Southern Star to Produce New Drama for BBC

LONDON/SYDNEY, December 3: Southern Star Entertainment has been
commissioned to develop a new drama series titled Out of the Blue for BBC Daytime.

The half-hour series will begin broadcasting next year on
BBC One. John Edwards and Julie McGauran will produce the series. Production
will begin on Sydney’s northern beaches in January 2008.

Out of the Blue is
set in the beautiful beach resort of Manly, Australia, famous for the
catchphrase “Seven miles from Sydney, a thousand miles from care.” The story
opens when a group of thirty-something friends return to their hometown for a
high school reunion. However the celebrations are brought to an abrupt end when
one is murdered. As the remainder of the group get embroiled in a murder
investigation, friendships are challenged and loyalties torn.

“This is an ambitious project that we think will break new
ground, at the same time as providing daytime audiences with a compelling and
intriguing watch,” said Jane Tranter, the controller of BBC Fiction. “The
experience and expertise of Southern Star Entertainment in this area, combined
with the strength of the series proposal made this an exciting project, and we
look forward to working on it with them.”

Southern Star Group’s CEO Hugh Marks commented: “This is
definitely one of the most significant productions Southern Star has undertaken
in recent years. To have the support of a great partner like the BBC enables us
to create a program that will be full of life, contemporary and very broad in
its appeal. We feel very privileged to have this opportunity.”

—By Ned Berke