“The. Best. TV romance. Ever.”
Robert Rorke, The New York Post (USA)
“I’ve never laughed so much at foetal abnormality and cervical dysplasia…Comedy is bloody hard to do: which is why, when something as wonderfully funny as Channel 4’s Catastrophe appears, it feels so very, very exciting”
Grace Dent, The Independent (UK)
It was announced today (Thursday 16th June 2016) that after broadcasting in the UK, USA and in multiple territories around the world to universal acclaim, Avalon Distribution have announced the first scripted-format sale of Catastrophe. The series, also called Catastrophe, is being produced by 1R2D for the broadcaster Super Écran in French-speaking Canada and is set to air in early 2017.
Filming will take place in Montreal this autumn and will star JULIE PERREAULT as Audrey, a Quebecois school teacher, and ROSSIF SUTHERLAND as Frank, an American Francophile who make a bloody mess as they struggle to fall in love in Montreal. Clumsy lust, instant pregnancy, and genuine disaster provide the foundation for this flaming hovel of a relationship. The series will be directed by LOUISE ARCHAMBAULT (Gabrielle and Familia).
It is based on, Catastrophe (12 x 30’), written and created by Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan and produced by Avalon Television with Birdbath Productions and Merman Films for Channel 4 in the UK and Amazon Prime in the USA. The original series has now been sold to over 120 territories worldwide by Avalon Distribution. Most recent sales include: Lifetime (US), Canal + (France), Movistar+ (Telefonica, Spain), ABC (Australia), Direct TV (Pan Americana) and HOT (Israel).
These acquisitions join previous deals with Amazon (USA) and Amazon Prime Instant (UK), Sky (NZ), Channel 2 (Iceland), AMC Networks for Sundance Channel (Benelux), Canadian subscription VoD service Shomi and Scandinavian pubcasters SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland) and NRK (Norway).
Both series of Catastrophe have a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (representing the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or TV show) and after transmitting on Channel 4 it is available exclusively in the USA to Amazon Prime Instant Video members.
Catastrophe has currently won: two 2016 Royal Television Society Awards (Scripted Comedy and Writer: Comedy) two 2016 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards (Best Comedy and Best Writer), a 2016 BAFTA TV Craft (Writer: Comedy), a 2016 Rose D’Or Award (Best Sitcom), and a 2016 South Bank Sky Arts Award (Comedy).
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For further information please contact:
Dan Lloyd at Avalon on [email protected] / 020 7598 8000
NOTES TO EDITORS
Catastrophe was originally produced by Avalon Television with co-producers Birdbath Productions and Merman. Avalon Television are currently in production with: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), Not Going Out (BBC One), Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central (BBC Two), Man Down (Channel 4), Adam DeVine’s House Party (Comedy Central USA), Taskmaster (UKTV) and Workaholics (Comedy Central USA).
