Beta Film has closed a row of international deals for the British hit crime series Bookish (12x1h), created, written by, and starring Primetime Emmy® winning writer Mark Gatiss, bringing the UKTV record breaker to five continents and more than 100 territories around the world before season 2 returns to UKTV’s U&alibi this summer.
In Europe, Bookish was sold to public broadcasters RAI Italy, Duomedia snatched the rights for across the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), and Viasat World for its Epic Drama channel across Central and Eastern Europe.
Beta Film has sold the series to the Canadian broadcaster Radio-Canada, while Sky snatched the rights for New Zealand, and HBO Max for Australia. The series was also acquired by Ajara TV Georgia for Georgia. Across the African continent, BBC Brit has acquired the rights to the series.
All these deals are following those previously announced: AMC Networks for Latin America and Brazil, BBC First for Benelux, Turkish Radio and Television TRT for Turkey, HRT for Croatia, DR for Denmark, SVT for Sweden, YLE for Finland, Spain’s Filmin, AXN WHITE for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and more.
The first season of Bookish aired on U&alibi last year and delivered an impressive launch that averaged 1.5 million viewers and exceeded the channel’s benchmark to land as the second highest-performing premiere ever.
Bookish was presented last in the first edition of the Italian Global Series Festival in Riccione, just before airing in Great Britain on UKTV’s U&alibi in July and starting the shooting of the second series in August (here is our interview to Mark Gatiss)
In the second season of Bookish, Polly Walker (Bridgerton) and Connor Finch return to star alongside creator and writer Mark Gatiss. Further cast members include Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones, Quiz), Blake Harrison (Still Up, World on Fire), and Buket Kömür (Our House). Joining the cast are Jason Watkins (The Game, McDonald & Dodds) and Miranda Richardson (The Last Anniversary), alongside Simon Callow (Étoile, The Boy That Never Was), and many more guest stars.
Set in 1940’s post-war London, the bibliophile sleuth Book investigates the world of spiritualism when he’s asked to help solve a baffling case involving medium Harold Sneed and a séance full of suspects. Off Savile Row, Inspector Bliss asks Book to help in a puzzling crime at a gentleman’s outfitters: The elderly tailor Maxie Kleinmann is keen to confess to murder but the evidence doesn’t quite stack up and points to something much more complex and sinister. And Book and Jack are sent to the seemingly charming German village of Würl by the mysterious ‘E’ to thwart a thieving Duchess at Christmas time. However, the festivities take a deadly turn when Book and Jack uncover secrets of their own, past and present, in an ominous castle brimming with shady characters. Book’s close association with the police continues to be not without its personal dangers and his lavender marriage with childhood best friend Trottie is threatened by the debonair Colonel Winters.
The series is executive produced by Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino for Eagle Eye and Helen Perry for UKTV. Carolina Giammetta returns as director and executive producer alongside producer Jake Harvey, with episodes written by Mark Gatiss, Matthew Sweet and Ian Hallard.
The series is produced by Eagle Eye Drama, part of ITV Studios, in association with Happy Duck Films and is supported by the Belgian Tax Shelter.
Beta Film is handling the world sales, with PBS Distribution holding North American rights.
