Fans of
British Drama will have to wait a bit longer before being able to see their favourite
shows in HD with BBC Worldwide today revealing that its new premium HD drama
and comedy channel will launch on Foxtel in August 2014, and is to be called BBC First.
Offering
viewers the best British scripted content – first, fast and uninterrupted, BBC
First is a new BBC Worldwide brand that will be rolled out globally, with the
first channel launch confirmed for Australia.
Unveiling
his three-year vision for BBC Worldwide in London overnight, Chief Executive
Tim Davie, explained: ‘The BBC has a world-class reputation for drama and this
new global brand builds on it. With
drama at its core, BBC First will offer international audiences an unrivalled
opportunity to view a wealth of original and unforgettable British content.’
Jon
Penn, Managing Director BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand, said:
‘BBC
First captures the essence of the channel perfectly. It is synonymous with the
quality BBC brand, delivering the best British drama and comedy to audiences
before they can see it anywhere else in Australia. We’re delighted that our new channel,
announced in April, is to become a BBC Worldwide brand that will be recognised
and cherished around the world.’
Foxtel
Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh, said:
‘This is another historic
moment for Foxtel and a landmark television partnership. BBC First extends our
un-rivalled commitment to securing the best premium programming for our
subscribers. From August, every coveted BBC drama and comedy will premiere in
Australia first on Foxtel.’
Launching as part of the Foxtel Drama &
Lifestyle package in August 2014, BBC First will feature quality premiere programming
from the BBC and other great British producers, which will not be available on Free to Air Television for at least 12 months.
BBC Worldwide have also revealed details for another worldwide channel BBC Earth, the new brand for the BBC’s factual content, ranging from natural history and the human world to outer space and science. At this stage it is unclear if BBC Earth will replace BBC Knowledge in 2014.
Some of the early confirmed titles on BBC First are:
- The Musketeers, a
contemporary take on the beloved characters created by Alexandra Dumas,
starring Luke Pasqualino, Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Howard Charles and Peter
Capaldi.
- The Fear, a bold,
edgy drama following a former crime boss as his empire is brought to its knees
by the disintegration of his criminal mind, starring Peter Mullan and Richard
E. Grant.
- Young Doctor’s
Notebook, a wry comedy based on the semi-autobiographical short stories by
Bulgakov, about a young medical graduate on the eve of the Russian Revolution.
It stars Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe.
- Dead Boss, a comedy
drama about a woman wrongly sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder of
her boss, starring Jennifer Saunders and Sharon Horgan.
- The Village, a
family saga set in the beautiful Peak District in the twentieth century,
starring Jon Simm and Maxine Peake.
- The Fall, series
two of this compelling psychological thriller set in Northern Ireland, starring
Gillian Anderson as Det Super Stella Gibson.
