ITV Studios announced that it has signed a new deal with France Télévisions, delivering a substantial package of premium scripted content to their channels, including the award-winning thriller series “The Gathering.”
From the producers of “Line of Duty” and “Vigil,” “The Gathering” (World Productions for Channel 4) was awarded Best Fiction Series, Best Actress and Best Actor at the Monte Carlo TV Festival in June. It cleverly wraps globally relevant themes about what it means to be a teenager – or a parent of teenagers – into a contemporary, twisting whodunnit. Also from World Productions’ “Fifteen-Love,” starring Aidan Turner and Ella Lily Hyland has been acquired. The six-part series, created and written by Hania Elkington (“The Innocents,” “The Essex Serpent”) and directed by Eva Riley (“Perfect Ten”) and Toby MacDonald (“Ragdoll”), follows Justine’s meteoric rise and tragic fall in the elite world of Grand Slam tennis.
Among the selection is “Dead Hot” (Quay Street Productions for Prime Video UK), created and written by Charlotte Coben (“The Stranger,” “Stay Close”) and executive produced by Nicola Shindler (“It’s A Sin,” “Happy Valley”). The show delves into themes of class, love, and identity through the friendship of Elliot (Bilal Hasna) and Jess (Vivian Oparah), who are bonded by the trauma of losing Peter—Elliot’s first love and Jess’s twin brother.
The expansive deal also includes second-window rights to the crime thriller “The Serpent” (Mammoth Screen for BBC One and Netflix), which tells the remarkable story of how conman and murderer Charles Sobhraj was brought to justice. The eight-part series, starring Tahar Rahim, Jenna Coleman, Billy Howle, and Ellie Bamber, became BBC iPlayer’s most popular show with 31 million streams across the series when it launched in 2021.
Manuel Alduy, Head of Cinema and International & Young Adult Fiction, France Télévisions said: “We’re not only happy for this deal with our trustful partner ITV Studios, but also excited to provide to French audiences with this slate of innovative new series that cover modern issues with entertaining stories.”
Gisela Asimus Minnbergh, EVP Sales EMEA, Global Partnerships at ITV Studios, added: "We’re delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with France Télévisions, bringing an exciting lineup of new dramas to their viewers. ‘The Gathering’ bowled over the judges at the Monte Carlo TV Festival this year and sure to repeat this with French audiences. Completed with even more tentpole titles like ‘Fifteen-Love,’ ‘The Serpent’ and ‘Dead Hot’ this is a phenomenal, eclectic drama package.”