BBC Studios launches scripted label for crime, mystery, thriller and precinct-based storytelling

BBC Studios has launched a scripted label led by Deborah Sathe to work on a slate of returning dramas for UK broadcasters, streamers and international markets.

Deborah Sathe

Sathe, current senior creative director at BBC Studios Drama Productions, will take the helm of CliffEdge Entertainment as chief creative officer.

Focused on crime, mystery, thriller and precinct-based storytelling, the label will house existing series such as Silent Witness, Father Brown and Shakespeare & Hathaway.

Its forthcoming productions include Welsh romantic thriller The Night They Vanished, made in association with Channel 4, and The Detection Club, which is currently filming in the Midlands for the BBC and BritBox.

Sathe joined BBC Studios in 2019 and oversees drama production, talent development, training and digital initiatives at BBC Studios Drama Productions.

Prior to BBC Studios, she held a range of senior creative roles at the BBC and beyond, including director of international operations for Cinestaan and head of talent development and production at Film London.

BBC Studios said the launch of CliffEdge Entertainment marks a “significant step” in its strategy to create and sustain premium returning drama franchises.

CliffEdge will sit alongside BBC Studios scripted production labels Clerkenwell Films, Firebird Pictures, Sid Gentle Films, Lookout Point, House Productions, Baby Cow, BBC Studios Fiction, BBC Studios Comedy and BBC Studios Drama Productions, and other independent producers that BBC Studios has invested in.

Earlier today, BBC Studios announced it is launching a Bristol-based scripted label led by creative executive Jenny van der Lande, who will join from ITV Studios-owned Big Talk, as it continues to build on its already considerable UK scripted presence.

Sathe said: “CliffEdge Entertainment is the perfect playground for me and the team to make the kind of television we love to watch – ambitious, entertaining, character-driven drama that can connect with audiences around the world.”

Jamie Hall, MD of scripted at BBC Studios, added: “Deborah is a dynamic, entrepreneurial leader with fantastic taste; it was a very easy decision to set her up with CliffEdge. It is testament to her and her team that they are already off the mark with several new shows and many more to come; I can’t wait to see what she achieves for BBC Studios.”