BBC Worldwide seals partnerships with Chinese media firms to air Coast and Hunt in agreements between countries
The forthcoming Sherlock Christmas special will be shown on cinema screens across China, as well as on the small screen in Britain, as part of a host of deals signed between the two countries.
The series of agreements announced on Wednesday will also see new editions of the BBC documentaries Coast and the Hunt made in a partnership between the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, and Chinese media organisations.
Ministers also said the drama Poldark would be made available in China from December and that British film-makers would get increased access to Chinese studios, as well as the country’s domestic market.
“Today’s announcements herald an exciting new collaboration between the Chinese and British creative industries … There is a keen appetite in China for premium British content,” said BBC Worldwide chief executive Tim Davie.
Sherlock launched in China in 2010 and, according to the BBC, the most recent series attracted 98m views on the online TV platform Youku. The Chinese screening of the forthcoming 90-minute special is subject to regulatory approval in that country. It will also be shown in other nations, although BBC Worldwide has not yet announced which these will be.
Following a treaty ratified earlier this year, it was also announced on Wednesday that BBC Earth would produce a feature-length follow-up to the 2007 documentary Earth, in partnership with the Chinese firm SMG Pictures. Earth: One Amazing Day is due for release in 2017.
That deal was due to be signed at a ceremony at Lancaster House, in central London, which was also hosting a creative showcase of the programmes for the Chinese president Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan; along with the actor Jackie Chan and members of the British royal family.
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