BBC Studios is expanding its scripted production operation with the launch of CliffEdge Entertainment, a new label dedicated to commercially driven returning dramas, with crime, mystery and thriller series at the centre of its strategy.
The new company will be led by Deborah Sathe, who moves from her role as Senior Creative Director of BBC Studios Drama Productions to become CliffEdge Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer. The label is designed to develop both new series and established BBC Studios productions with the potential to grow into long-running international franchises.
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.”
What will BBC Studios’ CliffEdge Entertainment Include?
CliffEdge’s existing portfolio includes established titles such as Silent Witness, Father Brown and Shakespeare and Hathaway, while its development slate is already expanding with new productions.
Among the label’s upcoming titles is The Detection Club, starring Miles Jupp, Bryony Hannah and Cara Theobold. The BBC and BritBox drama is currently filming in the Midlands. CliffEdge is also behind The Night They Vanished, a Welsh romantic thriller made in association with Channel 4 and starring Gabrielle Creevy, Callum Scott-Howells, Tamzin Outhwaite and Steffan Rhodri.
The company plans to build on this mix with new crime, thriller, mystery and precinct-based dramas aimed at both UK broadcasters and international buyers. The focus is on returning formats and characters that can support long-term audience relationships rather than one-off scripted projects.
Sathe said the label will concentrate on “ambitious, entertaining, character-driven drama” with international appeal, while BBC Studios Scripted MD Jamie Hall highlighted her creative leadership and the team’s early progress with new productions.
Sathe joined the company in 2019 and has previously held senior creative positions at the BBC, Cinestaan and Film London. CliffEdge will operate alongside BBC Studios’ existing scripted labels, including Clerkenwell Films, Firebird Pictures, Sid Gentle Films, Lookout Point and House Productions.
Source: BBC Studios
