Beta Film’s acclaimed series, including “Bookish” and “Professor T,” have been picked up by top French broadcasters and platforms.
Canal+ has secured both seasons of “Bookish,” the English-language crime series created by and starring Primetime Emmy Award winner Mark Gatiss, along with the popular crime film series “Death in Denmark.”
“Bookish,” set in post-war London, has been sold in over 100 territories across five continents. It made a strong debut on UKTV in the U.K., averaging 1.5 million viewers and becoming the second highest-performing premiere in the channel’s history. Season 2 features the return of Polly Walker (“Bridgerton”) and Connor Finch (“Everything I Know About Love”) alongside Gatiss. The cast also includes Elliot Levey (“We Were the Lucky Ones,” “Quiz”), Blake Harrison (“Still Up,” “World on Fire”), Buket Kömür (“Our House”), Jason Watkins (“The Game,” “McDonald & Dodds”), Miranda Richardson (“The Last Anniversary”), and Simon Callow (“Étoile”).
The series is produced by Eagle Eye Drama, an ITV Studios company, in collaboration with Happy Duck Films and supported by the Belgian Tax Shelter. It is set to premiere on May 16 on Canal+’s Polar+ channel.
Meanwhile, “Death in Denmark” follows Danish police officers Ida and Magnus as they confront dark legacies and modern crime. Produced by Eikon Media for ARD Degeto, the films have achieved record-breaking success in Germany, securing the highest market share for a Thursday crime film in over two years, with an average of 6.5 million viewers and a notable 28.7% market share.
Beta Film has also completed a French sale to 13ème Rue, the NBCUniversal-backed pay channel, for “Professor T.” This crime drama, set at Cambridge University, stars Ben Miller (“Bridgerton”) as the esteemed Professor Jasper Tempest. Produced by Eagle Eye Drama for ITV and PBS, the series has been sold in nearly 120 territories worldwide and is returning for a fifth season. “Professor T” reunites Miller with Frances de la Tour (“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”), who reprises her role as Adelaide Tempest, the professor’s mother. PBS Distribution holds the North American rights.
On the streaming front, HBO Max France will debut the second season of “Maxima,” a Dutch royal drama that chronicles the wedding of Máxima and Willem-Alexander. Produced by Millstreet Films in co-production with FBO and Beta Film, “Maxima” has been sold in 85 territories worldwide and has received strong ratings on Videoland in the Netherlands, Rai in Italy, TV2 in Denmark, and Atresmedia in Spain. It also ranked in the Top 10 on HBO’s streaming service Max in Latin America for several weeks. A third season is in development, along with the spinoff “The Other Royals – A Maxima Story,” which is in production.
