Acclaimed BBC dramas to be remade in South Korea

Three of the BBC’s most acclaimed dramas, including hit detective series Luther, are to be remade in South Korea.

BBC Worldwide announced the remake of Luther along with plans for versions of Mistresses and Life on Mars in news that the corporation said demonstrated a growing appetite for British drama after the success of Doctor Who and Sherlock.

Luther, which stars Idris Elba, has been sold to over 230 territories, and a Russian version called Klim won a number of awards in 2016.

Leading South Korean broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation will air a local version in October this year.

Mistresses, which follows the love lives of four friends, will premiere on Orion Cinema Network in April, and will star South Korean actors Han Ga-in and Choi Hee-seo in two of the leading roles.

It has previously been remade by ABC with Alyssa Milano in the US.

Retro detective series Life on Mars, named after a song by David Bowie, will be given a new title and set in Seoul in 1987, when the country was at the height of political change owing to its first democratic presidential election and forthcoming role as host of the 1988 Summer Olympics. Leading Korean actor Jung Kyung-ho will take on the role of the detective, originally played by John Simm.

David Weiland, of BBC Worldwide, said: “BBC drama has always found a large audience in South Korea. Series such as Sherlock and Doctor Who have grown fan bases with their original and intelligent story-telling that the British are so well known for.

“I’m delighted that this love of British drama has now transcended into scripted formats – with South Korean versions of Mistresses, Life on Mars, and Luther starring Korean A-listers about to debut in 2018.”

BBC Worldwide – the BBC’s commercial arm – is charged with generating revenue from BBC content. Elba attended the BBC Worldwide Showcase, the world’s largest international TV market to be hosted by a single distributor, in Liverpool on Tuesday to promote Luther to more than 700 international TV buyers.

The BBC said clients from Argentina to Australia have traveled to the city, where they screen the best of British TV content and hear first-hand from A-list talent about their upcoming shows.

In the UK, filming has already begun on a fifth series of Luther. The show will return for a new four-part series, penned by Neil Cross.

While international viewers develop a taste for original British dramas online, the BBC’s director general last year warned the future of British-made television programmes such as Sherlock and Broadchurch was under serious threat due to changes taking place in the industry, such as the rise of Netflix.