EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ has struck a deal for hit BBC drama The A Word and spin-off Ralph & Katie with Keshet International.
The deal will see all three seasons of Christopher Eccleston-starrer The A Word and Ralph & Katie’s debut licensed to Disney+ across EMEA.
The A Word is already available on Disney+ across the Nordics and Belgium, with staggered launches slated for Portugal, Italy, Spain and France from November, and Germany, Austria and Switzerland later on.
The news emerged on the first day of Mipcom Cannes, where Israeli powerhouse Keshet is present.
The shows are based on Israeli family drama Yellow Peppers, which was created by Keren Margalit for Keshet Broadcasting.
From showrunner Peter Bowker, both have redefined the landscape for disability representation in drama in the UK. Ralph & Katie, which follows the exploits of two A Word characters with Down’s Syndrome, was forged by one of the first ever all-disabled writers’ rooms for a mainstream longform drama and is the first to feature two leads with Down’s Syndrome. Bowker recently told Deadline: “There is so much talent bubbling away within these [disabled] stories. The hunger to be heard is there and there is no real excuse why disabled writers shouldn’t get work.”
Produced by Fifty Fathoms and Tiger Aspect, The A Word follows a five-year-old who displays clear signs of communication problems, leading his dysfunctional family to have to get used to his autism while coping with their own apparent social disorders.
“Being part of the team which has helped Keren Margalit’s Yellow Peppers develop from a beautiful family drama here in Israel into a returning primetime BBC One drama that has sold in more than 80 territories and spawned its own spin-off is incredibly satisfying,” said Keshet International COO and President of Distribution Keren Shahar.