People

 BBC Studios International Production announced today that it has agreed a first-look development deal with award-winning documentary maker Alex Gale. The deal will see Gale co-develop premium non-scripted content with BBC Studios local production companies in Australia, India, South Africa and Germany. BBC Studios will produce and distribute the developed programmes internationally.

Founder of Amped Pictures, Gale directed Amazon Prime’s Sons Of The Soil for BBC Studios India. The access-led docuseries followed the fortunes of Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and his pro kabaddi team across a season in India’s fastest growing sport. Gale’s previous work includes the BAFTA Scotland-winning BBC documentaries Scotland 78: A Love Story, Glasgow 1967: The Lisbon Lions and the RTS Scotland-winning The Fort.

Commenting on the agreement, Matt Forde, Managing Director of International Productions at BBC Studios said: “Alex is a remarkable documentarian who has a unique approach to creating candid and thought-provoking films; his handle on the sporting world and bringing their iconic figures and stories to life are unparalleled. We’ve been lucky enough to partner with Alex previously and so we’re incredibly proud to be working with him to create original content for our audiences worldwide.”

Alex Gale commented “It’s very exciting, there’s such a range of untapped storytelling opportunities across these distinct and contrasting cultures. The aim is to create high production value docuseries with characteristically local narratives that also have the potential to engage an international audience. BBC Studios’ local knowledge, industry relationships, and brand recognition in these countries is invaluable, it will help us secure access to talent, previously unseen environments and institutions.”