BBC iPlayer Commissions First Original Feature Film

LONDON: The Rack Pack marks the first-ever feature film to be made exclusively for the BBC iPlayer.

Produced by Zeppotron, the film stars Luke Treadaway (Fortitude, Clash of the Titans), Will Merrick (About Time, Skins), Kevin Bishop (The Kevin Bishop Show, A Few Best Men), Nichola Burley (Death Comes To Pemberley, Downton Abbey) and James Bailey (Downton Abbey). It is set for release exclusively on the iPlayer in early December. The movie is written by Shaun Pye, Mark Chappell and Alan Connor, who are the team behind A Young Doctor’s Notebook.

Victoria Jaye, the head of TV content at BBC iPlayer, said: “The Rack Pack is our very first comedy drama feature film made exclusively for BBC iPlayer and builds on the success of our original commissions, which have attracted over 29 million requests in the last six months. Snooker is a much-loved British sport, and The Rack Pack celebrates its glory days in the '70s and '80s in a thrilling and brilliantly written story which will be the center piece of our film offer over the Christmas period.”

Shane Allen, the controller of comedy commissioning, added: "BBC iPlayer offers a unique creative space for comedy of all shapes, sizes, tones and ambition—free of the traditional parameters of TV slots. Higgins was to snooker what George Best was to football—a Northern Irish folk hero whose mesmerizing talent made for a fascinating world-class champion on the snooker table, but his explosive personality made for a troubled life off the table. Our cast are perfect to do this vibrant story and era justice.”

Peter Holmes, the managing director of Zeppotron, commented: “This commission marks an exciting new step for Zeppotron as we produce our first-ever feature film. For me, this is the true definition of a ‘passion project.’ I am a huge fan of snooker and this golden era of the sport is in my blood. If you only watch one film featuring Big Bill Werbeniuk this year, make sure it’s this one.”