Sky One, the flagship network of Blighty pay TV platform BSkyB, will devote a big chunk of its April 12 primetime schedule to Tim Roth starrer "Skellig," a pricey adaptation of the bestselling children's book by Brit author David Almond.
The pic is the latest fruit of a commitment by BSkyB to beef up its drama slate -- and dispel doubts about its ability to match U.K. terrestrial rivals the BBC and ITV at making original, high-end, family-friendly fare.
"Skellig," awarded the Carnegie Medal for children's literature in 1998, and selected by the Carnegie judges as one of the 10 most important tyke novels of the past 70 years, revolves around two youngsters who befriend a filthy, ornery old man who possessesstrange gifts.
Sky One's $5 million drama is a remarkable achievement, given that it comes amida recession in which commercial broadcasters, including ITV, are reducing expenditures on both expensivedrama and kids programming.
"A little under a year ago, we announced a multimillion (dollar) investment in original drama focusing on some of the U.K.'s best-loved authors," says Elaine Pyke, Sky One's commissioning editor for drama and one of the pic's executive producers. "The idea was to bring our customers great premium content that they can't get elsewhere.
Pyke says Sky One is aiming to producetwo event pieces and two series a year.
"While others like ITV are cutting back, we're going forward," Pyke says. "Our budgets are comparable to what the terrestrials pay, but I'd like to think that our drama has an identity and occupies a place that is unique to Sky."
The pic, co-starring Kelly MacDonald, John Sim and Bill Milner, is helmed by Annabel Jankel. It is a Feel Films and Taking a Line production for Walk Prods. made with the Wales Creative IP Fund and Limelight. Unusually, BSkyB is seeking a theatrical release in the U.S. and in mainland Europe.
BSkyB should be proud of "Skellig," according to U.K. media columnist Maggie Brown. "It's the kind of thing ITV would have done a few years ago but they've moved out of making shows aimed at children."
Sophie Turner-Laing, BSkyB's managing director of entertainment, says "Skellig" is consistent with her policy of targeting known literary properties, because "we have immediate (connection) with audiences who are familiar with the book."
In the pipeline are adaptations of Martina Cole's novel "The Take," Chris Ryan's "Strike Back" and Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal." An earlier Sky version of Pratchett's "Hogfather" won an award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Execs hope that the new drama will lure more pay TV customers.
"They've always had Sky movies and sport," Pyke says. "We're beefing up drama because we think it will encourage more people to subscribe."
It remains to be seen if this works, but with rival terrestrial webs doing less and less original drama -- ITV recently slashed the $360 million or so it spends a year on British fiction by around 10% -- any increase will be welcomed by hard-pressed U.K. shingles.
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