BBC Worldwide Picks Up Factual and Entertainment Slate for EMEA

CANNES: BBC Worldwide Channels has acquired a raft of entertainment and factual entertainment titles for its channels in Poland, Africa and the Nordic region, including Episodes and Dating in the Dark.

For Africa, BBC Entertainment acquired Episodes, which centers on a married English couple that moves to Los Angeles to remake their hit show for the U.S. and the misadventures that ensue. Episodes is set to air on BBC Entertainment starting August 2011.

Dating in the Dark was picked up for Africa and Poland. The series, which comes from Talpa Media, follows three couples that enter a house and have to get to know one another without knowing what anyone looks like.  BBC Entertainment is slated to premiere the U.K. version of the international format in June.

Meanwhile, for the Nordic region, BBC Worldwide Channels scored ten titles from DRG starring psychological illusionist Derren Brown, including the one-off specials Enigma, The Heist, Séance, Messiah, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Russian Roulette Re-Loaded, and The System, plus the Mind Control series. BBC Entertainment is also scheduled to show the three series of the Trick of the Mind and series one and two of Trick or Treat. BBC Entertainment is set to air all titles starting in August.

Bun Scrase-Dickins, the VP of acquisitions for BBC Worldwide Channels, said: “We work hard to ensure a constant stream of high quality programs for our viewers, and it’s particularly exciting to see these titles making their international debuts on our channels.”