Wednesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Tiger Aspect alum joins London Film School

London Film School (LFS) has appointed former Tiger Aspect exec Helen Wright as its new chief operating officer (COO).

Wright had for the past decade held the COO role at Banijay Entertainment-owned Tiger Aspect Productions, which has been behind Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street, Domina, Three Little Birds and Man Like Mobeen, among others.

The production company moved away from drama earlier this year to concentrate wholly on comedy, as revealed by Broadcast.   

LFS said Wright’s appointment marked “a significant step” in its strategy to partner with screen industries and expand its offering to students.

Apple TV extends Lat Am drama

Apple TV+ has extended Lat Am drama Las Azules (Women in Blue) into an eight-part second season.

The Spanish-language show is set in the 1970s and follows four women who became Mexico’s first female police force, with Bábara Mori, Ximena Sariñana, Natalia Téllez and Amorita Rasgado reprising their roles.

Creators Fernando Rovzar and Pablo Aramendi are showrunners and exec producers, alongside Wendy Riss, Erica Sanchez Su and Billy Rovzar. Mexico City-based Lemon Studios produces.

SBS, SVT buy Silverlining’s Storms From Above

Financier and distributor Silverlining Rights has sold Good TV’s Storms from Above to buyers including SBS (Australia), SVT (Sweden), NRK (Norway) and DPG (Belgium).

The 1 x 60-minute science doc, which originally aired on the UK’s Channel 5 as Storms from Space, has also been picked up by LRT (Lithuania), Prima Group (Czech Republic), ORF (Austria) and RTHK (Hong Kong), It reveals how cutting-edge technology is helping scientists track the most dangerous weather like never before.  

The sales follow Silverlining’s international roll out of Good TV’s Hurricanes from Above, with additional recent sales announced to SBS, Prima Group and RTHK.

Aussie drama heads to UKTV’s U

UKTV is set to become the UK and Ireland home of ABC Australia’s tentpole drama Ladies in Black.

The sale, secured by ABC Commercial, is the latest for the Bunya Productions-made series, which is inspired by Madeleine St John’s bestselling novel. The series has already sold to Now TV in Hong Kong, YLE in Finland and Proximus Media House in Belgium.

Set in 1960s Sydney, Ladies in Black follows the lives of a group of department store employees navigating love, ambition, and identity during a time of sweeping societal change. The series will be available to watch on UKTV’s free streaming platform U. Read more