BBC America to Co-Produce Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

BBC AMERICA TO CO-PRODUCE JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL

Seven part series for Supernatural Saturday is based on the bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke

New York – Monday, April 8 – Announced today, BBC AMERICA is co-producing for Supernatural Saturday a new drama series, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Based on the bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke and adapted by Peter Harness (Wallander, Is Anybody There?), Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (7 x 60) is set during the Napoleonic Wars in an England where magic once existed and is about to return. The series will premiere in 2014 as part of BBC AMERICA’s Supernatural Saturday programming block.

The series is produced by Cuba Pictures (Boy A, Broken) for the BBC and co-produced by BBC AMERICA, in association with Feel Film, Bell Media’s Space, Far Moor and Screen Yorkshire. It is distributed by Endemol Worldwide Distribution.

Toby Haynes (Doctor Who, Sherlock, Wallander) directs, Nick Hirschkorn (Feel Films, Five Children and It) will produce with Greg Dummett, on behalf of Quebec’s Cite Amerique. Executive producers are: Nick Marston, Tally Garner and Dixie Linder for Cuba Pictures, Endemol Worldwide Distribution and Thomson-Glover and Patrick Irwin for Far Moor. Matthew Read is the executive producer for the BBC.

Nick Marston CEO of Cuba Pictures says: “The production has now developed into a seven part series and we are delighted that Peter Harness is well on the way to completing all seven hours. He has just delivered episode five and, with Toby Haynes on board to direct,we are in an excellent position to begin pre-production later this month with production due to start filming in late summer.”

Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, BBC AMERICA says: “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is one of our next big series for ourSupernatural Saturday block, as Susanna Clarke’s stories transcend borders and are perfect for our US audience. It’s another high-end drama for BBC AMERICA and we’re proud to be working with Cuba Pictures and BBC One.”

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is going into early pre-production this month and filming will take place in the UK including Yorkshire as one of several key filming locations and Canada beginning late summer 2013.

Supernatural Saturday is the home of bold and original programming including BBC AMERICA’s Peabody-winning series Doctor Who, Orphan Black, The Nerdist, Being Human and In The Flesh.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction likeDoctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy®, five Golden Globes® and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in more than 80.7 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist. Find out more by visiting www.press.bbcamerica.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/bbcamerica.