BBC, PBS partner on blue-chip factual

US pubcaster PBS and UK counterpart the BBC have agreed a far-reaching coproduction deal that will see the broadcasters work together on high-profile blue-chip factual shows.

The partnership between PBS and the BBC and its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide (BBCWW), will result in around 20 hours of programming annually, crossing natural history, religion, science and history genres. Financial details and the length of the agreement were not revealed.

Between eight and 10 shows – both singles and multipart series – will air on BBC1 and PBS stations nationwide each year, with specials airing this summer. Some shows may be part of the PBS schedule or featured in its programming series, including Nature and Great Performances.

Shows forming part of the agreement include: Attenborough’s Waking Giants, which was revealed last year; Earth’s Natural Wonders, about the life-and-death struggles of animals that inhabit extreme regions; and Super Nature: Flight Revealed, which uses footage from a variety of new camera technologies.

Matt Forde, exec VP of TV sales and coproductions for BBCWW North America, said the deal would allow the broadcasters to “develop and deliver a wealth of the highest-quality multi-genre factual content, which will entertain and inspire audiences across the country.”

The arrangement comes after Discovery and the BBC ended their long-standing copro partnership in 2013, having previously collaborated on blue-chip natural history series including Frozen Planet, Blue Planet and Wonders of the Solar System.

BBCWW stepped in as a major copro partner for the BBC Natural History Unit and recently added a slew of shows to its distribution catalogue.

This latest deal was negotiated by Chris Cole, senior VP of sales and coproductions for factual at BBCWW North America, Michael Kelley, PBS’s senior VP of programming and business affairs, and Beth Hoppe, the network’s chief programming exec and general manager.

Hoppe, Bill Gardner, PBS’s VP of programming and development, and Natalie Humphreys, BBC’s controller of factual and daytime, will oversee the partnership.

In related news, PBS has added a six-part scripted series from Ridley Scott about the American Civil War, which will air in 2016. The unnamed show is based on real-life accounts and explores the lives of two nurses on opposite sides of the conflict.

ER’s David Zabel is writing, with Scott, David Zucker and Lisa Wolfinger attached as exec producers.