BBC WORLDWIDE PICKS UP ITV'S £6M SCI-FI DRAMA

BBC Worldwide has bagged the international rights to ITV's new £6 million sci-fi drama Primeval, which is already being billed as the broadcaster's answer to Doctor Who.

Produced by Impossible Pictures, the indie behind the BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs and ITV's Prehistoric Park, the six-part series is due to air on ITV later this year and will headline Worldwide's drama slate at this month's Mipcom, alongside Tiger Aspect's new BBC series Robin Hood.

"Primeval is a real distribution coup for the Indie Unit," said Helen Jackson, director of independents at BBC Worldwide. "The unique combination of Adrian Hodges' writing skills and Impossible Pictures' creative track record will make this series a cross-generational commercial success. I simply couldn't resist it."

Co-produced with German's ProSieben and France's M6, the series has already been sold to Bulgaria, Holland, Hungary and Russia, and is the latest in a string of ITV commissions picked up by Worldwide since the new terms of trade were introduced two years ago.

"The proportion of indie programming we represent has grown exponentially since the new terms of trade," said Jackson. "A substantial part of this growth has come via Channel 4, ITV and Five commissioned product."

According to Jackson, Worldwide is representing well over a hundred hours of programming commissioned by the three channels this year, up from around 30 hours last year.

As with other Impossible productions, the series will feature big budget CGI graphics and a cast of prehistoric creatures, as it follows the adventures of time travelling evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter.

Cutter is played by Douglas Henshall (Lawless Heart, The Year's Love), while former S Club 7 member Hannah Spearritt plays zoologist Abby Maitland. Cutting It's James Murray plays Cutter's research assistant and right-hand man, Stephen Hart.

The series is produced by Cameron McAllister and directed by Cilla Ware and Jamie Payne. Hodges' previous writing credits include television adaptations such as David Copperfield, Lorna Doone and Charles II.