CBC Gem Picks Up International Series

CBC Gem has acquired two new international series, including the British drama Joan, to host their exclusive Canadian premieres.

The six-part Joan, from Snowed-In Productions, stars Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Staircase) as the notorious 1980s jewel thief Joan Hannington. It is set to begin streaming on CBC Gem on October 11.

In the series, a young woman in her 20s is a devoted mother to her 6-year-old daughter but is trapped in a relationship with a violent criminal. When her partner goes on the run, she seizes the opportunity to create a new life for herself and her daughter. As she adopts new identities and makes new acquaintances, she ends up becoming a masterful jewel thief.

Joan was created and written by Anna Symon (The Essex Serpent, Mrs Wilson) and directed by BAFTA award-winner Richard Laxton (Rain Dogs; The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe; Mrs Wilson). It is produced by Snowed-In Productions for ITV in the U.K. and The CW in the U.S. All3Media International is handling international distribution.

“Working alongside valued partners such as ITV Studios and All3Media, we look for series featuring memorable characters that audiences in Canada won’t find anywhere else to offer on CBC Gem,” said Jenna Bourdeau, senior director of acquisitions at CBC. “The personal journey in Joan of a jewel thief in the glamorous era of the 1980s will no doubt steal viewers’ attention, and with Austin, we were excited to see fan-favourite Michael Theo in another lead role, which is so perfect for him. These new series complement Gem’s growing library of best-in-class content from Canada and around the world.”

CBC Gem also picked up the Australian comedy series Austin to begin streaming on October 18. From Northern Pictures and Lincoln Pictures in association with Screen Australia and Screen Canberra, it centers on a neurodivergent 20-something who claims to be the adult son of a best-selling children’s author, which might be exactly what the newly “cancelled” author needs to save his career and his marriage.

The cast of Austin includes Michael Theo (Love on the Spectrum), Ben Miller (Bridgerton, Death in Paradise) and Sally Phillips (Veep, Bridget Jones’s Diary).

Austin is distributed by ITV Studios.