ARD Nabs Psychological Thriller ‘Cheat’ From All3Media in Berlin

By Robert Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – All3Media International has secured another major pre-sale on Two Brothers Pictures’ “Cheat” ahead of its screening as part of the European Film Market’s official Drama Series Days program in Berlin next week. ARD Degeto has acquired the drama series for Germany, with plans to air the show later this year.

“Cheat” stars Katherine Kelly and BAFTA-winner Molly Windsor in a psychological thriller centering on a dangerous relationship between a university professor (Kelly) and her student (Windsor). What begins as a seemingly open and shut case of academic deception quickly spirals out of control, ending in fatal consequences and triggering a devastating sequence of events that threaten to engulf them both. The four-part series was written and created by newcomer Gaby Hull and directed by Louise Hooper.

It was produced by Two Brothers for ITV, with AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now taking North American rights last summer . , which is handling global distribution, has also secured sales to France Televisions (France), ITI Neovision (Poland), TV4 (Sweden), YLE (Finland), Seven Network (Australia), and Sky TV (New Zealand). ITV International Channels will handle the show in Africa.

Another Two Brothers series, “The Missing” spinoff “Baptiste,” with Tcheky Karyo returning as insightful but stubborn investigator Julien Baptiste, will also screen in the program. All3Media has already sold TV rights to the six-part thriller, which co-stars Tom Hollander and Jessica Raine, to Denmark (DR), Iceland (RUV), Poland (ITI Neovision), and to BBC Studios for Australia and Africa. It was produced by Two Brothers for BBC One in the U.K. in association with All3Media international and co-produced by Czar Film and TV.

Drama Series Days, the EFM’s trade initiative dedicated to all aspects of serial content, runs Feb. 11-13.