The BBC has confirmed that Irish soap Red Rock is coming to its daytime schedule later this year.
The TV3 series, which is produced by Dublin's Element Pictures and the UK's Angel Station (formerly Company Pictures), premiered on Irish screens at the start of 2015 and has received widespread acclaim and numerous awards.
At the IFTA TV Awards in Dublin last October Red Rock was honoured with Best Soap, Best Director (Lisa Mulcahy) and the People's Choice TV Show of the Year award. Streaming service Amazon Prime recently acquired Red Rock in a deal reported to be worth over €1m and which will see the series stream in the US for a number of years.
Speaking to RTÉ TEN, Red Rock's executive producer, Ed Guiney from Element Pictures, described the BBC deal as a "massive testament" to everyone who worked on the series.
Red Rock fits The Bill for the BBC, if you'll pardon the pun
"Coming on the back of the recent acquisition by Amazon it's a huge achievement for an Irish show," he said.
"It's also a great credit to TV3 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland who have been such steadfast and inspiring backers. The team at Element, and our partner John Yorke at Angel Station, are very grateful indeed to all."
The BBC's Daytime Controller, Dan McGolpin, said its viewers are in for a treat when the Gardaí and the feuding Hennessy and Kiely families come to the BBC schedule.
"It's a compelling new police drama set in Ireland, it has plenty of twists and turns, and it's coming to the BBC this year," he added.
The BBC acquired the series in a deal with UK distributor All3Media International and will screen Red Rock in 60-minute episodes.
All3Media's Executive Vice President of Media, Stephen Driscoll, said the company was "very proud to see Red Rock secure a home on the BBC", describing the show as a mix of family drama and police procedural.
