CW SEED LANDS LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH BBC STUDIOS

CW SEED LANDS LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH BBC STUDIOS

Pact Brings Over 150 Hours of BBC Studios Content to

The CW’s Free, Ad-Supported Platform

Titles Include Library Series featuring Millie Bobby Brown, Daniel Kaluuya, Maisie Williams, Minnie Driver, Mira Sorvino, Mark Addy, Tom Ellis and James Corden

January 8, 2019 (Burbank, CA) — CW Seed, The CW’s free, ad-supported digital network, has acquired the second window, non-exclusive streaming rights to 14 series from BBC Studios. The pact will bring more than 200 episodes and 150 hours of scripted library content to the platform. The announcement was made today by Rick Haskins, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital Platforms, The CW.

Now streaming on CW Seed, are THE INTRUDERS starring Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) and Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”), ATLANTIS starring Mark Addy (“Game of Thrones”), THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL starring Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”) and Tom Ellis (“Lucifer”), BEDLAM featuring award-winning pop star Will Young, and the reimagined adventure series SINBAD.

James Corden’s (“The Late Late Show with James Corden”) award-winning comedy GAVIN & STACEY, THE FADES starring Daniel Kaluuya (“Queen & Slim,” “Get Out”), award-winning drama HOUSE OF CARDS, along with ROBIN HOOD, PRIMEVAL, BLEAK OLD SHOP OF STUFF, HYPERDRIVE, THE DEEP and MARRIED SINGLE OTHER will be available to stream on CW Seed beginning late January and will roll out through February 2020.

            Following are details for all upcoming BBC Studio programs streaming on CW Seed.

NOW STREAMING:

THE INTRUDERS

A paranormal psychological thriller, THE INTRUDERS is the story of a secret society devoted to the search for immortality. Jack Whelan (John Simm, “Doctor Who,” “The Catch”), a former LAPD cop with a troubled history, finds his idyllic life shattered when his wife, Amy (Oscar Winner Mira Sorvino, “Mighty Aphrodite”), vanishes. Meanwhile, an assassin named Richard Shepherd (James Frain, “The White Queen,” “Tron: Legacy”) is embarking on a series of executions, and a seemingly innocent nine-year-old girl, Madison O’Donnell (Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”), goes on the run. These apparently unrelated events begin to intertwine, revealing a conspiracy that will forever change our understanding of human nature. When Jack’s high school friend, Gary (Tory Kittles, “True Detective”), shows up asking for help with a murder case, he’s drawn deeper into the mystery. What he uncovers leads him down the dark path of his own past, and closer to terrifying revelations about a clandestine group known as Qui Reverti. Based on the novel by Michael Marshall Smith, THE INTRUDERS is a BBC America and BBC Drama Co-production in association with BBC Studios. Glen Morgan (“The X-Files”) serves as writer and is an executive producer with Jane Tranter (“Da Vinci’s Demons,” “Criminal Justice”), Julie Gardner (“Doctor Who,” “Getting On”) and Rose Lam (“The L Word”).

ATLANTIS

From the creators of the international hit show Merlin and the creator of the Bafta-winning Misfits. When Jason (Jack Donnelly, “A Royal Winter,” “House of Anubis”) sets out to find his father, he could never have anticipated where his journey would lead… Far from home and desperate for answers, Jason washes up on the shores of an ancient land. A mysterious place; a world of bull leaping, of snake- haired goddesses and of palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants – this is the lost city of Atlantis. But beneath the surface is a dark and simmering past, a complicated web of treachery and deceit, in which Jason seems inexplicably bound. Aided by the studious young Pythagoras (Robert Emms, “Chernobyl,” “Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom”) and the overweight, overbearing Hercules (Mark Addy, “Game of Thrones,” “Downton Abbey”), Jason embarks on a voyage of discovery, which sees him brush shoulders with Medusa (Jemima Rooper, “Hex,” “Father Brown”), come face to face with the Minotaur and even do battle with the dead. As the series progresses, this unlikely but loveable trio journeys through the vast store of Greek myths and legends provide a treasure trove of extraordinary tales re-imagined in a thrilling and unexpected way for a new generation. Created and executive produced by Julian Murphy (“Merlin,” “Hex”), Johnny Capps (“Merlin,” “Hex”) and Howard Overman (“Misfits,” “Dirk Gently”), ATLANTIS is an Urban Myth Films production for BBC Cymru Wales co-produced with BBC America.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL

A chilling haunted house thriller based on the bestselling novel by James Herbert and starring Suranne Jones. A year after their little boy goes missing, Gabe (Tom Ellis, “Lucifer,” “Doctor Who”) and Eve Caleigh (Suranne Jones, “Gentleman Jack,” “Doctor Who”) and their two daughters, Lauren (Maisie Williams, “Game of Thrones”) and Cally (Pixie Davies, “Mary Poppins Returns”), move to Crickley Hall to try and escape the past. It’s a chance for a fresh start. Then cellar doors start to open of their own accord, unseen children cry through the night and a frenzied spectre wields a cane. But just as the Caleighs are ready to move out, Eve hears her missing son. Time shifts between present day and 1943 as the Caleighs desperately try to find out what connects Crickley Hall to their son. Will they find Cam before the evil that stalks Crickley Hall finds their other children? THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL is a BBC production executive produced by Hilary Martin (“32 Brinkburn Street,” “South Riding”).

BEDLAM

Welcome to Bedlam Heights, a hip newly converted apartment building on the edge of a British metropolis. The high-quality rental apartments offer stylish 21st century living, but behind the facade lie unimaginable horrors. For this former pre-Victorian asylum is haunted by the ghosts of its dark and violent past. Kate (Charlotte Salt, “The Chamber,” “The Tudors”), who lives and works at Bedlam Heights, thinks anyone who believes in ghosts is a fool. Overly self-confident but ultimately self-destructive, she is surprised by the unexpected arrival of Jed (Theo James, “Divergent”) - her adopted cousin. Jed is unique. With a history of mental illness, he’s a troubled man who sees visions of the dead, the past and ghosts. He’s convinced Kate is in danger from the spooks of Bedlam, but unbeknown to him, Kate and friends Molly (Ashley Madekwe, “Secret Diary of A Call Girl,” “Revenge”) and Ryan (Award winning pop star Will Young), the truth will be far more terrifying…BEDLAM is a RED production for Sky Living HD and executive produced by Nicola Shindler (“The Detail,” “Last Tango In Halifax”).

SINBAD

Forget what you know about Sinbad. See the legend brought to life in this spectacular reinvention of the 8th Century tale. When Sinbad (Elliot Knight, “Life Sentence,” “Once Upon A Time”) inadvertently kills a man and causes the death of his beloved brother, he is cursed and escapes to sea as a stowaway. Sinbad is an impetuous young man on a quest for redemption, condemned to keep searching for a way to lift the curse that chains him to the seas, until he can find the goodness in himself. But a terrible storm ensues, killing many on board the ship. The few survivors - sensitive young doctor Anwar (Dimitri Leonidas, “The Monuments Men,” “Killing Jesus”), Viking warrior Gunnar (Elliot Cowan, “The Spanish Princess,” “Alexander”), beautiful but aloof Nala (Estella Daniels, “Da Vinci’s Demons”), feisty street thief Rina (Marama Corlett, “Maleficent,” “A.D. The Bible Continues”), the calm, insightful Cook (Junix Incocian), and Sinbad - find themselves thrown together on a spellbinding voyage of discovery. Executive produced by Tim Haines (“The Loch”), Sophie Gardiner (“Little Women,” “Howard’s End”) and Andrew Woodhead (“Hanna,” “Law & Order: UK”), SINBAD is an Impossible Pictures production presented by British Sky Broadcasting.

LAUNCHING LATE-JANUARY THROUGH FEBRUARY 2020:

GAVIN & STACEY (Seasons 1-3)

Gavin (Mathew Horne) is an ordinary boy from England, Stacey (Joanna Page, “Bedlam,” “The Syndicate”) is an ordinary girl from Wales. They speak every day on the phone at work, and yet they’ve never met…until now. But when Gavin and Stacey finally meet and their ordinary worlds come together, we see, through their families, their friends and their differences, that there’s no such thing as ‘ordinary’ after all. Written by James Corden and Ruth Jones, GAVIN & STACEY is a Baby Cow production for BBC and executive produced by Steve Coogan (“Stan & Ollie,” “Holmes & Watson”), Henry Normal (“Alan Partridge”) and Lindsay Hughes (“Up The Woman”).

PRIMEVAL

            When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall, “Frances Tuesday,” “Psychos”) discovers prehistoric creatures alive and well in the present day, the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very existence. Unexplained anomalies are ripping holes in the fabric of time, allowing creatures from the very earliest stages of Earth’s development to roam the modern world. Cutter and his team struggle to keep the looming disaster secret while dealing with savage dinosaurs and other deadly foes. Cutter also has to deal with a deeply personal dilemma - he discovers that his wife, Helen (Juliet Aubrey, “The Infiltrator”), believed dead for eight years, has actually been travelling in the past; now she is back with possible answers to the riddle of the anomalies, but is it an answer she is willing to share? PRIMEVAL combines the dazzling special effects of “Walking With Dinosaurs” with a haunting love story, and asks a terrifying question - has mankind come to the end of the evolutionary road? PRIMEVAL is an Impossible Pictures production for ITV, ProSieben, M6 and executive produced by Tim Haines (“Beowulf: Return To The Shieldlands,” “Walking With Dinosaurs”).

THE FADES

A smart, exciting, supernatural thriller. Paul (Iain De Caestecker, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “The Secret of Crickley Hall”) and his best friend Mac (Daniel Kaluuya, “Queen & Slim,” “Get Out”) are the unpopular kids at their college. But Paul is also a troubled young man haunted by apocalyptic dreams. Worse still, Paul has started to see things - Fades. These are the spirits of human beings and they are completely unable to interact with the world. They should ascend, but for some reason, that isn’t happening. And now an embittered and vengeful Fade has found a way to break the barrier between the dead and the living. Soon the fate of humanity rests in the hands of the two friends who already have enough trouble getting through a day in one piece, let alone saving the world. Executive produced by Sue Hogg (“Waking The Dead”), THE FADES is a BBC/BBC America co-production.

HOUSE OF CARDS (1990)

            Who would be a leader in this wicked world? Award-winning political drama HOUSE OF CARDS is a delicious tale of greed, corruption and burning ambition. At its heart is Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson, “102 Dalmations,” “B.A.P.S.”), a black-hearted villain with a smiling face, who shares with the viewers his estranged humor and innermost thoughts to destroy each of his political rivals. One by one his opponents tumble, until at last there is just one wild card left in the pack…Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and produced by Ken Riddington, HOUSE OF CARDS is a BBC production.

ROBIN HOOD

            Robin of Locksley (Jonas Armstrong, “Teachers,” “Ghost Squad”) returns home from defending King and country in the Holy Land, to find a corrupt and changed Nottingham. The ruthless Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”) is now in charge, crippling the poor with greedy taxes and severely punishing them for stealing even a loaf of bread. The ever-gallant Robin and his faithful, if slightly unenthusiastic, manservant Much (Sam Troughton, “Chernobyl,” “Alien vs. Predator”) are determined to fight for the good of these hapless people. Aided by a gang of talented outlaws including Will Scarlett (Harry Lloyd, “Game of Thrones,” “Counterpart”), the ingenious engineer who can construct anything from any material, just as long as it’s wood; Little John (Gordon Kennedy, “The Halcyon,” “Final Prayer”), the man-mountain who can destroy all in his path, but is afraid of a trickling stream; and, as the series progresses, Djaq (Anjali Jay, “Supergirl,” “iZombie”), master of trickery and disguise - so much so that at first you don’t realize she is in fact a woman. As each episode unites the gang against the Sheriff and his dastardly deeds, will they succeed in thwarting injustice to relieve the poverty and hunger of the good people of Locksley? ROBIN HOOD is a Tiger Aspect production for BBC in association with BBC America and executive produced by Dominic Minghella (“Doc Martin”).

BLEAK OLD SHOP OF STUFF

Welcome to the adventures of Jedrington Secret-Past (Robert Webb, “Frayed,” “Peep Show”), upstanding family man and owner of The Old Shop of Stuff, where he sells a plethora of miscellaneous odd things. But with every good-hearted hero, there must come a villain. Enter Malifax Skulkingworm (Stephen Fry, “Bones,” “24: Live Another Day”) - a lawyer with a heart of flint, an unusual evil hat and a decidedly sinister plan to ruin Jedrington and incarcerate his family. But this is no ordinary Dickensian tale. BLEAK OLD SHOP OF STUFF is an entertaining romp through a unique story of hidden wills, brave street urchins, mysterious artefacts and superb comedy characters. BLEAK OLD SHOP OF STUFF is a BBC Production and executive produced by Mark Freeland (“The Wrong Mans”).

HYPERDRIVE

It is 2151 and the British have launched a fleet of spaceships to explore the galaxy in the only way the British can. That means with a stiff upper lip and regular tea breaks. Their mission? To export all things British - overpriced supermarkets, housing estates and call centers - to all corners, and to protect Britain’s interests in a changing galaxy. At the forefront of this expeditionary force is the HMS Camden Lock, helmed by the irrepressible, if a little tetchy, Commander Henderson (Nick Frost, “Into The Badlands,” “Sick Note”). Ably assisted by a crew of misfits (the further they are from Earth the better, quite frankly), the Commander steers his ship through the stars, giving orders from his big swivelly chair. Experience the highs, the lows, the anti-gravity failures, the annoying talking mops, and, of course, the wars with alien races. Lots of wars… Executive produced by Jon Plowman (“Inside No. 9,” “The League of Gentleman”), HYPERDRIVE is a BBC Production.

THE DEEP

            Welcome to the new Cold War. As the world’s energy sources dwindle, the huge untapped resources of oil and gas below the Arctic seabed are becoming a source of bitter international conflict. Only one research submersible is allowed in this declared exclusion zone: the state-of-the-art Orpheus, manned by an elite team of scientists and experts from Britain, Russia and the US. Far below the ice, in the deepest, darkest place on Earth, seven men and women are trying to find the solution to the world’s escalating energy crisis. But what if someone, or something, finds them first? This high-octane blockbuster, featuring an international all-star cast, offers non-stop jeopardy, edge-of-your-seat thrills and electrifying special effects. Executive produced by Greg Brenman (“Peaky Blinders,” “Secret Diary of A Call Girl”), THE DEEP is a Tiger Aspect production for BBC.

MARRIED SINGLE OTHER

Finding love is easy. Keeping it is the hard bit. Six friends discover the difficulties of living with, and without the one you love. When does compromise become sacrifice, and when do they both become divorce? Sexy, funny and painfully honest, this drama tells the story of three couples who are trying to work out exactly what a ‘couple’ is these days. Through love, passion, heartbreak and tragedy Lillie (Lucy Davis, “Wonder Woman,” “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip”), Eddie (Shaun Dooley, “Misfits”), Clint (Ralf Little, “The A Word,” “Borderline”), Abbey (Miranda Raison, “Nightflyers,” “Spooks”), Babs (Amanda Abbington, “Flack,” “Safe”) and Dickie (Dean Lennox Kelly, “Jamestown,” “Shameless”) contemplate the meaning of ‘happily ever after’ and ponder the conundrum of always wanting what you just can’t have. Executive produced by Andy Harries (“The Crown,” “Outlander”), Francis Hopkinson (“Trauma,” “Jekyll & Hyde”), Hugo Heppell (“Dark Angel,” “National Treasure”) and Peter Souter, MARRIED SINGLE OTHER is a Left Bank Pictures production for ITV.

ABOUT CW SEED:

CW Seed offers more than 1,000 hours of free, curated and ad-supported programming with original series such as award-winning I SHIP IT and Warner Bros. Animation/Blue Ribbon Content’s CONSTANTINE: CITY OF DEMONS, VIXEN and FREEDOM FIGHTERS: THE RAY based on the DC characters, as well as beloved series such as J.J. Abrams’ (“Westworld”) ALCATRAZ, comedian Chris Rock’s EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS, Matthew Miller’s (“Lethal Weapon”) FOREVER, Martin Gero and Brendan Gall’s (“Blindspot”) THE L.A. COMPLEX, Bryan Fuller’s (“Hannibal”) PUSHING DAISIES, Kevin Williamson’s (“The Vampire Diaries”) THE SECRET CIRCLE and most recently added, the Emmy Award nominated SCHITT’S CREEK.

CW Seed can be found on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Xbox, Chromecast and Android TV, as well as CWSeed.com without logins, subscriptions and authentications. In first quarter of 2020, CW Seed will launch CW Seed “Live” an ad-supported 24/7 digital linear channel featuring original content provided by PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly through the PeopleTV property.

ABOUT BBC STUDIOS:

BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Formed in April 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries. BBC Studios’ award-winning British programs are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialties. It has offices in 22 markets globally, including seven production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes over 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector. 

In the Americas, BBC Studios’ operates two production units – one in Los Angeles, responsible for ratings juggernaut and Emmy^®-nominated Dancing with the Stars and multi-award-winning Life Below Zero, and the other in Brazil, where local productions Dancing Brasil and Bake Off Brasil have become breakout hits. The company manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) – home of original series Killing Eve and global brands Dynasties, Doctor Who, and Top Gear – and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as strategic partnerships in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel and Corus for BBC Canada. The company also boasts a franchise management business and a robust linear and digital content sales and co-productions operation.