BBC period drama The North Water tops 38 international territories

The North Water

Arctic drama series The North Water (5×60’), which premieres tonight on UK pubcaster BBC2, has clocked up 38 international territories ranging from Australia to Japan, BBC Studios confirmed today.

Broadcasters and platforms to have acquired the series include Foxtel in Australia, MNet across sub-Saharan Africa, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden, DR in Denmark, YLE in Finland, Salto in France, Telekom in Germany and Telefonica in Spain.

The list also includes Telecom in Italy, HBO in Portugal and across central and eastern Europe, Cosmote in Greece, Manoto in Iran, Yandex in Russia and AXNM in Japan.

BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, will also show the series on its international drama channel BBC First in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Belgium, Turkey and the Netherlands.

The news comes after the five-part series secured Canadian buyers CBC and pay TV network Super Channel in July. The show also had its global premiere on US streamer AMC+ in July.

The series stars Colin Farrell, Jack O’Connell and Stephen Graham, among others. Set in the 1850s, it takes place aboard a whaling vessel set on a course for the Arctic, with O’Connell playing the newly appointed ship’s doctor unprepared for the violence the journey brings at the hand of the ship’s harpooner (played by Farrell.)

Commissioned by the BBC, The North Water is made by UK-Australian prodco See-Saw Films for the BBC and AMC+ in coproduction with Canada’s Rhombus Media. The series is adapted and directed by Andrew Haigh from Ian McGuire’s novel of the same name. Executive producers are Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman for See-Saw Films, Niv Fichman for Rhombus Media, and Jo McClellan for the BBC.