BBC Studios is all set to produce Indian adaptations for two of their well-loved shows, ‘Shameless’, and ‘Strangers’. The Indian versions of the shows will be developed under the aegis of BBC Studios India Production, the Indian arm of BBC Studios. No streaming platform is attached to the Indian adaptations of the two shows yet. BBC Studios will shop the two Indian shows to Indian OTT platforms once the cast and crew is finalised.
This is quite unlike the past, when several BBC Studios’ produced Indian adaptations had Disney Plus Hotstar as their streaming partner from the get-go. ‘Criminal Justice’, Doctor Foster’s Indian version ‘Out of Love’ and Luther remake ‘Rudra: The Edge of Darkness’ are the Disney Plus Hotstar shows adapted by BBC Studios for the Indian market.
‘Shameless’ is a popular BBC comedy series, created by Paul Abbot and Company Pictures for Channel 4 in the UK. The show centres on an unemployed and perpetually drunken father, Frank Gallagher, and his dysfunctional family. ‘Shameless’ revolves around the shenanigans of the Gallagher family, at the same time capturing the essence of British working-class life and culture. HBO’s American adaptation of the show is equally popular and a hit. Shameless also has Turkiye and Russian adaptations.
‘Strangers’, aka ‘White Dragon’ is a Two Brothers production for ITV. It is written by Mark Denton, Jonny Stockwood, Marston Bloom and Harry & Jack Williams. It centres on British professor Jonah Mulray, whose wife dies under mysterious circumstances in Hong Kong. He overcomes his fear of flying to visit Hong Kong to identify her body. Once there, he encounters an unfamiliar world of crime and conspiracy and makes some disturbing discoveries about his wife. Other Two Brothers shows adapted in India include ‘Marzi’ on Voot and ‘Mithya’ on ZEE5.