CASTING
BBC One original series “Casualty” has announced its first transgender character, Sah, to be played by newcomer Arin Smethurst. Sah joins the series’ popular existing team of paramedics including Jan (Di Botcher), Teddy (Milo Clarke) and Iain (Michael Stevenson). “Casualty” is Smethurst’s first time working on a TV series, and the first episodes featuring their new character will begin airing later this month.
“I am honored to be joining the spectacular ‘Casualty’ family as a shiny new paramedic! I’m so excited to portray this transgender, non-binary, salty but fiercely compassionate character and hope they are not only well-received, but also a source of awareness for those who have never met someone like me,” said Smethurst in a release.
DEVELOPMENT
ARD Degeto is developing “Oderbruch,” a new drama series destined for the company’s ARD Mediathek online platform. The series will be co-produced with Syrreal Entertainment and CBS Studios, and shooting is set take place in Spring of 2022 in Germany and Poland. The show kicks off with the shocking discovery of several murder victims on the delta border of the two countries. Two detectives are called in to investigate, both originally from the rural area but who left decades before, when evidence ties the new murders to a case the partners shared back in 1997. “Oderbruch” was created by head writer Arend Remmers, who developed the concept with Adolfo J. Kolmerer. Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland serve as producers with Kolmerer and Alvart set to direct.
ADAPTATION
Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan’s FederationUK has announced that Sarah Phelps will adapt Jackie Collin’s bestselling novel “Lovers & Gamblers” as a new TV series, executive producing with FederationUK’s Polly Williams and Arielle Gottlieb. Phelps, who has written several Agatha Christie adaptations for the BBC, will also handle screenwriting duties, and co-produce with eOne. The adaptation marks another step by Federation Entertainment into U.K. production, the company having recently launched FederationUK with Williams and Gottlieb leading the unit. Federation U.K. will handle international sales of the series. The Jackie Collins Estate is repped by UTA, which negotiated the deal.
APPOINTMENT
Rome-based Garbo Produzioni has appointed Stefano Torrisi as its new CEO and as managing director of Garbo Stories, the company’s new Spanish division focusing on fiction production. Torrisi joins the company from Banijay Italy and Banijay Group Spain where he served as executive VP. Before that, he spent several years as commercial director at Endemol Shine Italy. Garbo boasts a strong history of trans-Mediterranean production, and the company recently picked up the rights to make a local version of “Estoy Vivo,” the most successful fiction series for Spanish broadcaster TVE since its 2017 premiere.
SUBSCRIBERS
BBC Earth’s YouTube channel has surprised the milestone 10-million subscribers mark, earning the prestigious Diamond Play Button from the video hosting platform. Of YouTube’s 37-million channels, only 700 have hit 10-million subscribers. To mark the occasion, BBC Earth has uploaded a celebration video highlighting some of its most significant and most-watched moments over the 13 years it has been in operation. The channel currently offers more than 200 films and 400 playlists of nature-based content, adding up to more than 3.6 billion views or 140 million hours.
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