BritBox UK Picks Up Fat Friends

BritBox UK, available as part of ITVX Premium, has acquired the Kay Mellor comedy drama Fat Friends from Banijay Rights.

The series, which originally debuted on ITV1 in 2000, follows the lives of a group of Leeds-based slimming club members and their attempts to lose weight. Its ensemble cast features Alison Steadman, Gaynor Faye, Ruth Jones, James Corden and Josie Lawrence.

Fat Friends was produced by Mellor’s Rollem Productions (The Syndicate, In the Club, A Passionate Woman) in association with Tiger Aspect Productions (a Banijay UK company) and Yorkshire Television.

BritBox UK has picked up all four seasons.

“With incredible writing from Kay Mellor and a cast featuring established actors and soon-to-be stars, Fat Friends was one of those once-in-a-generation shows that simply galvanized the U.K. nation,” said Chris Stewart, senior VP of sales for the U.K. and Ireland at Banijay Rights. “A year on from Kay’s untimely death, this deal with BritBox will ensure a whole new generation of viewers get to enjoy her work.”

Yvonne Francas-Mellor, managing director of Rollem Productions, and Gaynor Mellor, creative director, commented, “We’re thrilled to be working with Banijay Rights for the first time and have found the right home for the distribution of Fat Friends. It’s wonderful that Kay’s work continues to be enjoyed by audiences across the world, shining a spotlight on Leeds and Yorkshire, where Rollem has its home and continues to produce content.”

Kully Kaur-Bains, ITVX’s editorial manager, added, “We are very much looking forward to bringing this beloved series back to audiences in the U.K. and continuing our relationship with the great team at Banijay.”