Q&A with ITV Studios’ Maria Kyriacou

NEW YORK: Maria Kyriacou, the managing director of ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE), discusses the latest developments at the distribution arm of the leading commercial broadcaster in the U.K.

WS: What does ITVS GE represent to buyers?
KYRIACOU: Our content covers a wide array of genres. We’re strong in drama and represent a number of long-running drama franchises. We’re heading to MIPCOM with the second season of Rectify, a super smart show for SundanceTV in the U.S., as well as the 100th episode of our Canadian show Murdoch Mysteries. The lead actors, Yannick Bisson and Helene Joy, will be coming out to help us celebrate. Shetland, Mr Selfridge and Vera are also all returning. 

Our new dramas originate from all over the world and build on our quality portfolio. On Monday at MIPCOM we will be premiering Aquarius, a straight-to-series crime drama for NBC set in the 1960s, starring David Duchovny and written by John McNamara. We’re also bringing Schitt’s Creek’s creators and stars, Eugene and Daniel Levy, to Cannes. Schitt’s Creek is another straight-to-series, this time a comedy for CBC in Canada. We don’t often invest in comedy, but every now and then a script comes along that is so good we can’t say no. We’re also launching Poldark at MIPCOM, which is a new period drama adaptation of the classic book series.

Beyond drama, we are known for our formats with a good reputation for quality factual-entertainment shows. It’s important to have shows that a broadcaster can rely on season after season, and we have that with Come Dine with Me, but more recently also with The Chase. And we like innovators. We like to bring something fresh to the market every year and this year that’s a show called The Secret Life of Students/Teens. The Secret Life is the next stage of evolution for the observational documentary, using a digital rig to tell stories: letting the individuals tell their own stories through their online world—their Twitter feeds, their Facebook pages, their emails, their Google searches. We love this show. People are a lot more honest online than they are in the real world. They open up to the camera much, much, more than you think they would. Another new title that we’re bringing to the market as both a finished series and format is 24 Hours in Police Custody from The Garden. An observational documentary in the style of 24 Hours in A&E, it combines the humanity and humor of that show with all the drama of policing.

WS: You now also oversee ITVS GE’s production business outside the U.K. and the U.S. Tell us about that activity.
KYRIACOU: We have production offices in Australia, Germany, France and across the Nordic territories. We have invested a lot in content over the last few years and we have a strong belief that content creation should be our number one priority. Having production companies in key areas is critical because it feeds back into a network of studios and a distribution business. I think the fact that I am managing both a production and distribution business is a sign that as you grow a global business, bringing the creative and the commercial sides closer together makes sense.

I look forward to more ideas originated from these studios and exported around the world, and making use of all the fantastic people we’ve got on the ground. One of our new formats for MIPCOM is Quiz Duel, which has been produced by ITV Studios Germany for ARD and is based on a wonderful app that began in Sweden. It’s an innovative quiz show that integrates the second screen into the game play. We’ve got a lot of interest in it already.

WS: You mentioned Come Dine with Me. Which other formats are finding success?
KYRIACOU: The idea of tried and tested is very compelling. We are able to offer shows that come back season after season. Come Dine with Me is a classic example of that. The Chase has become another one of those shows. Produced in seven territories so far, it has a 100-percent track record of recommissions. That assurance that our shows have worked over and over again is good for clients and a very good position for us to be in. At the same time, they are always open to something that is fresh and new and The Secret Life of Students/Teens is an example of that and we’ve had a very positive response to it.

WS: The U.K. has a long tradition of quality drama. Does British drama continue to sell well internationally?
KYRIACOU: Yes absolutely, the appetite for British drama is getting bigger and bigger. But we have to question that idea of tagging a show British or American because you should just look at it as good drama that travels, irrespective of where it’s from. If you look at the way on-screen and off-screen talent is now mobile and working on shows across the world, a good distribution business should emulate that. You might have a really good idea that starts with a British writer but there is no reason why it can’t have a U.S. commission first. A number of our established shows are co-produced with WGBH in America, like Mr Selfridge, Poirot, Lewis, Endeavour, etc. The list of U.S. partners who are open to co-producing European shows is getting longer and longer.

Also worth mentioning are the non-English language shows in our new lineup. We have a wonderful Swedish show for SVT called Jordskott that we’ll be launching at MIPCOM. It’s a mystery drama set in a small rural Swedish town. It’s got all the wonderful elements of Swedish noir that everybody loves so much. We want to invest wherever the best drama is.

WS: One of ITVS GE’s big news items is that Thunderbirds is coming back! Tell us about the new show.
KYRIACOU: We have been working with a wonderful group of creators, a very talented writer and producers from Pukeko Pictures and Weta Workshop to bring Thunderbirds Are Go! to screens in 2015. We will be screening the first completed episode on Saturday night at MIP Junior. I just had a look at some of the footage and it’s amazing—beautiful, stunning. We’ve been working hard to create a very unique look and feel to the show by combining a CGI overlay of characters, crafted onto the live-action model sets. They are just gorgeous. Everybody involved has been careful to preserve the best elements of the original. Our voice cast is top-notch too, with Rosamund Pike as Lady Penelope and the original Parker, David Graham, returning.

WS: What are your consumer-products plans for the new series?
KYRIACOU: Vivid is the master toy partner for Thunderbirds Are Go! in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. There are a lot of possibilities and the other merchandising conversations are happening right now. We are conscious of how children are turning more to virtual toys and games and of the need to ensure the show lives and breathes in a digital world.

WS: You mentioned digital. Have digital platforms become a good distribution outlet for you?
KYRIACOU: Absolutely. The digital players provide more choice, which means you can connect to a broader audience than ever before. In certain territories, the sales we make to digital platforms outstrip the sales we make to linear platforms. In China, for example, there is a very tech-savvy younger demo that is online, tipping the balance. But we always come back to that core principal that if you offer great content, people are going to watch it, no matter what device. Our task is to respond quickly to the needs of the market and make content available as widely as possible.