Midsomer Murders Heads to France, Iran

LONDON: Two new deals scored by ALL3MEDIA International see the long-running British police drama Midsomer Murders airing on French broadcaster France 3 and in Iran on state broadcaster IRIB.

France 3 has picked up season 14 of the drama, along with relicensing more than 50 hours of earlier seasons for broadcast in the next year. France 3 is also taking Inspector George Gently, starring Marin Shaw. The series will debut later this year.

Peter Grant, part of ALL3MEDIA’s France televisions acquisitions team, commented, “ We are delighted to expand our police repertoire with France 3… they have nurtured Midsomer Murders for over a decade to acclaim with French audiences and we are confident that George Gently will be well received.”
 
Francesca Dandolo, the drama acquisitions executive at France 3, added, “Inspector Barnaby of Midsomer has been a firm favorite with French audiences for over a decade now. George Gently has a different tone, reflects a different era of policing whilst reflecting exceptionally high production values that we believe our audiences will appreciate.”

In Iran, IRIB went for more than 120 hours of prime-time drama, including seasons one through 12 of Midsomer Murders. This marks the first time the series will be dubbed into Farsi.

Also included in the IRIB deal is the factual entertainment series Victorian Farm.

Paul Corney, ALL3MEDIA International’s sales executive who brokered the deal, commented, “We are very pleased to announce this latest acquisition for Midsomer Murders; the series is renowned as selling around the world, and here we see how it has progressed from cable channels to a leading terrestrial broadcaster. IRIB has made a significant commitment to the series, proving the universal appeal of this well-made detective drama.”