EXCLUSIVE: Hit CBS comedy Ghosts came out of an interesting deal between BBC Studios, the production arm of the British public broadcaster, and Lionsgate.
That deal, which was initially signed in 2018, has now come to an end, Deadline understands.
This comes as two of the key executives involved in the co-production pact, Rachel Bendavid and Angie Stephenson, have secured new roles at BBC Studios LA Productions, the Culver City-based division of the BBC.
“Our scripted co-production partnership with Lionsgate has been successful and productive, leading to one of the biggest hit comedies on television. While we have mutually agreed not to extend our formal business agreement, Lionsgate will remain a valued partner, and we will continue to work together for years to come on the hit show Ghosts and on an array of projects in development,” a BBC Studios spokeswoman told Deadline. “We are pleased to welcome Rachel Bendavid to our in-house team at BBC Studios and committed to our strong, continuing collaboration with Lionsgate.”
Deadline understands that Lionsgate is also understood to be re-examining all of its development partnerships as part of its consolidation of eOne, which it acquired last year.
Former ABC drama executive Bendavid took the job of running the joint venture as head of programming in 2020. She will now segue to a role at BBC Studios Productions.
She will become EVP, Scripted Programming for BBC Studios Productions, as will Angie Stephenson, who was previously SVP, Scripted Development at BBC Studios and an exec producer on Ghosts.
Rachel Bendavid & Angie Stephenson (BBC Studios)
The pair will now report into Valerie Bruce, the Head and General Manager of BBC Studios Los Angeles Production. The pair will also work closely with BBC Studios Productions’ President of Scripted, Mark Linsey.
This group will be tasked with figuring out what BBC Studios next plan of attack is when it comes to producing content for U.S. broadcasters and streamers as well as co-producing titles and finding U.S. remakes of its library of scripted formats.
It comes as Ghosts is entering its third season. The joint venture has also spawned series such as Fox’s Welcome To Flatch, which was a remake of BBC3 comedy This Country and ran for two seasons, and Call Me Kat, the remake of BBC1 comedy Miranda, which ran for three seasons on Fox.
Bendavid spent a decade as VP drama development at ABC, where she worked on series such as The Good Doctor and Once Upon a Time. Prior to that she was a drama development executive at Fox, including a stint as co-head of the department. Bendavid’s resume also include a four-year tenure at Spelling TV, the last two as SVP of series development, and a stint as director of series television at Lifetime.
“Rachel and Angie are both exceptionally accomplished, and I have confidence that they will combine their talents to help us fuel the continued growth of our scripted business,” said Bruce.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to lead BBC Studios LA scripted programming into its next chapter,” added Bendavid and Stephenson. “BBC Studios has some of the most beloved and successful global brands to inspire us, a passion for creative excellence, great story telling, and outstanding talent on both sides of the Atlantic. We are truly excited about what lies ahead.”
