Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we present S…
. The three most-watched dramas in the UK last year were all united by one common denominator: World Productions.Studios-backed drama powerhouse had a phenomenal year during what was a difficult 12 months for the industry, with Covid never far from the mind and a highly-publicized skills crisis making TV production trickier than ever.
“[World Productions founder] Tony Garnett ‘didn’t do press’ and if you’ve got a boss like that you tend to follow the tradition,” he explains. Heath candidly acknowledges that the globalized TV world is changing fast and being better known on the other side of the Atlantic is no bad thing. “It’s high time I have that indirect conversation with potential partners.”Following a team of anti-corruption officers, the populist investigative thriller has been a BBC staple for a decade, making global superstars of leads Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar and featuring heavy hitters like Stephen Graham.
“The great thing about doing returning series is you can listen to the feedback,” explains Heath, when pondering the six-season show’s colossal success. “People loved the interview scenes, so they grew and grew. People loved action sequences, so they grew and grew, and people clearly responded to the three AC-12 investigators , so they became much less peripheral.”