LIFE ON MARS WAKES UP TO A LIFE IN SPAIN

BBC Worldwide today announced its first ever sale of a scripted format in Spain with the smash hit series Life on Mars.

One of Spain's leading commercial broadcasters, Antena3, licensed the format to produce eight episodes of the smash hit Life on Mars format during the annual BBC Showcase event held this week in Brighton.

Mercedes Gamero, Head of Acquisitions at Antena3, said: "I am delighted to announce that we will be making a Spanish version of the wonderfully original Life on Mars series.

"We expect the unique twist on the traditional police drama will be very popular in Spain and we are looking forward to recreating the success it has had in the UK."

Antenna3 have already shortlisted three independent Spanish production companies to make the series.

BBC Worldwide's International formats team will executively produce the series with input from Kudos, the original makers of the programme.

The Spanish version will follow the same winning formula of a crime fighting duo with different opinions, from different backgrounds and of course, different eras in time.

The series will be set in post-Franco Madrid in the late 1970s, a time when women were first allowed into the Spanish police force.

Claudia Danser, Head of Iberia, BBC Worldwide, said: "This is a very exciting deal for us, not only because it is the first scripted format sale in this territory, but also because it signals a move into local drama series.

"These are some of the highest rating programmes on Spanish television and Worldwide's expansion into this area shows its continuing growth in Iberia."