Sundance joins BBC’s Split

SundanceTV has joined up as coproduction partner for new BBC1 Abi Morgan drama The Split, from Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures.

Jane Featherstone

The six-episode series, due to go into production in the UK later this year, is set in the world of high-powered London female divorce lawyers.

It is among the first projects to come out of former Kudos boss Featherstone’s year-old start-up. Jessica Hobbs (Broadchurch) is directing.

The drama, created by Morgan (The Hour), tells the story of three sisters, two of whom are rival divorce lawyers, whose lives are upset when their estranged father returns after a 30-year absence.

“The remarkable creative team of Abi Morgan, Jane Featherstone and Jessica Hobbs have tapped into an incredibly original, witty, poignant and compelling look at the world of divorce – in this case, through the lens of a family,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV.

Following its finale on the US cablenet, The Split will be available exclusively stateside via streaming service Sundance Now. BBC Worldwide (BBCWW) is handling international sales.

The announcement of the tie-up came during Sundance’s appearance at the Television Critics’ Association Press Tour on Friday and is the latest example of growing affinities between AMC and the BBC.

Sundance will this year air the second season of BBC coproduction, Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake and previously worked with the pubcaster on The Honourable Woman.

On a corporate level, AMC last month became US launch partner for BBCWW/ITV SVoD service BritBox, due to arrive in the first quarter of this year. This follows AMC paying US$200m for a 49.9% stake in cablenet BBC America in 2014.