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 Harpers Bazaar

Launches 11 November, from 9pm, new and exclusive to Drama

Available to stream via UKTVPlay.co.uk

Tuesday 3 October 2017 UKTV, Britains biggest multichannel broadcaster, today announced it has acquired The White Princess (8x60) 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.

UKTVs 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 Dramas 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 Lionsgates 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 Gregorys 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 IIIs former lover.

With her sister, Cecily of York (Suki Waterhouse), Elizabeth matches wits and wills with Lady Margaret Beaufort (Michelle Fairley), King Henry VIIs mother. They each manoeuvre to gain his trust. Meanwhile Lizzies 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 Playgrounds Colin Callender (The White Queen, The Dresser, Wolf Hall) and Scott Huff (The Missing) serving as Executive Producers along with Company Pictures Michele Buck (Parades 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 channels 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

Notes to Editors For more information please contact:

Katie Sheldrake, Publicist, UKTV

About Drama:

Drama is aviable to watch on Freeview 20, Sky 158, Virgin 128, BT, TalkTalk 020 and on demand via UKTV Play.

drama.uktv.co.uk | @drama_channel

About UKTV

UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching over 40m viewers every month.

The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market.

The network delivers inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.

Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktvpress

About Lionsgate

The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate is a global content platform whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, gaming, virtual reality and other new entertainment technologies. Lionsgates content initiatives are backed by a 16,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global licensing infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Companys worldwide consumer

LINK:	https://corporate.uktv.co.uk/news/article/uktv-acquires-starz-original...
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