BBC Entertainment Slates New Programming

LONDON: BBC Worldwide Channels has unveiled a raft of new programming for the pan-regional BBC Entertainment service, including the return of Robin Hood for a second season.

September kicks off with weekend schedules dedicated to family favorites. This includes Robin Hood, followed by the fifth season of Strictly Come Dancing. Dramas on the roster include Spooks, back for a fifth season, and Freefall, from award-winning filmmaker Dominic Savage. Heart and Soul is a drama about family, love, prejudice and acceptance. Mutual Friends is a new comedy drama series following the trials and tribulations of the entangled lives of a group of old friends.

Period dramas also have a place in the BBC Entertainment schedule. This includes Small Islands, a love story set against the hustle of life in 40s Jamaica through to the devastation of London in the Blitz. Set in 19th century industrial London, Desperate Romantics follows a group of revolutionary artists known for their intertwining love lives as well as their paintings. Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen has the backdrop of the Great War in 1918.

Crime dramas feature in the grid as well. This includes Unforgiven, starring Coronation Street‘s Suzanne Jones; Moses Jones, set in the heart of West London; and Kiss of Death, from the writer and creator of Waking the Dead. Further dramas include Survivors, an action-packed thriller, as well as a third season of Doctor Who. Meanwhile, Jekyll is a conspiracy thriller starring James Nesbitt.

Comedies in the lineup include The Green, Green Grass, Little Britain and Jam and Jerusalem. For the CBeebies block, Penelope K joins the lineup, combining live action with hand puppetry.

Jon Farrar, the VP of programming for EMEA at BBC Worldwide Channels, said: “I’m delighted to present such a strong programming lineup for viewers of our pan-regional BBC Entertainment channel. We have chosen the programs in direct response to the feedback and preferences of our viewers so they can look forward to more premier high-quality drama and light entertainment series, in addition to more of their much-loved favorites on the channel.”