The Missing Cryptoqueen Podcast to Get TV Treatment

New Regency Television International has secured the television rights to BBC Sounds’ hit podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen.

The TV project is being designed as a multi-episodic drama that explores the myriad strands of the story. The eight-part podcast delves into the saga of Bulgarian entrepreneur Dr. Ruja Ignatova, who in 2014 launched a brand-new cryptocurrency called OneCoin and raised over $4 billion after persuading investors from more than 175 countries around the world. As the podcast uncovers, OneCoin was, in fact, a scam on an enormous scale, and Dr. Ignatova disappeared in October 2017 and hasn’t been seen since.

The podcast is co-written and fronted by presenter, journalist and author Jamie Bartlett and produced and co-written by Georgia Catt. Both Bartlett and Catt will serve as EPs and consultants on the TV project alongside New Regency.

The acquisition and production of this project is one of several upcoming for the year-old division charged with developing and producing original content for the international marketplace.

Ed Rubin, head of television at New Regency, stated, “The Missing Cryptoqueen makes for compulsive listening, as each week the extraordinary details play out like the most gripping drama. Jamie and Georgia have also brilliantly captured a story about the dark side of rapid technological change, and how people can be duped on a massive scale—this is a cautionary tale that needed to be brought into mainstream consciousness. It’s a world-traversing story of corruption, jeopardy and deception—and combined with the twists and turns, complex mystery and global reach of the scandal, we’re excited to bring it to life on screen.”

New Regency Chairman Yariv Milchan added, “The Missing Cryptoqueen is the type of content that fits with New Regency’s strategy to tell meaningful stories that showcase up and coming creative talent as well as the work of established artists.”