Shine International announced a co-operation deal with Hunan TV, in association with Twofour, to develop a Chinese adaptation of The School set to air in the new year.

Created and produced by Twofour, the UK versions of The School titled Educating Essex, Educating Yorkshire and more recently, Educating the East End, have enjoyed critically acclaimed success with Educating Yorkshire delivering a peak audience of 4.8 million viewers. The second series was C4’s highest rated series of 2013, which quadrupled the channel’s slot average and garnered widespread commendation, receiving ten highly sought-after industry awards.

Nadine Nohr, CEO Shine International, said, “The School is a subtle, moving portrayal of everyday life which arguably delivered one of the most powerful, emotionally resonate televisual experiences of 2013. We have no doubt that audiences in China will be just as enthralled to watch what life is like in a modern day school, and being able to develop a Chinese version of the format is definitely a milestone for both partners.”

Beryl Yan, Hunan TV, Head of Programme Strategy and International business, said, “We have very high expectations on The School as the original UK series has achieved such a success. The format itself is a breakthrough in telling real life stories and sheds light on how the future of our nation is being educated. A group of in-house production teams are currently working on different ideas of localisation and we expect to launch the Chinese version next year.”

Shine International already has a number of successful shows currently airing in China, including Big Town Dance (Yunnan TV) and Celebrity MasterChef (JiangSu TV) in partnership with 3C Media, and recently announced The Biggest Loser S2 (broadcaster TBC) in partnership with Screen Media.