International buyers investigate ITV, All3Media espionage thriller Secret Service

Gemma Arterton stars in Secret Service

Potboiler Productions & All3Media International

Broadcasters and streamers in EMEA and APAC have pre-bought forthcoming ITV espionage thriller Secret Service, starring Gemma Arterton, from All3Media International.

Stan in Australia and Movistar Plus+ in Spain have acquired the five-part series, which follows a senior MI6 officer, played by Arterton, as a covert investigation uncovers evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be working as a Russian asset.

With trust shattered and her career on the line, she must navigate the shifting sands of political loyalty, international threat and personal sacrifice.

Set to air on ITV1 and ITVX this spring, other buyers in EMEA for the Potboiler Productions series include MagentaTV/Deutsche Telekom in Germany and Blue Play in Switzerland, with ARD Plus taking second window rights in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Secret Service has also been licensed across Scandinavia where it will be available on NRK (Norway), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), RUV (Iceland) and SVT (Sweden). The series will also be available on AntenaPLAY in Romania and Cosmote in Greece.

In APAC, the series has also been acquired in a pan-territory deal covering Asia and India for premium SVoD drama channel BBC First and its multi-genre SVoD service BBC Player. In New Zealand it will air on Sky as well as Three and its streamer ThreeNow.

Adapted from the topical novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby, the cast includes Rafe Spall, Alex Kingston, Mark Stanley, Roger Allam, Amaka Okafor, Aoife Hinds, Avi Nash, Alma Prelec and Khalid Abdalla.

With direction from Oscar-winner James Marsh (Man on Wire), the series is executive produced by Gail Egan (Funny Woman) and Andrea Calderwood (The Buccaneers). Bradby and Chloe Sizer are exec producers.

It was commissioned by ITV’s director of drama Polly Hill and the production is overseen by drama commissioner Huw Kennair Jones. All3Media International is co-commissioner.