HBO Europe adds UK drama exec

HBO Europe has hired a consulting producer from Emmy-winning The Borgias to develop drama series in a new UK-based role.

Steve Matthews will join HBO Europe as executive producer of drama development on September 1 and will be based in London.

In his new role, Matthews will support HBO Europe’s local creative teams on their original series and miniseries development as well as adaptations of international formats.

The pay TV channel currently operates production bases in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Romania, and is working with local producers on new shows including Polish action thriller Wataha, as well as a remake of Australian comedy Small Time Gangster.

Other productions have included remakes of the Israeli drama In Treatment in Romania, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary; miniseries Burning Bush; and a Czech version of Israeli format Shall We Kiss.

Matthews most recently worked with Octagon Films in Dublin, where he produced four seasons of RTÉs gangster drama Love/Hate.

Alongside his work on all three seasons of The Borgias, which airs on US cablenet Showtime, Matthews also edited the scripts on three seasons of the BBC’s long-running drama Silent Witness and co-created and produced Urban Gothic, which ran for two seasons on Channel 5 in the UK.

Antony Root, exec VP of original programming and production at HBO Europe, said: “Steve brings over 20 years of development and production experience across multiple drama genres, which will be invaluable as we expand our output at HBO Europe.”

HBO Europe has a major presence across Central and Eastern Europe, running 11 channels and two VoD services in 15 countries, including Poland and Czech Republic.