BritBox UK Unveils Scripted Commissions

BritBox UK has announced new scripted original commissions, including The Beast Must Die from New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free.

Reemah Sakaan, group director of ITV SVOD and chief creative and brand officer at BritBox Global, said, “BritBox Originals need to be bold, bingeable and distinctively British. Creating this exceptional roll call of talent, stories and productions in our first drama slate to add exclusively to the treasure trove of BritBox boxsets from every U.K. PSB is something no one else can do, we can’t wait to bring them to subscribers.”

Kevin Lygo, ITV’s director of television who leads BritBox U.K. originals, added, “BritBox stands for the best of British and with this high-caliber slate of original drama commissions, we are bringing the very best of U.K. creative talent to a U.K. streamer for the first time.’

The five-part revenge thriller The Beast Must Die, based on the novel by Nicholas Blake stars Cush Jumbo, Billy Howle and Nathaniel Parker, telling the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son. The Beast Must Die is being directed by Dome Karukoski, produced by Sarada McDermott and adapted by screenwriter Gaby Chiappe.

Ed Rubin, head of New Regency Television International, said, “We are tremendously excited to be bringing Nicholas Blake’s gripping novel to the screen, as the first drama for New Regency Television out of the U.K.—and one of the first BritBox originals. It’s been adapted brilliantly by Gaby, and we couldn’t ask for a more talented cast and team to bring it to life.”

Marina Brackenbury, head of TV and film at Scott Free UK, added: “The Beast Must Die is both intensely emotional and thrilling, with a fresh and exciting psychology at play between all the characters; Dome and our stellar cast each bring a very personal take to the material which—along with our partners New Regency, BritBox and Nathaniel Parker—we feel will undoubtedly translate as a must-see for audiences.”

Also adapted from a novel, the six-part Crime is set in Edinburgh and produced by Buccaneer Media, with Dougray Scott as Detective Inspector Ray Lennox, who is investigating the disappearance of a schoolgirl.

Magpie Murders, adapted from the bestseller written by Anthony Horowitz, is a commissioned with Masterpiece on PBS from Eleventh Hour Films. “This is an extraordinary and distinctive drama,” said Jill Green at Eleventh Hour Films. “I don’t think there’s ever been a crime show like it with a strong female lead treading the line between reality and fiction as she fights to uncover the truth.”

These join A Spy Among Friends on the slate; it’s a limited series based on the best-selling book written by Ben Macintyre and produced by ITV Studios’ Patrick Spence.