Shine International Adds ITV, Channel 5 Programs

LONDON: Shine International has secured the distribution rights for ITV's Code of a Killer and Channel 5's Rome: The World's First Superpower.

Produced by World Productions, Code of a Killer is a two-part drama that tells the true story of Alec Jeffrey's discovery of DNA fingerprinting in the 1980s. It also chronicles its first use, by DCS David Baker in solving a double murder. Filming is scheduled for late September, and casting is under way.

Rome: The World's First Superpower is a co-production from 360Production and GroupM Entertainment. The four-parter tracks the rise of Rome from a city to a republic to a mighty empire. It spotlights villains and heroes from Hannibal to Julius Caesar to Spartacus to Cleopatra.

Georgia Brown, the senior VP of acquisitions at Shine International, said: “We are thrilled to have partnered on these programs with such dynamic companies and look forward to maximizing the international distribution of the universally appealing content offered by Code of a Killer and Rome: The World’s First Superpower.”

Simon Heath, creative director of World Productions, added: “We're delighted to be collaborating for the first time with Shine on this story of the pioneering science of Alec Jeffreys and how, with David Baker’s foresight, it changed the course of criminal investigation forever.”

Mark Wright, the managing director of 360Production Ltd, said: “The World’s First Super Power will bring the fascinating story of Rome to a wide audience and 360 are delighted to be working with the Shine International team.”

Ali Hill, the head of international at GroupM Entertainment, commented: “The creative team at 360 are experts in storytelling and we are delighted to partner with them to bring this historical odyssey to screen.”