News round-up: WalterPresents adds ‘When The Dust Settles’; ITV, Smithsonian order Covid-19 shows

When The Dust Settles

WalterPresents lands Danish drama

Global drama streamer Walter Presents has secured UK rights to When The Dust Settles, the psychological drama from Danish pubcaster DR.

The show tells the story of eight strangers whose lives intertwine in the aftermath of a shocking terrorist attack in a Copenhagen restaurant. It was created by Ida Maria Rydén (Dicte) and Dorte Høgh (Anna Pihl) for DR Drama, and premiered domestically on DR1 in February, achieving a 42% viewing share.

The series was directed by Milad Alami (The Charmer), Jeanette Nordahl (Wildland), Iram Haq (What Will People Say) and produced by Stinna Lassen (Wisting).

Walter Presents co-founder and curator Walter Iuzzolino described the show as “a powerful character driven series that conjugates memorable, emotional stories with a gripping, sophisticated approach to storytelling and narrative structure.”

Covid: Our Lockdown In Shanghai

Smithsonian preps China Covid-19 doc

Smithsonian Channel in the US has acquired a documentary about living under lockdown in China.

Covid: Our Lockdown In Shanghai has been produced, directed and filmed by British advertising creative and filmmaker, Yu Kung and his wife Crystal Liu, who documented their lives as the Covid-19 pandemic hit China.

The show is being executive produced by Wonderhood Studios’ duo Rebecca Templar and Samantha Anstiss, with Luke Korzun Martin attached as producer for the David Abrahams-led firm. Charles Poe and David Royle serve as executive producers for Smithsonian Channel. The doc will premiere Monday, 25 May.

London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year

ITV orders lockdown-skewing zoo series

UK broadcaster ITV has commissioned a two-parter exploring life in London’s zoos during lockdown.

London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year (2 x 60-minutes, working title), from Circle Circle Films and October Films, will feature exclusive access inside ZSL London Zoo and its sister zoo Whipsnade, as its staff and keepers care for more than 500 species without visitors on site.

The series will reveal how human and animal inhabitants have had to adapt to the eerily silent surroundings, while vets devise new plans for dealing with animals whilst social distancing.

The series is commissioned for ITV by Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of factual and Sue Murphy, head of factual entertainment.

Sky extends Kudos comedy Code 404

Sky has ordered a second season of Code 404, the comedy based on a crime fighting duo and an experimental A.I. project set in the near future.

The show, starring Stephen Graham, launched on Sky One and streaming service NOW TV in the UK on 29 April with a cumulative seven-day audience of 1.9m viewers for the opening episode, making it Sky’s biggest comedy launch in eight years.

The show is also Sky’s fastest binged original comedy box set ever, with over 360,000 viewers watching the whole six-episode series before episode two aired on linear television.

The show, which will also appear on fellow Comcast-owned firm NBCUniversal’s OTT service Peacock, is co-produced by Endemol Shine UK’s Kudos and Water & Power Productions. NBCU Global Distribution is handling international distribution on behalf of Sky Studios.