Mammoth Screen Enters Partnership With Granada International

Drama indie Mammoth Screen has entered into a partnership with leading distributor Granada International, part of ITV Worldwide, launching with a slew of drama commissions.

Mammoth Screen is run by award winning producers Michele Buck and Damien Timmer. Granada International will own a 25% equity stake in the company and will distribute all of Mammoth Screen's titles internationally. Granada International will also be involved at the outset in the development of projects, advising on the international potential for each and also brokering finance and co-production with global broadcast partners.


Nadine Nohr, Managing Director at Granada International, commented: "We're delighted to be working with Mammoth Screen, a new production company founded by producers with the track record and international awareness to create commercial, innovative programming. We're thrilled that they have already hit the ground running in terms of commissions and broadcaster interest with a number of truly exciting projects on their slate."


Timmer, ex-Head of Drama, ITV Productions, founded the company at the end of last year, and Buck, ex-Controller of Drama, ITV Productions, joined him last month, and together they are Joint Managing Directors. Piers Wenger and Rebecca Keane are Executive Producers, Jon Williams is Director of Production and Finance, and Luke Franklin is Head of Development.
The first series to be launched under the new deal is the drama 'Lost In Austen' (working title). Pre-production work has started on the series, which is written by Guy Andrews for ITV1. ‘Lost in Austen’ is a highly original take on Jane Austen's best-loved novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Amanda Price is a modern woman who finds herself swapping places with Austen's fictional heroine Elizabeth Bennet. Trapped in her favourite book, Amanda tries desperately to keep the story on course, whilst falling in love with Mr Darcy.

 The series will be presented to buyers by Granada International at MIPTV 2008. 

ITV1 has also commissioned Mammoth Screen to make a new 3 x 1 hour version of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Peter Bowker (Blackpool) is the screenwriter. The serial will be distributed by Granada International.
In another new development, Mammoth Screen and co-producer Monastic Productions, the drama indie recently formed by Life on Mars creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah, have recently won a major new drama series commission for the BBC, details of which will be announced shortly.
(DS)