UKTV acquires STARZ Original Series The White Princess from LIONSGATE
- Jodie Comer, Michelle Fairley and Suki Waterhouse lead all-star cast in historical epic
- “The feminist answer to Game of Thrones” Harper’s Bazaar
- Launches 11 November, from 9pm, new and exclusive to Drama
- Available to stream via UKTVPlay.co.uk
UKTV, Britain’s biggest multichannel broadcaster, today announced it has acquired The White Princess (8×60) from global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LFG.B) for its leading non-PSB channel Drama.
The epic historical drama stars Jodie Comer (Doctor Foster, Thirteen), Suki Waterhouse (The Bad Batch) and Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones).A STARZ original limited series, The White Princess is the follow-up to Golden Globe(R) and Emmy(R) award-nominated STARZ original miniseries The White Queen, both from Company Pictures and Playground. The White Queen will also be shown on Drama.
The White Princess premieres as a double bill on Saturday 11 November, from 9pm new and exclusive to Drama and will be available to watch via UKTV Play.
UKTV’s general manager of Drama, Adrian Wills, said:
We are thrilled to be extending our relationship with Lionsgate. This gripping series, told from the perspective of three noblewomen waging an ongoing battle for the throne, has a superb cast and fantastic production talent. Its high end production values and incredible storytelling make The White Princess a fantastic addition to Drama’s growing slate of new and exclusive shows.
Peter Iacono, President, International Television and Digital Distribution, Lionsgate, added:
The White Princess is a further example of Lionsgate’s premium programming travelling to leading platforms across the globe. We are particularly pleased that UK viewers will have the opportunity to discover this exceptional drama series, set in England, on UKTV.
The White Princess, based on Philippa Gregory’s 2013 novel of the same name, picks up as the tumultuous War of the Roses comes to an end and a new generation ascends to the throne in a tale of power, political clashes, family, love and betrayal.
A fragile peace is achieved when former king, Richard III, is defeated at the Battle of Bosworth. The victor, Henry Tudor, soon to be King Henry VII (Jacob Collins-Levy), is married to Elizabeth (Jodie Comer) – a princess from a rival house and Richard III’s former lover.
With her sister, Cecily of York (Suki Waterhouse), Elizabeth matches wits and wills with Lady Margaret Beaufort (Michelle Fairley), King Henry VII’s mother. They each manoeuvre to gain his trust. Meanwhile Lizzie’s mother, Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville (Essie Davis), struggles with rumours that her long-lost son Prince Richard (Ned Elliot) is alive. Elizabeth is forced to choose between her new Tudor husband and the boy who could be her own blood and the rightful York King.
The White Princess premiered in the US on STARZ to critical acclaim and averaged 4.8 million multiplatform viewers per episode.
The White Princess is helmed by returning Showrunner and Writer Emma Frost (The White Queen, The Man in the High Castle, Shameless), also on board as Executive Producer, alongside Executive Producer and Director Jamie Payne (Legends, Quantico). Lachlan MacKinnon (Burton and Taylor) is Producer for the series, with Playground’s Colin Callender (The White Queen, The Dresser, Wolf Hall) and Scott Huff (The Missing) serving as Executive Producers along with Company Pictures’ Michele Buck (Parade’s End, Hornblower, Sex Traffic).
This year Drama also premiered Mercy Street, a historical drama set in the American civil war and crime drama The Brokenwood Mysteries, set in New Zealand. The Brokenwood Mysteries is one of the channel’s highest rating programmes of 2017, averaging +76% versus slot average in what has already been a standout year for Drama.
The White Queen launches on Sunday 15 October from 4pm
The White Princess launches as a double bill on Saturday 11 November from 9pm (Starz)
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