BBCS, Applause link up on Luther in India

Idris Elba in the BBC’s Luther

BBC Studios (BBCS) has sold the format of crime drama Luther into India after re-teaming with Aditya Birla Group’s Applause Entertainment.

The Indian version of Luther, which is yet to be titled, will be developed and produced by Applause.

It comes after BBCS (fka BBC Worldwide), the commercial arm of the UK pubcaster, and Applause worked together to adapt BBC scripted formats The Office and Criminal Justice. The latter recently premiered on Hotstar.

The deal to develop Luther was announced today at the Asia Pay TV Operators Summit in Indonesia.

The Idris Elba-fronted UK drama about a troubled detective is one of BBCS’s top exports, with the series having been sold into more than 230 territories. Its fifth season aired on the BBC last year.

The Indian remake will be the second Asian version of Luther after South Korean remake Less Than Evil. It has also been adapted in Russia.

Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause Entertainment, said: “The original Luther has a tremendous international following and we believe that an Indian version will work very well in our region.”

Myleeta Aga, senior VP and general manager for South and South-east Asia at BBCS, added: “Applause is known for its focus on creating premium drama, and we believe that they will be able to do the format justice.”