BBC’s German drama SS-GB sells as Berlinale begins

Upcoming BBC conspiracy drama SS-GB has found European homes ahead of its world premiere here in Germany’s trendy capital city at the Berlinale International Film Festival.

German commercial broadcaster RTL is among the pre-buyers of the drama, which reimagines a Europe in which Adolf Hitler’s Luftwaffe won the Second Battle of Britain and occupies the island.

The other buyers are Croatian VOD platform Pickbox, Swedish pubcaster SVT, Greek broadcaster Cosmote (FKA OTE), Israeli pay TV rivals Hot and Cellcom, Iceland’s RUV and Polish thematic network Showmax.

The Sid Gentle Films-produced drama, which BBC commercial arm BBC Worldwide sells globally, is already set first runs in Africa, Australia, the Benelux region and the Middle East on premium content-focused BBC First and in New Zealand on UKTV.

Ahead of its broadcast debut on BBC One in the UK on Sunday (February 19), BBCWW is bringing the drama to Berlin, where it has its worldwide premiere tomorrow (February 14).

Sunday also represents the first day of the annual BBC Worldwide Showcase, which is the biggest single screenings and sales event run by a single distributor outside of the major US studios. More than 700 buyers are expected to attend.

Numerous series – including Turner’s ­4 Blocks, Endemol Shine International’s Belgian pay TV drama Brussels and Entertainment One’s Cardinal – are making their international debuts at the Berlin Film Festival, which is quickly gaining a rep as a key television screenings event.

The three-day Drama Series Days, part of the European Film market that sits alongside Berlinale, runs from today until Wednesday. The likes of UFA Fiction and HBO Europe will be presenting to delegates.