Mediapro, BBC Studios partner on Famous Five series
December 22, 2023
The Mediapro Studio has announced an agreement with BBC Studios to partner on the upcoming The Famous Five series. The production partnership includes rights to distribute in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.
The Famous Five is based on the classic young adult novels by English author Enid Blyton. The series is co-created and produced by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn and Matthew Read from Moonage Pictures.
The Famous Five is a cinematic adaptation of the bestselling novels by Blyton, published between 1942 and 1963, and whose adventures have delighted generations of young readers for decades. The series is produced by Moonage Pictures and byNWR (production company founded by Winding Refn, who in addition to featuring as creator also executive produces the series). The Famous Five was commissioned by the BBC in co-production with German ZDF and in association with The Mediapro Studio. BBC Studios are distributing the series internationally and have already secured a pre-sale to France’s TF1.
The series showcases four rising star actors who will lead as the young protagonists at the helm of the series: siblings Julian (Elliott Rose), Dick (Kit Rakusen) and Anne (Flora Jacoby Richardson) and their cousin George (Diaana Babnicova), plus Timmy the Dog. The 21 stories published by Blyton take place during the children’s school holidays, which they spend all together at George’s family home, Kirrin Cottage, where they embark on adventures and remarkable mysteries. Joining the five are Jack Gleeson, Ann Akinjirin, James Lance, Diana Quick and William Abadie.
The Famous Five (6x 45’ or 3x 90’) series was commissioned by Sarah Muller, Senior Head of BBC Children’s Commissioning 7+ and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Amy Buscombe. For ZDF, Frank Seyberth, Head of International Coproduction, is responsible for the series together with Katharina Kremling as Commissioning Editor.