Independent distributor all3media International has secured a host of sales for Eleventh Hour Films’ major new returnable mini-series Safe House, as broadcasters throughout the world, including leading French channel France 3 and Germany’s ZDF, signed the primetime drama. The 4 x 1 hour thriller made its debut on the UK’s ITV in April this year, securing an impressive 25% share in primetime.
Through all3media International’s distribution, Safe House will now showcase in primetime on public broadcaster France Télévisions’ France 3 later this year. At the same time, NBC in France has also acquired cable and satellite window rights.
Further deals in Europe include ZDF Neo in Germany, TV4 in Sweden, TV2 in Denmark, NRK in Norway, VRT in Flemish Belgium, HRT in Croatia and UTV in Eire. BBC Worldwide Channels has also acquired Safe House for air on BBC First in Australia, alongside ITV International Channels for pan-Asia and Africa broadcast, TV3 for New Zealand and Wowow for Japan. DVD deals already signed include RLJE International for UK, Eire, Gibraltar and Malta, Polyband for Germany, and ABC for Australia and New Zealand.
Peter Grant, SVP Sales who concluded the deals for France and Germany for all3media International, commented, “Safe House sees Christopher Eccleston lead a stellar cast of internationally renowned talent in this fresh and contemporary take on the investigative crime genre. We knew this sophisticated ‘event’ thriller would play out well with our international broadcasters and are delighted to announce such a strong line-up of deals already in place, with our partners such as France 3 and ZDF. The drama made its UK debut to great reviews and a huge 5.6 million primetime viewers, which has only fuelled demand from the global market.”
Written and created by Michael Crompton, Safe House tells the story of a married couple – Robert (Eccleston), a former police detective and Katy (Thomason), a school teacher – who turn their guest house, set in a remote and idyllic part of the Lake District, into a police safe house. Their first guests are a family at great risk, pursued by a violent man with an unknown agenda. For Robert, protecting this family resurrects the fears and anxieties bound up in a terrifying night when he was ambushed and shot in the line of duty whilst protecting a star witness, leaving him seriously injured and the witness dead.
As a consequence of running the safe house, Robert begins to question the events and the people around him, including his friend and trusted former boss, Mark (Joseph) – and soon it transpires that nothing is what it seems and that everybody has something to hide. Also starring Peter Ferdinando (Hyena), Jason Merrells (Cutting It), Nicola Stephenson (Holby City), Christine Tremarco (Casualty) and Kelly Harrison (Happy Valley), Safe House explores the ways we bury our secrets and how we live with the consequences.
