BBC Worldwide has succeeded in picking the international distribution rights to highly anticipated Canadian drama, The Session.

 

The deal sees BBC Worldwide as the exclusive international sales partner for the drama which is being produced by one of Canada's leading production houses, Temple Street Productions.

 

Scheduled for the 2008-2009 season on CBC, The Session stars Erin Karpluk (The L Word, Bionic woman) and Michael Riley (This is Wonderland) and tells the story of Erica Strange, who is given the incredible opportunity to see her life from a different perspective when a mysterious therapist gives her the chance to go back in time and relive moments from her past.

 

Helen Jackson, BBC Worldwide's Director of Independents and responsible for brokering the deal with Temple Street, said: "The Session is a fantastic concept, with a truly universal appeal. Who doesn't sometimes look back on their life and think about what they might have done differently?

 

"Given the subject matter and Temple Street's pedigree for producing high quality shows, we know that it is a series that will play well with international audiences, and we’re really happy to have this opportunity to show Ivan and David what BBC Worldwide can do."

 

David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, both co-presidents of Temple Street Productions and Executive Producers on the series added: "We're really proud of The Session. It has a fantastic cast and a great story to tell which transcends geographic borders and cultures.

 

Having BBC Worldwide on board as our international distribution partner is a real coup for us and will help ensure that The Session is seen by audiences around the world."

 

 

About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximise the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the licence payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights.

 

The company has seven core businesses: BBC Worldwide Channels, Global TV Sales, Magazines, Content & Production, Home Entertainment, Global Brands and Digital Media. In 2006/07 BBC Worldwide generated profits of £111 million on sales of £810 million.

 

About Temple Street Productions
Temple Street Productions is owned by David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg. The company has built up a reputation as one of Canada’s leading production houses, renowned for the quality and depth of its output across feature films, drama, comedy, lifestyle and reality television and is committed to producing world-class, commercial projects across all genres and for all media.

 

Temple Street's portfolio includes shows such as Billable Hours, Canada's Next Top Model, Queer as Folk and Darcy's Wildlife. More recently, Temple Street will produce the Canadian version of the BBC's huge entertainment hit, How do you Solve a Problem like Maria?