Coldwater and The Guest to air in more than 40 countries

ITV Studios today announces the global sales to date for two and gripping new dramas, Coldwater and The Guest with each to air in more than 40 countries. The sales come hot on the heels of SHOWTIME taking rights to both shows for US audiences, as announced earlier in October.

The Guest, starring Eve Myles (The Crow Girl, Broadchurch) and Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves, Three Women) combines action, intrigue and shocking twists with globally relevant themes of class and social mobility. The fast-paced thriller follows two unlikely friends as their lives begin to unravel.

The Guest has been acquired to air in 50 countries including SHOWTIME for the US, Hollywood Suite for Canada, BritBox Australia, TVNZ for New Zealand, DR in Denmark, YLE Finland, SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway and Cosmote TV Greece. Rewind Networks and OSN Group have both acquired the series in panregional deals spanning six and 25 countries respectively across the APAC and Middle East.

Starring Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead, Love Actually) in his long-awaited return to British television and Ewan Bremner (Our Flag Means Death, Trainspotting), Coldwater is a twisted thriller about a normal man, in a normal marriage, who finds himself in a far from normal situation when he falls under the influence of someone incredibly dangerous.

Coldwater has been acquired by broadcasters in over 40 countries including SHOWTIME for the US, Bell Media for Crave in Canada, Canal+ in Poland, TVNZ for New Zealand, and OSN Group has acquired it in a panregional deal spanning 28 countries across the Middle East.

Tom Clark, EVP Global Sales & Commercial Strategy, Global Partnerships ITV Studios said, “On top of the recently announced SHOWTIME acquisition of  these gripping thrillers, we’re delighted to announce swathes of new international sales for The Guest and Coldwater. As these attention-grabbing dramas continue their global expansion, we can wait to see their widespread success with audiences worldwide.”

The Guest follows Ria, who has never had the time or opportunity to think about what she might actually want from the world. But when she starts cleaning for charismatic businesswoman Fran, she’s intoxicated by this confident and self-assured woman who encourages her to take control of her life. Fran makes Ria believe she’s capable of anything – until they find themselves standing over a dead body and everything is thrown dramatically off course. This fast-paced thriller tells the story of these two unlikely friends as their lives begin to unravel. Packed with action, intrigue and shocking hooks, it will be a fun, wild ride. Ria and Fran’s intense relationship will quickly spiral into an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse. But who is playing who?

The Guest, from Quay St Productions (Fool Me Once, Nolly, The Stolen Girl), part of ITV Studios, is written by Matthew Barry (Men Up, Industry) and directed by Ashley Way (Men Up, Who is Erin Carter?) who also serve as Executive Producers alongside Nicola Shindler (Happy Valley, It’s A Sin, Fool Me Once, Queer as Folk) and Davina Earl (Men Up, The Red King). The Guest also stars Sion Daniel Young (Lost Boys & Fairies, Slow Horses), Emun Elliott (Sexy Beast, The Gold, Guilt), Bethan Mary-James (Death Valley, Sisters, Friday Night Dinner), Julian Lewis Jones (Dope Girls, House of the Dragon and The Wheel Of Time), Joseph Ollman (Queenie, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Spent), Clive Russell (Game of Thrones, One Piece, The Witcher), Catherine Ayers (Missing You, The Way).

In Coldwater, John (Lincoln) secretly rages at his life as a middle-aged, stay-at-home dad. When his failure to intervene in a violent confrontation in a city playground brings his identity crisis to a head, John moves his family to the rural idyll of Coldwater. On arrival, he is befriended by neighbour Tommy (Bremner), a charming, confident pillar of the community. John is impressed by Tommy. However, he is blissfully unaware that Tommy is harbouring horrifying secrets. When John’s long-repressed rage finally explodes with disastrous results, he finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend. But how long will it take for him to figure out just how dangerous Tommy really is?

Coldwater, from SISTER (Black Doves, Eric, This Is Going to Hurt), is created and written by David Ireland (The Lovers, Ulster American, Cyprus Avenue) and executive produced by Ireland, Chris Fry (Black Doves, Kaos, Landscapers), Alice Tyler (The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies), Lydia Hampson (The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies, Fleabag) and Jane Featherstone (Black Doves, Eric, Chernobyl). In addition to Lincoln and Bremner, it stars Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Obsession, Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Eve Myles. It is directed by Lee Haven Jones (Passenger, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, Doctor Who) and Andrew Cumming (Out Of Darkness, Payback, Shetland).

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