Scripted

BBC Studios has sold the format for Mistresses, an Ecosse Films Production, to Japan’s NHK Enterprises.

<em>Mistresses</em> is the first format sale by BBC Studios to NHK Japan and is the fifth format deal for the title, following USA, Russia, Slovakia and South Korea. The 10-episode series is set to premiere on 19 April in premium drama slot, Drama10, on NHK General.

The drama follows a group of 30-something girlfriends whose lives have taken very different turns. Adapted by veteran screenwriter Noriko Yoshida and Rie Yokota, Mistresses – Those Women’s Secrets stars Kyoko Hasegawa as Kaori Shibazaki (Katie), Miki Mizuno as Tomomi Noguchi (Trudi), Hyonri as Saeko Harada (Siobhan), and Aya Omasa as Juri Mizushima (Jessica).

The original Mistresses series was produced by Ecosse Films for BBC and BBC America and first aired on BBC One in 2008, starring Sarah Parish (W1A, Broadchurch), Sharon Small (Law & Order: UK, Trust Me), Shelley Conn (Death in Paradise, Liar) and Orla Brady (Collateral, Into the Badlands).
Takahisa Goto, executive producer at NHK Enterprises said: <em>“We are excited to reproduce the successful British drama Mistresses as a locally relevant version to bring to Japanese audiences and hope to achieve strong audience engagement with the series. We are thrilled to be working together with BBC Studios on this Japanese-British cultural exchange opportunity.”</em>

Geo Lee, SVP and GM of North East Asia, BBC Studios, added: <em>“The growing popularity of British drama in the region has sparked a trend for scripted formats and BBC Studios’ scripted catalogue is meeting their demands for high quality, relatable dramas.” He added, “We are proud to be working with NHK Enterprises, who have secured an amazing cast for their scripted format production, and we look forward to its premiere in April 2019.”</em>