ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has announced the first tranche of pre-sales of its highly anticipated, epic world war two drama World on Fire (7 x 60’) from Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios.

Commissioned by BBC One, PBS Masterpiece has come on board the ambitious series which is written by multi award-winning Peter Bowker (Eric and Ernie, Blackpool) and stars Academy Award-winning Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, Mad About You), Sean Bean (Broken, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings) and Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread, Mum) as US co-production partner, keen to repeat the resounding success it has had with flagship returning dramas Poldark and Victoria, also from Mammoth Screen and ITVS GE.

Along with the US sale, World on Fire, is set to move audiences in a further 80 territories. It has been acquired by BBC First Australia, TVNZ for New Zealand, M-Net for Africa, SVT for Sweden, NRK for Norway, DR for Denmark, YLE for Finland and Viasat World for Central and Eastern Europe. Second window rights for World On Fire in have also been acquired by SBS Australia.

World on Fire is a heart-stopping, multi-stranded drama tells the story of World War Two through the lives of ordinary people from all sides of this global conflict. Set amid the creeping horror of the outbreak of war during its first year, World on Fire follows an ensemble cast of vividly drawn characters as they traverse the ever-shifting lines between loyalty and brutality, and courage and fear, experience love and loss, and forge hopes and dreams. It features a stellar international line-up including Helen Hunt, Sean Bean and Lesley Manville alongside Jonah  Hauer-King, Zofia Wichłacz, Brian J Smith, Julia Brown.

It will premiere on BBC One later this year.

World on Fire is executive produced by Peter Bowker, Damien Timmer and Helen Ziegler for Mammoth Screen, Lucy Richer for the BBC and Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE.