(THR) China is set to get its taste of French haute couture.
The Collection, which already aired on Amazon in the U.K. earlier this year, has been picked up by Chinese internet giant Tencent following a deal with BBC Worldwide.
The eight episode drama from Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) centers on a Parisian fashion house after WWII and stars Tom Riley (Da Vinci's Demons, Kill Your Friends), Mamie Gummer (The Good Wife, Ricki and the Flash), Richard Coyle (Crossbones, Life of Crime, Going Postal) and Alix Poisson (Disparue, 3xManon, Parents mode d’emploi).
Tencent will air the show on its QQ platform – available to over 830 million active QQ accounts – in January.
“We have a great relationship with [Tencent], most recently co-producing Planet Earth II which has been incredibly popular in China, with 28 million views for its first four episodes in just four weeks," said BBC Worldwide's Greater China general manager Kelvin Yau. "We are confident that The Collection, with its a story about the price of success, set during a pivotal moment in France’s history when fashion became a vehicle for transformation and reinvention, will resonate with viewers in Greater China.”
The Collection is a Lookout Point and Artis Pictures Production co-produced with Amazon Studios, Federation Entertainment, MFP and Masterpiece with the participation of France Télévisions and BBC Worldwide Ltd in association with Tencent Distribution.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Alex Ritman