The Stage

BBC’s Young plans American EastEnders - Exclusive

Published Wednesday 23 June 2004 at 10:35 by Joanna Taylor

EastEnders executive producer Mal Young has announced plans to develop an American version of the Corporation’s flagship soap, claiming there is a gap in the US market.

He has revealed that BBC Worldwide, the Corporation’s money-making division, has already negotiated a development deal with Universal Studios’ production arm Reveille for reworkings of the Martin Shaw-fronted series Judge John Deed, Being April, which starred Pauline Quirke and MIT - Murder Investigation Team.

The success of these shows in America will remain Young’s priority but he added he is also working on an idea for an EastEnders-style working-class drama set in the city of Denver, Colorado.

Traditionally, US soaps such as Dynasty and Dallas have focused on the lives of the glamorous and successful but Young insisted there was a place for grittier shows.

He said: “I have been to LA a number of times recently and been speaking to the networks. I realised that the one thing missing on television over there is a working-class TV drama. They have versions of drama we have but not an EastEnders-style soap.

“The only comparable programmes are shows like Days of Our Lives or The Bold and the Beautiful which are high glamour and completely fantastical. This is an idea I have been thinking about developing for the past few months but it is not top priority. The first thing is to make sure the other dramas are a hit.”

Young, who is head of all BBC drama series, added that he would avoid the usual settings of cities such as New York and Los Angeles, preferring the more provincial backdrop of Denver.

He recently returned from LA where he is acting as executive producer on adaptations of the three popular BBC drama series alongside Reveille’s chief executive Ben Silverman.

Silverman, in his previous job, was head of the international packaging division at William Morris Agency, and was responsible for taking Who

Wants to Be a Millionaire?, The Weakest Link and Big Brother to US audiences. He is now attempting to repeat that success by adapting UK drama and sitcoms.

However, last year his version of BBC2’s Coupling lasted less than a month before being dumped from the schedule despite a heavy marketing campaign.

Developing shows for the US networks is widely recognised as a gamble, with dozens of formats piloted every year and only a small proportion reaching the screen. Other British shows that have been shifted from the US networks after only a few episodes include reworkings of Cracker, Cold Feet and Men Behaving Badly.

Young said: “We are working on the casting for Judge John Deed, Being April and MIT. It is important that I am still attached to the dramas to ensure that the essential elements which make them a success are not lost in the translation.”