BBC Studios launches new scripted label, CliffEdge Entertainment, to create next generation of returning dramas

BBC Studios is launching a new scripted production label, CliffEdge Entertainment, focused on developing and producing bold, mainstream returning titles for UK broadcasters, streamers and international markets. Current Senior Creative Director for BBC Studios Drama Productions, Deborah Sathe, will take the helm as Chief Creative Officer.

CliffEdge Entertainment will bring together some of the UK's most-loved series while creating the next generation of enduring scripted brands. Focused on crime, mystery, thriller and precinct-based storytelling, the label combines established audience favourites with a pipeline of ambitious new originals, designed to resonate internationally. Spanning primetime and emerging digital-first opportunities, CliffEdge will specialise in returning mainstream titles that build a loyal, long-term fanbase.

New productions include Welsh romantic thriller The Night They Vanished made in association with Channel 4, which stars Gabrielle Creevy, Callum Scott-Howells, Tamzin Outhwaite and Steffan Rhodri. The recently announced The Detection Club, starring Miles Jupp, Bryony Hannah and Cara Theobold, is currently filming in the Midlands for the BBC and BritBox. Established programming that will now come under the CliffEdge label include Silent Witness, Father Brown and Shakespeare and Hathaway.

Deborah Sathe, CCO of CliffEdge Entertainment, said: “CliffEdge Entertainment is the perfect playground for me and the team to make the kind of television we love to watch – ambitious, entertaining, character driven drama that can connect with audiences around the world. We are proud producers of Silent Witness, Shakespeare and Hathaway, and Father Brown, and delighted to be in production with our newly greenlit The Detection Club and The Night They Vanished. As we look to our future CliffEdge will focus on delivering bold, highly commercial drama across crime, thrillers, mysteries and returning precinct and gang series set in the UK and beyond. The CliffEdge team brings together some of the most talented producers in the business and I am thrilled to be launching this commercially focused label with an exceptional team by my side.”

Jamie Hall, MD for BBC Studios Scripted said: "Deborah's is a dynamic, entrepreneurial leader with fantastic taste, it was a very easy decision to set her up with CliffEdge. It is testament to her and her team that they are already off the mark with several new shows and many more to come, said: “Deborah's is a dynamic, entrepreneurial leader with fantastic taste, it was a very easy decision to set her up with CliffEdge. It is testament to her and her team that they are already off the mark with several new shows and many more to come, I can't wait to take to see what she achieves for BBC Studios.”

Sathe joined BBC Studios in 2019 and most recently served as Senior Creative Director of Drama Productions, overseeing drama production, talent development, training and digital initiatives. Prior to this she held a range of senior creative roles at the BBC and beyond, including Director of International Operations for Cinestaan, and Head of Talent Development and Production at Film London.

The launch of CliffEdge Entertainment marks a significant step in BBC Studios' strategy to create and sustain premium returning drama franchises. By bringing together established shows and original productions under a dedicated creative banner, the new label will strengthen BBC Studios' ability to develop audience-favourite series with global commercial potential. It will sit alongside BBC Studios scripted production labels Clerkenwell Films, Firebird Pictures, Sid Gentle Films Ltd, Lookout Point, House Productions, Baby Cow, BBC Studios Fiction, BBC Studios Comedy and BBC Studios Drama Productions - and BBC Studios invested independent producers.

ENDS

About BBC Studios
BBC Studios is the main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd and generated revenues of £2.1 billion in the last year and profits of over £200 million for a fifth consecutive year. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the content studio, which produces, invests and distributes TV and audio globally and media & streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including UKTV, BBC.com and BritBox and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made almost 3,500 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide range of UK and global broadcasters and platforms. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.