 1981 and 1991. The detective drama features Damien Molony (The Split, Brassic, Crashing) in the leading role of Jim Bergerac, alongside Zoë Wanamaker (My Family, Shadow and Bone, Black Ops) as Jim’s mother-in-law Charlie Hungerford, and Philip Glenister (Steeltown Murders, Life on Mars) as Arthur Wakefield. The series is written by Toby Whithouse (The Red King, Being Human), alongside Brian Fillis (Trust, Sirens), Catherine Tregenna (The One That Got Away, Three Pines) and Polly Buckle (Love Rat, A Discovery of Witches). The six-part U&Original series is produced by BlackLight TV, part of Banijay UK.

    Meanwhile, hit crime drama Grantchester will see Robson Green and Rishi Nair return as DI Geordie Keating and Reverend Alphy Kottaram, respectively, for season 10 as they continue their crime-solving exploits. The series is a co-production of Kudos (a Banijay UK Company) and MASTERPIECE PBS for ITV.

    Documentary series Picasso is an unflinching look at the life and legacy of the artist. When Picasso died in 1973, the world mourned one of the most celebrated artists of all time. His death left behind a family in turmoil and over 100,000 art works. Since his death, stories of womanising, cruelty and cultural appropriation have made us reassess Picasso. This series provides a look at the life of the artist, whose endlessly inventive revolutionary art and problematic personal life spanned seven of the most tumultuous decades in history. The Series Director is Alice Perman, Producer / Director is John O’Rourke and Executive Producers are Sophie Leonard, Alicia Kerr and Greg Sanderson. The three-part series was produced by Minnow Films for BBC Two.

  2. Banijay Rights Takes The Hardacres From Rags to Riches

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights Takes The Hardacres From Rags to Riches

    Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay Entertainment, today announces landmark acquisitions of major new six-part period drama series The Hardacres ahead of MIPCOM 2024 in Cannes next week.

    In deals negotiated across the Banijay Rights global sales team, The Hardacres has been acquired by BritBoxin Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, TV4 Sweden, MTV in Finland, DR in Denmark, RTÉ in Ireland, BBC Firstin Benelux and, as previously announced, Movistar Plus+ in Spain. Dazzler Media has acquired home entertainment rights for the series in UK.

    Produced by Playground (Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, All Creatures Great and Small), in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions and Newgrange Pictures for Channel 5 in the UK, the 6 x 60’ series chronicles the lives, loves and fortunes of the working-class Hardacre family as they move from a grimy fish dock to a vast country estate in 1890s Yorkshire, England.

    Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights and Executive Producer, said: “The Hardacres is a sprawling and captivating saga that follows an ordinary family on their rags to riches journey into an extraordinary new world. We’re delighted this series will form part of our exciting line-up of new scripted fare at MIPCOM 2024.

    David Stern, Joint Managing Director, Playground, said: “Inspired by CL Skelton’s epic novels, audiences will undoubtedly fall in love with and root for the Hardacre family as they try to answer the age-old question: Can money truly buy happiness? At its core, The Hardacres is a bold, gutsy, funny and incredibly heartwarming story about a family trying to do their best and stay together in a world that doesn’t always seem to share their values, all enhanced by the remarkable talent in front of and behind the camera which we cannot wait for viewers to experience for themselves.”

    The Hardacres was filmed on location in Dublin and Wicklow, Ireland, and was adapted for television by Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan (The Winter King, Call the Midwife) who serve as Lead Writers and Executive Producers. They are joined by Emma Reeves (The Worst Witch) who wrote episode three, and Liz Lake (Waterloo Road) who wrote episode four. Rachel Carey (Deadly Cuts) is Lead Director.

    The Hardacre family consists of Claire Cooper (The Continental, The Peripheral) and Liam McMahon (Hunger, The Secret, Warrior Nun) as loving married couple Mary and Sam Hardacre, alongside Julie Graham (Time, Ridley, Penance), as Mary’s wily mother, Ma, and their three kids, Joe, Liza, and Harry, played by Adam Little (Ackley Bridge, Coronation Street), newcomer Shannon Lavelle and Zak Ford-Williams (Better, Bridgerton).

    The series, commissioned by Deputy Chief Content Officer, Paramount UK, Sebastian Cardwell, alongside Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+, is produced by Alex Jones (Witness Number 3, Penance) and co-produced by Jackie Larkin (Strike, Mrs Wilson); Executive Producers are Sir Colin Callender CBE (All Creatures Great and Small, The Undeclared War) and David Stern (Howards End, The Last Tycoon) for Playground, Lesley McKimm (My Name is Emily, Sunlight) for Red Berry Productions, Cathy Payne and Simon Cox for Banijay Rights and Nada Cirjanic and Andrew Byrne for Screen Ireland.

    The Hardacres is one of several scripted highlights on Banijay Entertainment’s slate for MIPCOM 2024, which includes Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light and the re-imagining of iconic detective drama Bergerac. The company will exhibit at C.20 at MIPCOM 2024.

  3. Banijay Rights Sends Premium Scripted Package to Spain’s Movistar Plus+

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights Sends Premium Scripted Package to Spain’s Movistar Plus+

    Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay Entertainment, today announces it has signed a landmark premium scripted package deal with Movistar Plus+, Spain’s leading TV and SVOD service.

    Comprising more than 60 hours of stand-out drama, the agreement includes BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning Wolf Hall, Steven Knight’s high-octane series This Town, upcoming family saga The Hardacres, historical drama Marie Antoinette, BAFTA award-winning The Sixth Commandment and coming-of-age series My Mad Fat Diary.

    Marion Vergnaud, SVP Iberia, Italy and Malta, Banijay Rights, who brokered the deal, said: “From the inner workings of the Tudor court to sprawling family sagas, our catalogue contains an eclectic range of premium dramas, and we are thrilled to be working with Movistar Plus+ to bring this selection to Spanish audiences.”

     Sonia Salas, Content Manager-Series, Movistar Plus+, added: “We are very happy that Banijay Entertainment’s titles will join our catalogue of international series. Together with Movistar Plus+ original productions, our acquisitions make up an offer of premium quality series, of varied genres, tackling current themes and always with a differentiating point to please our Spanish audience.”

    Wolf Hall, directed by Peter Kosminsky (The Undeclared War, The State) and adapted for television by Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Frank), stars Academy Award-winner Mark Rylance in his BAFTA-winning role of Thomas Cromwell, with Emmy Award-winner Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII. The Golden Globe-winning series was produced by Playground Television for the BBC and Masterpiece PBS and the eagerly awaited second series, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, has completed filming.

    This Town is created, written and executive produced by Steven Knight. The series is directed by Paul Whittington and produced by Tim Whitby and Charlotte Surtees. Executive Producers are Karen Wilson, Katie McAleese and Martin Haines for Kudos, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Matthew James Wilkinson (Stigma Films), Nick Angel and Laura Conway (Kudos North) serve as Co-Executive Producers, Alice Webb and Marc Robinson (Mercury Studios) as Co-Producers.

    The Hardacres chronicles the rags to riches story of a working-class family in 1890s Yorkshire. A sweeping family saga adapted by Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan (The Winter King, Call the Midwife), the series follows the lives, loves and fortunes of the ‘Hardacres’ as they move from a grimy fish dock to a grand country estate. The Hardacre family consists of Claire Cooper (The Continental, The Peripheral) and Liam McMahon (Hunger, The Secret, Warrior Nun) as loving married couple Mary and Sam Hardacre, alongside Julie Graham (Time, Ridley, Penance), as Mary’s wily mother, Ma, and their three kids, Joe, Liza, and Harry, played by Adam Little (Ackley Bridge, Coronation Street), newcomer Shannon Lavelle and Zak Ford-Williams (Better). The series is produced by Playground, in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions, Newgrange Pictures and Banijay Rights for Channel 5.

    Created by Deborah Davis (The Favourite), Marie Antoinette follows the extraordinary story of the incredibly modern and avant-garde young queen, played by Emilia Schüle (Ku’damm 56/ 63), with Louis Cunningham (Bridgerton) as the King of France, Louis XVI. The drama is a CANAL+ Creation Originale, produced by CAPA Drama, Banijay Studios France and Beside Productions.

    The Sixth Commandment tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall), and a charismatic young student, Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke), who bonded over their love of books and involvement with the Church of England, set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory. The series, written by Sarah Phelps (A Very British Scandal, The Pale Horse) and directed by Saul Dibb (The Salisbury Poisonings), was awarded the BAFTA for Best Limited Drama Series and Best Leading Actor for Timothy Spall and is produced by Wild Mercury Productions – a Banijay UK company – and True Vision for BBC One.

    My Fat Mad Diary takes a warm, hilarious and honest look at teenage life from the perspective of an overweight sixteen-year-old girl. Produced by Tiger Aspect, a Banijay UK company, for E4 and adapted from Rae Earl’s real-life diary and book of the same name, the series was written by Tom Bidwell (Watership Down). Starring Sharon Rooney (Brief Encounters, The Tunnel), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Doctor Foster), Claire Rushbrook (Whitechapel) and Ian Hart (The Last Kingdom).

    Kudos, Wild Mercury Productions, Tiger Aspect and Banijay Studios France are Banijay Entertainment companies.

  4. Banijay Unveils Compelling Slate Ahead of London TV Screenings

    Comments Off on Banijay Unveils Compelling Slate Ahead of London TV Screenings

    Media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay, today announces a compelling offering for its dedicated London TV Screenings event – Banijay @ BAFTA.

    Hitting the 2024 line-up is the highly-anticipated high-end scripted series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light; and premium documentary Front Row. Elsewhere, the powerhouse will also be celebrating travelling formats with adventure reality, The Summit; and spin-off, Deal or No Deal Island. Packed with distinct, high-quality programming across all genres, the group’s event will span three sessions on Wednesday 28 February.

    On the scripted front, Banijay’s premium offering includes UK dramas Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light for the BBC and Masterpiece PBS, based on the final novel of Hilary Mantel’s multi award-winning trilogy; The Hardacres for Channel 5; Steven Knight’s This Town for the BBC; Welsh drama The One That Got Away (Cleddau) for S4C; and Invisible Boys for Stan. Buyers can also expect a preview of eagerly-awaited second seasons of Marie Antoinette for Canal+ and the BBC, and Rogue Heroes for the BBC and MGM+.

    Supercharging its documentary offering, Front Row takes centre stage with Anatomy of a Murder and Four Kings for Prime Video.

    To complement the scripted and documentary offering, Banijay will showcase a blend of fresh and highly-entertaining formats including adrenaline-fuelled travelling success The Summit for Nine Network; new spin-off, Deal or No Deal Island created for NBC; adventure reality format and ratings winner Shaolin Heroes for TV2; recent Channel 4 factual reality VOD hit Banged Up; innovative game show Upside Down for RTL4 and The Fortune Hotel for ITV1 and ITVX. A light will also be shone on global superbrands and prized returning formats like Survivor, Big Brother, Star Academy, and reality formats Love Triangle and The Fifty.

    Cathy Payne, CEO at Banijay Rights says: “This year’s line-up for Banijay @ BAFTA truly illuminates the breadth of our catalogue and ability to showcase outstanding content across multiple genres. From high-end dramas to acclaimed factual series, we look forward to coming together later this month to celebrate great talent, captivating storytelling and stand-out IP. We really do have something for everyone…”

    James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development and Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations at Banijay comment: “The London TV Screenings provides an incredible opportunity for Banijay to demonstrate its commitment to delivering exciting emerging IP as well as tried and tested formats and reboots, which continue to compel audiences globally. From Shaolin Heroes to The Summit, and iconic format Deal or No Deal, we are sure to enthral buyers seeking fresh, innovative, and proven formats.”

    For its scripted slate, Banijay Rights is highlighting Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a Playground and Company Pictures co-production directed by Peter Kosminsky, and adapted for television by Peter Straughan, which follows Thomas Cromwell as he navigates the moral complexities of the Tudor court following the execution of Anne Boleyn. Another period drama from Playground in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions and Newgrange Pictures is new returnable six-part series –The Hardacres- based on CL Skelton’s novel series, The Hardacre Saga.

    Meanwhile, from Kudos and Nebulastar, and co-produced with Mercury Studios, in association with Kudos North, Stigma Films, and Nick Angel for the BBC, the much-anticipated This Town tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of the ska movement and two-tone music.

    BlackLight Television (a Banijay UK company), in collaboration with Banijay Rights and Creative Wales for S4C, are delving into Welsh drama with The One That Got Away (Cleddau), which combines a gripping murder mystery with an electrifying love story.

    Crossing over to Australia, Invisible Boys from Feisty Dame Productions, Screenwest and Lotterywest, WA Regional Film Fund, Screen Australia, and Banijay Rights for Stan Originals, is a powerful drama created for television by director Nicholas Verso on the challenges faced by a group of gay teens in the remote coastal town of Geraldton.

    In factual, the feature-length premium documentary from Scenery and Pretty Matches, Front Row, Executive Produced by award-winning actor and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, and directed by Miriam Guttmann (Sundance Film Festival selection Seeds of Deceit), highlights the resilience of Ukrainian ballet dancers during wartime, where an unlikely friendship forms between a dancer and a front-line soldier.

    From Workerbee comes two gripping documentaries, Anatomy of a Murder, a feature length true-crime story centring around the daughter of an Iranian family, who has spent over thirty years and millions of her fortune to try and find her mother’s killer; and Four Kings for Prime Video, exploring the history of British boxing through four men coming from the same London neighbourhood who heralded a golden era and changed the way Britain viewed its black athletes.

    Meanwhile, on the reality competition front, The Summit, a 9Network and Endemol Shine Australia original series, produced by Endemol Shine Australia, continues to climb through the ranks with a second season in the works, and a first international adaptation for CBS by Endemol Shine North America with more to come soon.

    From Endemol Shine North America, Deal or No Deal Island completely reimagines the iconic game show as an epic adventure. This new spin-off series for NBC is set on the Banker’s private island as he searches for his ultimate opponent in a high stakes competition with over $200,000,000 up for grabs.

    From Metronome is Shaolin Heroes for TV2 Denmark, where celebrities undertake the ultimate test by embarking on a transformational journey alongside world-class Shaolin Masters.

    Joining Banijay’s factual offering is Banged Up, created by Shine TV for Channel 4. In this fact-ent format social experiment, which veers into the documentary space, six male celebrity inmates are incarcerated in a UK prison environment alongside their reformed criminal cellmates. The series explores the question, ‘does prison work’?

    From EndemolShine Nederland, Upside Down sees two celebrity teams undertake all kinds of topsy turvy challenges and Q&A games unlike anything they have seen before, because everything in this innovative format, is upside down.

    Highly-anticipated reality series The Fortune Hotel from Tuesday’s Child for ITV1 and ITVX invites viewers into a luxury Caribbean resort filled with glamour, opulence and deception. Contestants are paired up and compete to win a briefcase, one holding the ultimate cash prize and another an Early Checkout Card.

  5. Casting Announced for Channael 5’s Rags to Riches Drama ‘The Hardacres’

    Comments Off on Casting Announced for Channael 5’s Rags to Riches Drama ‘The Hardacres’

    Casting has been announced for The Hardacres, a major new 6 x 60’ period drama for Channel 5 from Playground, the award-winning production company behind the internationally acclaimed hit series All Creatures Great and Small. Currently filming on location in Dublin and Wicklow, Ireland, the new series is based on CL Skelton’s best-selling series of novels ‘The Hardacre Saga’.  The novels are the number 1 bestseller in the Amazon Family Saga Kindle charts in the UK, US and Australia and Top 15 Bestseller across all Amazon Kindle titles in the US and UK. Global partners Banijay Rights will handle international distribution for the series.

    The Hardacres is a sweeping rags to riches story that  follows the lives, loves and fortunes of the working class Hardacre family as they move from a grimy fish dock to a vast country estate in 1890’s Yorkshire.

    A bold, gutsy ensemble family drama full of heart, The Hardacres places an ordinary family in an extraordinary position and explores the age-old question – can money ever buy true happiness?

    The Hardacre family consists of Claire Cooper (The Continental, The Peripheral) and Liam McMahon (Hunger, The Secret, Warrior Nun) as loving married couple Mary and Sam Hardacre, who land on hard times following an accident at work on the docks, which leaves them unemployed and broke. Alongside, Julie Graham (Time, Ridley, Penance), starring as Mary’s  wily mother, Ma, and their three kids, Joe, Liza, and Harry, played by Adam Little (Ackley Bridge, Coronation Street), newcomer Shannon Lavelle and Zak Ford-Williams (Better), the family band together to think fast with a business venture that will free them from their humble existence on the North Yorkshire Coast and catapult them into high society.

    Also joining the series are Holly Sturton (The School for Good and Evil) as Adella, Cathy Belton (Miss Scarlet & The Duke,The Catch, Philomena) as Emma and Owen Roe (Michael Collins, Vikings, Penny Dreadful) as George, making up the well to do Fitzherbert Family and new neighbours of The Hardacres. Ingrid Craigie (Blood, Blackshore, You Are Not My Mother) is housekeeper Mrs Dryden,with Siobhan O’Kelly (The Tourist S2) as Lena and Taheen Modak (The Bay) as Saunders.

    The Hardacres has been created for television by Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan (The Winter King, Call the Midwife) who will serve as Lead Writers and Executive Producers. They are joined by Emma Reeves (The Worst Witch) who will write episode 3, and Liz Lake (Waterloo Road) who will write episode 4. Rachel Carey (Deadly Cuts) is Lead Director of Episodes 1-3. And Kieron J Walsh will direct Episodes 4-6.

    The series is produced by Playground (All Creatures Great and Small, Wolf Hall, Howards End, The Undeclared War) in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions and Newgrange Pictures.

    The series, commissioned by Deputy Chief Content Officer, Paramount UK, Sebastian Cardwell, alongside Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+, will be produced by Alex Jones (Witness Number 3, Penance) and co-produced by Jackie Larkin (Strike, Mrs Wilson); Executive Producers are Sir Colin Callender CBE (All Creatures Great and Small, The Undeclared War) and David Stern (Howards End, The Last Tycoon) for Playground, Lesley McKimm (My Name is Emily, Sunlight) for Red Berry Productions, Cathy Payne and Simon Cox for Banijay Rights and Andrew Byrne for Screen Ireland.

    The Hardacres is planned for transmission in 2024.

    David Stern, Executive Producer and Joint Managing Director of Playground says: “We’re incredibly excited to have found a cast that embodies and enhances the spirit, humour and humanity that leaps off the page in both the original novels and the brilliant scripts by Amy, Loren, Liz and Emma. Audiences will undoubtedly fall in love with our fantastic group of actors, made up of both seasoned talent and exciting new faces, as they bring this spirited and sweeping rags to riches saga to life on screen.”

    Simon Cox, Executive Producer and EVP Content & Acquisitions, Banijay Rights, says: “We fell in love with the world of The Hardacres from the first read of the scripts and we’re delighted with the ensemble cast that Playground has assembled. We’re in no doubt international audiences will enjoy embarking on the journey with this talented family of actors.”