Aimee Lou Wood Comedy Rounds Out Cast; Canal+ Ups Stake in Asian Streamer Viu; Asia Deals For ‘Shark’, ‘Alice & Jack’; BBC Studios Kicks Off Showcase With Sales — Global Briefs

Aimee Lou Wood Comedy ‘Daddy Issues’ Rounds Out Cast

Aimee Lou Wood BBC comedy Daddy Issues has rounded out cast and unveiled first-look image. Joining the Sex Education star and David Morrisey are David Fynn (Am I Being Unreasonable?), Sharon Rooney (Barbie), Sarah Hadland (Miranda), Taj Atwal (Hullraisers), Arian Nik (Count Abdulla), Tom Stourton (Stath Lets Flats), Susan Lynch (Sex Education), Susannah Fielding (This Time with Alan Partridge), Lauren O’Rourke (Henpocalypse), Cyril Nri (Death in Paradise), Cora Kirk (Grantchester), Perry Fitzgerald (Line of Duty), Claire Keelan (The Trip), Damien Molony (Brassic), Sherrie Hewson (Benidorm), Humphrey Ker (Welcome to Wrexham) and David Reed (Ghosts). Daddy Issues follows a hedonistic woman in her mid-20s, played by Wood, who discovers she’s pregnant after a random hook-up and has no choice but to turn to her hapless father Malcolm for support. The show will air on BBC Three, producer is Fudge Park and distributor is Fremantle. Wood, who will star in the upcoming White Lotus, is also penning her debut writing project for the BBC, Film Club, which was revealed last week.

Canal+ Group Ups Stake in Viu To 30 Percent

Canal+ Group has increased its stake in Asian streamer Viu to 30%. This is part of a staggered $300M investment and has been triggered after the platform “satisfied key business milestones.” France-based Canal+ also has an option to increase its stake in Vic — which Asia, Middle East and South Africa — to a majority 51%. Canal+ has been increasing its investment in International streaming services over the past year, notably taking a 29% in embattled Scandi streamer Viaplay and taking a key position in African streamer Showmax. It recently had an offer to buy Showmax parent Multichoice turned down, on the basis its offer was undervalued.

BBC Studios Kicks Off Showcase With Sales

BBC Studios’ 48th annual Showcase sales event kicked off today with deals for several drama series. Beyond Paradise, a spin-off from detective series Death in Paradise co-commissioned by the BBC and BritBox International, was landed 40 country deals, including Germany in (ZDF), Italy (Mediaset), New Zealand (Sky) and the Nordics (BritBox). The Famous Five, the ZDF-BBC co-production made in association with Spanish content shows The Mediapro Studio has also gone to M-NET along with Australia’s Stan, TF1 in France and buyers in Greece, Korea and New Zealand. Cooking drama Boiling Point, starring Stephen Graham and Vinette Robinson went to M-NET and Showmax in Africa, Canal+ in France, YLE in Finland and NPO in the Netherlands. The Northern Ireland set crime drama Blue Lights is following off its recent double-season recommission went to M-NET and Showmax), SBS in Australia, BBC First/Blue Ant Media in Canada, Warner Bros Discovery and Three Now in New Zealand and a host of European territories. New series launching at the BBC Studios Showcase, which begins today in London and runs parallel to the London TV Screenings, are Jenna Coleman drama The Jetty, factual drama Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story and the likes of ITV-Sky Showtime drama Douglas is Cancelled.

Asia Deals For ‘Shark’, ‘Alice & Jack’

More Screenings news is emerging already. Fremantle has this morning unveiled raft deals across Asia with pan-regional and territory broadcasters. Docu-series Shark with Steve Backshall will broadcast on Bilibili in China, PCCW’s Now TV in Hong Kong, KBS in South Korea and Mediacorp in Singapore. Another nature docu-series, Whale with Steve Backshall, will also be released on Bilibili and pan-regionally with BBC Earth. Other titles include Croc Watch with Steve Backshall and Hippo Watch with Steve Backshall will premiere regionally on BBC Earth. The Decades collection, executive produced by Emmy Award-winners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman and spanning six seasons of content, will go to Now TV, while Channel 4 drama Alice & Jack, starring Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson, has gone to BBC across Asia and to Bilibili for Greater China. Sullivan’s Crossing, starring Chad Michael Murray and Scott Patterson, will premiere across Asia on Rewind Networks’ Hits Now pan-regionally, PCCW’s ViuTVsix in Hong Kong, and Mediacorp’s Channel 5 in Singapore following deals with Fremantle.