ITV to sell Kevin Lygo’s BBC drama

ITV Studios’ programme sales arm will take international rights to Walter, the upcoming Kevin Lygo BBC drama.

Lygo (pictured), managing director of ITV’s content and international arm ITV Studios, surprised the TV industry this week when he revealed he had successfully submitted the drama project – a cop show – to the UK public broadcaster using a pseudonym.

It was not immediately clear whether international rights would reside with ITV Studios or the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. ITV has now confirmed to TBI that its sales arm, ITV Studios Global Entertainment, will handle distribution.

Currently, the show is only a pilot, but Lygo has committed to writing more episodes if it is taken to series, giving a rival broadcaster a new primetime series, but his own company a fresh property for international distribution.

The BBC moved ahead with the show without knowing that it was being pitched by a senior executive at a rival broadcaster. A broadcast pilot will go out on BBC One next Friday (August 8).