{"id":2285394,"date":"2026-02-17T09:29:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2285394"},"modified":"2026-02-17T09:29:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:29:48","slug":"banijay-entertainments-weighty-2026-london-tv-screenings-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/banijay-entertainments-weighty-2026-london-tv-screenings-lineup\/","title":{"rendered":"Banijay Entertainment’s Weighty 2026 London TV Screenings Lineup \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tBanijay Entertainment<\/a> is set to unveil one of the biggest and broadest of lineups at the 2026 London TV Screenings<\/a>, led by a duo of powerful U.K. dramas \u2013 the Brenda Blethyn<\/a> starring \u201cA Woman of Substance\u201d and \u201cFalling,\u201d from \u201cAdolescence\u201d co-creator Jack Thorne<\/a> \u2013 and ever more timely soccer reality show \u201cFootball Island.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe showcase will unroll once more at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, on Wednesday Feb. 25, the showcase will run across two dedicated sessions \u2013 AM and PM, marking two dedicated sessions \u2013 AM and PM.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnything written by Jack Thorne, now making headlines with Netflix bagging U.S. rights to \u201cLord of the Flies,\u201d is highly thoughtful and often deeply moving: Think Series Mania top prize winner \u201cThe Virtues.\u201d As an added enticement, \u201cFalling\u201d weighs in as his first love story.<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere, in some of its biggest scripted plays, Banijay brings either a modern mindset or a robustly modern setting and makeover to some huge scripted TV IPs.<\/p>\n

\n\tA second show from The Forge, and one of the biggest B Banijay titles to be presented at the London TV Screenings, \u201cA Woman of Substance,\u201d marks a brand new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford\u2019s same-titled novel which sold over 30 million copies worldwide while a Channel 4 mini-series makeover in 1984 gave it 13.8 million viewers, its biggest audience ever.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cWallander\u201d and \u201cHalf Man,\u201d these are awaited high-profile premium scripted plays, to be presented in London, along with a slew of returning seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBanijay\u2019s catalog, whether talked up or not in London, takes in of course a swathe of other top fiction shows, such as \u201cPeaky Blinders,\u201d returning to the screen with two six-part series produced by Kudos and Garrison Drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the U.K. and for Netflix globally, and some highly attractive non-English language plays. One case in point here is Sweden\u2019s \u201cMy Brother,\u201d from Filmlance, a psychological mystery drama set in the snows of Sweden which has just been selected for the prestigious main competition at France\u2019s Series Mania, Europe\u2019s biggest TV festival.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMuch of Banijay Entertainment\u2019s newer action on display at the London TV Screenings will be taking place in formats, where the independent behemoth announced Feb. 16 two new swings. It is also acquiring choice third party titles and launching some hipersized shows as key formats scale up, drawing on the company\u2019s muscular international potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBanijay Entertainment also has one high-concept soccer-themed contest when football will drive much of the global conversation over the summer. Unveiled at last year\u2019s London TV Screenings, after which it was rapidly commissioned by Videoland in a deal announced at Mipcom, \u201cFootball Island,\u201d a survival sport format featuring soccer legends, returns to London when this year\u2019s FIFA World Cup will focus much of the world\u2019s mindset over June-July.<\/p>\n

\n\tBanijay Entertainment\u2019s LTVS slate also features two just-announced new formats, \u201cHow Old Is Your Brain?\u201d a primetime quiz show for France\u2019s M6 from DMLS TV, behind megahit Secret Song\u201d and part of Banijay France, and \u201cStaying Alive,\u201d from EndemolShine Germany for ProSieben and Joyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe European production behemoth said Tuesday that it will also highlight in London such reimagined format hits and travelling formats as high-stakes social experiment \u201cFear Factor: House of Fear\u201d hosted by Johnny Knoxville; Emmy winning \u201cShaolin Heroes\u201d and influencer-fuelled adventure \u201cMission Unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe London TV Screenings is the perfect stage to spotlight the scale and breadth of our catalogue,\u201d said Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights. \u201cThis year\u2019s line-up reflects the continued global appetite for premium storytelling, with stand-out U.K. dramas sitting alongside hit returning titles which resonate with buyers worldwide. We look forward to welcoming partners back to BAFTA 195 Piccadilly for another exclusive event.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFrom sports-driven reality and comedy-crime entertainment to physical competition formats, we\u2019re turning up the heat at London TV Screenings. We continue to build formats that evolve, travel and resonate in this environment, making waves across networks, platforms and territories; a testament to the creativity and originality born from our global teams,\u201d added James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development and Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations at Banijay Entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, a drill-down on Banijay\u2019s biggest drama plays at the Screenings and a selection of factual shows and formats.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tScripted<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFalling,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFalling\u201d stars Keeley Hawes (\u201cScoop,\u201d \u201cMiss Austen\u201d) and Paapa Essiedu (\u201cBlack Mirror,\u201d \u201cThe Lazarus Project\u201d) in a romantic drama where a nun falls in love with a Catholic priest. Both wrestle with what it means for them, their vows, and their relationship with God. \u201c\u2018Falling\u2019 is a story that has Jack Thorne\u2019s singular talent of mining the sublime out of the ordinary running all the way through,\u201d Essiedu has said .Joe Donaldson (\u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d) produces; Peter Hoar (\u201cIt\u2019s A Sin\u201d) lead directs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHalf Man,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMaking a big splash at October\u2019s Mipcom and set for an HBO U.S. release, \u201c<\/strong>Half Man\u201d marks the latest from \u201cBaby Reindeer\u201d creator-star Richard Gadd who also heads the cast with Jamie Bell (\u201cRocket Man\u201d) in the tale of two men, close as brothers as teens, now embittered enemies. The series is described as one which captures the wild energy of a changing city \u2013 a changing world, even \u2013 while asking: What does it mean to be a man? Mam Tor Productions, a Banijay company, produces in association with Thistledown Pictures for the BBC and BBC Scotland and HBO.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOpen Water\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCommissioned by the BBC, an adaptation of Caleb Azumah Nelson\u2019s multi award-winning debut novel of the same titlefrom Mam Tor Productions and B-Side Productions for BBC. An ode to early love adapted by Azumah, tracking the increasingly deep relationship between budding photographer Marcus and dance student Effie. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThese Sacred Vows\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA third-party highlight, in which week-long drinking for an Irish wedding in Spain ends up disastrously with a priest\u2019s death. Told in dazed flashback by screenwriter-director John Butler (\u201cThe Outlaws,\u201d Season 3), \u201cThree Sacred Vows\u201d is produced by Treasure Entertainment for Irish public broadcaster RT\u00c9. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (\u201cLove\/Hate\u201d) Justine Mitchell (\u201cDerry Girls\u201d) and Jason O\u2019Mara (\u201cAgents of Shield) star.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTwo Years Later\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFrom Australia, romantic dramedy \u201cTwo Years Later,\u201d made for Paramount+, is set in Brisbane in a post-pandemic world as thirty-somethings Ryan and Emily test an unexpected relationship across eight dates, picking up two years after their daily bus flirtations which ended when COVID-19 broke out. Major Australian stars Brenton Thwaites (\u201cPirates of the Caribbean\u201d \u201cMaleficent\u201d) and Phoebe Tonkin (\u201cH2O: Just Add Water\u201d) head the cast.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWallander\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA modern-day Swedish-language reboot of the iconic global crime brand which won Kenneth Brannagh a Bafta and helped Nordic drama break out worldwide. Gustaf Skarsg\u00e5rd (\u201cOppenheimer,\u201d \u201cVikings\u201d) plays the iconic sleuth across three 90-minute films at 42, divorced and estranged from his daughter. While his father is also slipping away, Wallander\u2019s life seemingly could be unravelling. Still adding key cast and produced by Jarowskij\/Yellow Bird, Swedish network TV4 and Banijay Rights. Written by Antonia Pyk (\u201cBeartown\u201d), Josefin Johansson (\u201cTop Dog\u201d) and J\u00f6rgen Bergmark (\u201cHuss\u201d) and directed by Molly Hartleb (\u201cTop Dog\u201d). \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMagnus Ragnvid \/ ragnvid.com<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cA Woman of Substance\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThis time round, Brenda Blethyn (\u201cVera,\u201d \u201cPride and Prejudice\u201d) takes the Debra Kerr role as the older Emma Harte, once an impoverished Yorkshire maid, played by Jessica Reynolds\u00a0(\u201cKneecap\u201d),who builds from one clothes shop to becoming the richest woman in the world. She is a \u201cdaughter, mother, lover, fighter and a 20th century feminist icon who refused to know her \u2018place,\u2019\u2019\u2019 in Banijay\u2019s description. Produced for Channel 4, the new version reunites \u201cThe Buccaneers\u201d scribes Roanne Bardsley as lead writer and Katherine Jakeways and that series\u2019 helmer John Hardwick as lead director.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBanijay\u2019s London TV Screenings showcase will also feature returning scripted shows \u201cRogue Heroes\u201d for BBC iPlayer and MGM+ and the final season of \u201cGrantchester\u201d for Masterpiece PBS and ITV; Swedish crime drama \u201cFallen,\u201d from Banijay company Filmlance, for TV4; \u201cA Remarkable Place to Die\u201d (Screentime New Zealand) for TVNZ, ZDF and Acorn Anonymous (NL Film) for NPO; Blacklight\u2019s \u201cBergerac\u201d for U and U&Drama and \u201cThe One That Got Away\u201d for S4C,\u00a0 and \u201cThe Hardacre,\u201d produced by Playground for Channel 5.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFactual\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c<\/strong>America\u2019s Toughest Jails\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFor Discovery and from Lucky 8, the latter behind the incarceration classic \u201c60 Days In.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEva Longoria: Searching for France\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA celebrity.land Original series produced by Longoria\u2019s U.S.-based Hyphenate Media Group and the latest instalment in the host-led culinary travelog franchise. After seasons set in Mexico, Italy and Spain, Longoria explores the origins of French cuisine and its current mix of centuries-old tradition and cutting-edge creativity.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMission To Space: With Francis Bourgeois\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMade for Channel 4 by Shine TV, a byword for popular factual TV, social media star Bourgeois endures the rigors of astronaut training, testing if he has the Right Stuff to leave earth. Shine TV produces in association with Untold Studios.<\/p>\n

\n\tSuperbowl Champions<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tBrought to market at Mipcom by Banijay Rights, making available in international an Emmy-winning documentary collection from NFL Films and Banijay Americas label BD4 which tracks the entire season of every Super Bowl-winning team since 1985.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWild Reckoning With Bear Grylls\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tProduced for BBC One, BBC Cymru Wales and iPlayer by Wrexham-based T\u0177\u2019r Ddraig, part of Banijay UK\u2019s Workerbee Group, the show sees Bear Grylls attempt to resolve challenged relationships \u2013 from feuding families and broken friendships to neighbor disputes and long-standing workplace grudges \u2013 joining a team of mediators, psychologists and survival mentors to present participants with physical and psychological challenges in wild North Wales.<\/p>\n

\n\tFormats<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c<\/strong>100 Knives\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tBilled as the \u201clargest cooking show in history,\u201d \u201c100 Knives\u201d is backed by two Banijay companies, Mastiff Sweden (\u201cLove is Blind\u201d) and Bunim\/Murray Productions (\u201cKeeping Up With The Kardashians\u201d), as well as Smart Dog Media (\u201cThe Masked Singer\u201d). Made for Sweden\u2019s TV4 it weighs in as a high-pressure culinary smackdown where 100 chefs, from food truck owners to fine dining apprentices, split into brigades as they face escalating challenges.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDecomasters\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA celebrity competition in which 10 celebrity couples compete in a fun contest to become true interior design professionals. Made by Banjiay Entertainment\u2019s Shine Iberia\u2019s for RTVE. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Dinner\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the Netherlands\u2019 SimpelZodiak, behind the local adaptation of \u201cSurvivor\u201d and \u201cHunted,\u201d and John de Mol\u2019s Talpa Studios, a psychological reality game made for Talpa\u2019s free-to cable network SBS6. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFootball Island\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA Dutch format hailed by Banijay as a groundbreaking sports reality survival format \u201ccombining the universe language of football with the high drama of the survival format,\u201d as Townley puts it. Producing are SimpelZodiak and Banijay Benelux label Southfields, the largest sports production company in the Netherlands. 13 legendary footballers are deposited at a remote tropical location where they must survive and win football-inspired challenges. \u201cPremium adventure storytelling with authentic sports\u00a0expertise,\u201d says Banijay.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Football Island\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201c<\/strong>How Old Is Your Brain?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAnnounced Feb. 16, 200 studio contestants face 50 questions with increasing difficulty, ranging from logic, memory, and math, from questions fit for a 90-year-old brain to those demanding peak cognitive performance. \u201cA fun cerebral showdown built for co-viewing and packed with international potential,\u201d says Townley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cStaying Alive,\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAlso unveiled on Monday, a music competition pairing two currently chart-topping artists to perform the biggest hits of music history\u2019s greats, such as Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, and Freddie Mercury. \u201c\u2018Staying Alive\u2019 is set to be a spectacular performance event, bringing authenticity, warmth, and emotional impact in a primetime entertainment show,\u201d Fabian Tobias, managing director, Endemol Shine Germany, said Monday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWho\u2019s Guilty?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAlso just unveiled, on Feb. 12, a comedy crime competition from Metronome, behind \u201cShaolin Heroes,\u201d for Danish pubcaster channel DR1, in which a comedy troupe is thrown into a fictional crime the attempts to dupe a celebrity jury about who is the real culprit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThird-party non-scripted portfolio takes in cult strategic reality format \u201cWerewolves\u201d from Studiocanal and Dreamspark; superbrand \u201cNinja Warrior\u201d from Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS); and digital-first format \u201cAll Star Hide and Seek\u201d from Troot and Rabbit Film.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Banijay Entertainment is set to unveil one of the biggest and broadest of lineups at the 2026 London TV Screenings, led by a duo of powerful U.K. dramas \u2013 the Brenda Blethyn starring \u201cA Woman of Substance\u201d and \u201cFalling,\u201d from \u201cAdolescence\u201d co-creator Jack Thorne \u2013 and ever more timely soccer reality show \u201cFootball Island.\u201d The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2285395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[382916,440299,327422,397889],"class_list":["post-2285394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-banijay-entertainment","tag-brenda-blethyn","tag-jack-thorne","tag-london-tv-screenings"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Banijay-Entertainments-Weighty-2026-London-TV-Screenings-Lineup.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2285394"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2285396,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285394\/revisions\/2285396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2285395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2285394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2285394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2285394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}