BBC, ZDF and FRANCE TELEVISIONS greenlight Elizabethan tween detective series 'The Lady Grace Mysteries'
ZDF Studios to co-produce and handle worldwide sales with Federation Kids & Family
France/United Kingdom/Germany – Thursday 10th October 2024
Premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media, kids content creator Coolabi Productions, and ZDF Studios, along with leading broadcasters BBC, ZDF, and France Télévisions, are delighted to announce the new live-action tween detective series THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES.
With filming scheduled to take place in a British castle during spring 2025, THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES is based on the best-selling children’s detective fiction series of the same name which first published in 2004. Their immense popularity led to the publication of 12 titles in the series, multiple international editions, and over 300,000 books sold worldwide.
THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES (10 x 24') is a Cottonwood Media and Coolabi Group production, in co-production with ZDF Studios. The series is commissioned by the BBC (for CBBC), and ZDF, with a pre-sale to France Télévisions.
Manon Ardisson, Head of Fiction at Cottonwood Media, and Lead Director Alexander Jacob (Managing Director for Cottonwood Media Ltd) will oversee the production.
Lead Writer is Emmy award-winning Anna McCleery. Some of her key credits include Free Rein for NETFLIX, A Kind of Spark for CBBC/BYU, and Hollyoaks (Channel 4).
THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES, which targets 8 – 12 year olds, tells the story of Lady Grace Cavendish, the world’s first female teenage detective working as a private spy for Queen Elizabeth I and navigating the dangerous waters of royal politics in an English court full of plots, threats and mystery. Orphaned but fearless, Grace has spent her youth outwitting palace guards, avoiding the responsibilities of being a lady-in-waiting, and most importantly, finessing the fine art of swiping jam tarts! With her best friends – the savvy servant Ellie, and the dazzling performer Masou, at her side - she has to deal with the trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl, while investigating perilous mysteries.
ZDF Studios and Federation Kids & Family are handling worldwide sales.
Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Children’s Commissioning 7+, BBC said: “The Lady Grace Mysteries feels so fresh and gives our viewers the opportunity to spend time in a really exciting period of history, but in a modern and standout way, with a modern and standout lead. Solving mysteries is such a favourite too and with such a unique setting, it should be attractive to a much wider audience. We’re delighted to be on board with Cottonwood Media, Coolabi, ZDF, FTV, and lead writer Anna McCleery.”
Nicole Keeb, Head of International Co-productions and Acquisitions, Children and Youth programs, ZDF, commented: "We are delighted to be part of this wonderful new adventure. The Lady Grace Mysteries is about a girl who protects and saves Queen Elizabeth using her own resources and her teenage friends, that’s a very exciting plot. We are expecting a high-quality costume drama that will fit perfectly into our portfolio and can hardly wait to get it on air.”
Co-founders of Cottonwood Media, David Michel, Cécile Laurenson and Zoé Carrera Allaix said: “When Coolabi introduced the books to us, it was one of those precious moments when you can instantly picture a really cool TV show. Packed with intrigue, wit, adventure and humour, the response from the broadcasters involved was incredibly positive from the get-go. And we are delighted to be working with such amazing partners on something we feel will take tween viewers on an amazing up-beat historical adventure allowing them to tap into their own inner sleuth.”
Michael Dee, Director Coolabi Productions and Chris Snowdon, Director of IP Creation and MD, Working Partners said: “Coolabi Productions are thrilled with the calibre of production and broadcast partners adapting our book series for television. There’s never been a better time to tell historical stories with a contemporary twist, and relevant themes for today’s audiences. Intrigue and plotting have always existed in royal courts - and the Lady Grace Mysteries will provide a window into the dazzling court of Queen Elizabethan I, with its sumptuous fashions; all served up with slices of humour and irreverence. As a co-producer we cannot wait to work with Cottonwood, the BBC, ZDF, Anna McCleery and the exceptional writing team.”
Arne Lohmann, VP Junior, ZDF Studios said: “Lady Grace captured our hearts from the first moment the show was presented to us. I am sure that The Lady Grace Mysteries will be as much a worldwide success as the previous series Find Me in Paris, Spellbound and Theodosia, which we co-produced with our friends at Cottonwood.”
Claire Heinrich, Head of Acquisitions, Children’s & Youth, France Télévisions added: “We are delighted to continue a long-term partnership with Cottonwood Media on top-quality children's fiction aimed at the older end of our audience. This project fits perfectly with our need for high-stakes adventure in the exciting setting of a royal court, with its many possibilities for intrigue. The historical background combined with a modern tone and the contemporary issues of a smart and inspiring teenager who navigates between boring duties and risky investigations, experiences strong friendships and harsh betrayals, is a fine recipe for success. Add a zest of romance and you have all the ingredients for an exceptional show!
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About ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen): ZDF is Germany’s national public television broadcaster and has been broadcasting since 1st April 1963. It also operates two thematic channels ZDFneo and ZDFInfo. In partnership with other public broadcasters, ZDF jointly operates the internet-only offer funk, the German channels PHOENIX and KIKA, and the European channels 3sat and ARTE. The corporation has a permanent staff of 3,600 plus a similar number of freelancers. Since March 2022, ZDF has been headed by Director-General Norbert Himmler. ZDF is based in Mainz, but also maintains permanent bureaus in the 16 Länder capitals as well as special editorial and production facilities in Berlin. For international coverage, ZDF has foreign correspondents operating in 19 permanent bureaus worldwide. ZDF offers full-range generalist programming with a mix of information, education, arts, entertainment and sports. Its coverage provides both a broad view on the world and a comprehensive picture of Germany and, in this way, ZDF strives to offer the highest possible public service value. www.zdf.de
About Cottonwood Media: Cottonwood Media (a subsidiary of Federation Studios and part of its kids’ division Federation Kids & Family) was founded by David Michel, Zoé Carrera Allaix and Cécile Laurenson. Cottonwood Media creates, produces, and invests in premium talent-driven content with a focus on bringing together North American and European audiences on both linear and non-linear platforms. In 2015 Cottonwood Media partnered with Federation Studios to create Federation Kids & Family, a global distribution division which distributes original content and third party acquisitions. Based in Paris and Berlin, with offices in Los Angeles and Toronto, Cottonwood’s productions include live-action series such as Circuit Breakers (sci-fi for Apple TV), Spellbound (ballet/witchcraft), Theodosia (period Egyptology/adventure), Find Me in Paris (time-travelling ballet themed, airing in over 90 territories), animated feature film Around the World in 80 Days distributed by Studio Canal (#1 French movie in Box office international in 2021), and animated series 20 Dance Street (dramedy/ballet), The Ollie and Moon Show (pre-school), and the wacky comedy Squish (6-10 yrs). https://cottonwood.tv/
About Coolabi Productions: We are a global leader in the creation of fiction for children and Young Adult and an award-winning creator of TV and digital content for children and family. Warrior Cats, Beast Quest and Rainbow Magic are but three of more than 200 series and 2,000+ book titles we have created and licensed to publishers through our book business, Working Partners. We add 60/70 new titles to our catalogue every year. Licensed in over 40 languages, lifetime sales across our list exceeds 200 million copies. Coolabi Productions develops and produces our book IP with TV partners. Clangers, Scream Street and Poppy Cat are part of our existing hit television portfolio: developed and produced in-house, and licensed in over 140 countries. Warrior Cats and Beast Quest feature in our fast-growing digital arm: app downloads currently stand at over 20 million. Our Warrior Cats Roblox game has been played 500 million+ times, whilst Warrior Cats UGC animation has over half-a-billion YouTube views and viewed on TikTok almost two billion times. www.coolabi.com
About ZDF Studios: ZDF Studios is a commercial subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest TV broadcasters in Europe. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mainz, Germany, the ZDF Studios Group operates more than 30 direct and indirect subsidiaries and affiliates in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom spanning TV production, distribution and services. The parent company, ZDF Studios, is responsible for global programme distribution, realisation of international co-productions, acquisition of licences and merchandising of successful programme brands under its own name, for ZDF and third parties. ZDF Studios has the largest German-language programme inventory in the world and a constantly growing range of international productions, consisting of series and mini-series, television films, documentaries and children's programmes. The companies of the ZDF Studios Group cover the entire value chain from the development of scripted and unscripted TV content to production, marketing and monetizing, including TV and streaming licences as well as merchandising and online rights. The positioning of ZDF Studios as an integrated media company enables the development of innovative, outstanding and high-quality programmes and makes the Group an attractive workplace for German and international talent to flourish in a very inspiring and creative environment. www.zdf-studios.com
About France TV: First French media, France Télévisions offers 6,600 hours of children and youth programs on linear France Télévisions channels, the platform kids Okoo and the platform France.tv Slash for young adults.
About Federation Kids & Family: Federation Kids & Family is a global kids’ content producer and distributor, and a division of Federation Studios, a leading global media powerhouse specializing in high-end international programming. Federation Kids & Family distributes premium original content featuring animated series and specials, as well as talent-driven live action drama series. Titles include LIVE ACTION tween series such as the K-pop inspired coming-of-age dramedy Gangnam Project, the global hit Find Me in Paris (ballet/time travel), Spellbound (witchcraft/ballet), Theodosia (period Egyptology-themed), ANIMATION series such Simon Super Rabbit (hit preschool long-running series), Monster Shaker, The New Adventures of the Triplets, The Ollie and Moon Show, Squish, Presto! School of Magic, and DOCU-STYLE series Let’s Dance, to name a few. Federation Kids & Family also focuses on building strategic partnerships and alliances with major international companies and broadcasters. https://federationstudios.com/genre/kids/
For media enquiries please contact:
Cottonwood Media
Céline Xerri-Brook celine@magena-media.com Tel: +44 (0)7957 334228
Valérie Tailland Valerie.tailland@fedent.com Tel: +33 (6) 82 57 06 09
ZDF Studios
Christine Denilauler Christine.Denilauler@zdf-studios.com