Ready for Luther, Sherlock and War and Peace to hit your television sets?
British drama series are finding a new home in the Middle East, as the bespoke BBC drama channel, BBC First, launches on OSN this Monday.
“We’re seeing the appetite for British drama, British talent, stars like Benedict Cumberbatch and Idris Elba and Lily Jane [Collins], who are in big, global movies,” said Natasha Hussain, Vice-President and General Manager of Middle East and Mediterranean Region at BBC Worldwide.
“This channel will be express from the UK, so [expect] fast turnaround. That means that people will be able to see the content very close to when it’s transmitted in the UK.”
According to Hussain, the show will be split into four themes: addictive, crime, heartland and comedy.
“Under the addictive theme, we’ve got War and Peace, From Darkness, Sherlock,” said Hussain.
“Crime is something we know is already working very well for BBC First in other regions around the world, and that will include an edgy crime like Luther, but also long-running, really well-loved ones like Silent Witness that continue to perform strongly on BBC One in the UK. And then also, that softer, gentler crime, like Death in Paradise, for example.”
As for the heartland strand, viewers can expect sci-fi programme Doctor Who, as well as the new series Dickensian, a 20-part series that combines some of Charles Dickens’ most memorable characters.
“We’ve got comedy, which includes shows like Stella, Friday Night Dinner and The Kennedys,” added Hussain. “On top of all of that, we have the soaps that we know speak to our already existing audience, and give that taste of home to people who aren’t living in their place of birth.”
Viewers in the Middle East can expect the shows to air within a few days of the UK, or even at the same time.
“We have special fast turnaround teams that are set-up, so that we can absolutely make sure that we can deliver on the promises that we’re making,” said Hussain.
“The really exciting thing is that our biggest and best dramas, like War and Peace, Sherlock and Luther, will be subtitled into Arabic. Right from launch, it’s a bespoke channel, just devoted to the Mena [Middle East and North Africa] region.”
The channel will replace the pan-regional channel BBC Entertainment, and provide more customised content.
“It’s been a huge endeavour, but something that I personally wanted to bring to the region for a very long time. I’ve been responsible for the region for ten years at the BBC,” said Hussain.
“Editorially, we’ve really done a lot of research and worked closely with OSN to understand how to structure the grid, so that it’ll most appeal to the local audiences.”
Although the main target viewer falls within the 22-44 age bracket and is female-skewing, the channel aims to appeal to everybody, ranging from edgier content to more family-friendly titles.
Earlier this week, there was controversy in Russia over explicit scenes in War and Peace, a six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel by the same name. But BBC has no plans to edit their content, even for the Middle East.
“In terms of censorship, no, because people expect from the BBC that we bring the best and strongest premium content hot from the UK, so that’s not going to be something, I think, we need to worry about,” said Hussain.
British dramas have distinguished themselves from American shows with shorter (and more spaced out) seasons; smaller, more dedicated pools of writers and actors; and often, longer episodes.
“Sometimes the way that the narrative pans out isn’t as you would always anticipate. The characters are often really conflicted and it’s not an easy journey,” said Hussain.
“I think that we’re really very innovative. The dramas don’t have to conform to a long season or a specific time length or a format. We challenge our viewers, as well. We expect them to think and question themselves and how they view the world. I think our dramas make you ask questions: ‘what would I do in that situation?’”
BBC First will be available on channel number 215 on OSN.
