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Entertainment One (eOne) has struck an exclusive distribution deal with Northern Irish production outfit Alleycats Films.

Under the terms of the deal, which was brokered by Noel Hedges, eOne’s Executive Vice President of Acquisitions, the unscripted producer will develop and produce premium content for the global market, with eOne taking first-look international rights on these shows.

The first two series to fall under the deal are both for BBC3: competition show The Fast and the Farmer-ish and ob doc The Big Proud Party Agency.

Alleycats, which is headquartered in Derry and has a presence in Belfast and London, was founded by Ed Stobart in 2010 and has since produced the likes of eOne-distributed BBC2 series Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez and PBS/Arte’s Tiananmen: The People v The Party.

Stobart said the deal comes “after a period of rapid growth.”

Hedges added: “As we continue...

Exhibition

Trafalgar Releasing are set to adapt London’s V&a museum’s blockbuster Alice in Wonderland exhibition for theatrical release. “Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser,” which explores the cultural impact of Lewis Carroll’s iconic protagonist on figures from Salvador Dali to Tim Burton, is to be made into a “special cinema event,” the museum has revealed, with a U.K. release date set for Oct. 14. International screenings are set to follow.

Dione Orrom and Matt Askem will direct.

“Alice has been an inspiration for generations and is an icon for today,” said Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby. “We’re delighted to be partnering with the V&a to bring this ground-breaking exhibition to a global cinema audience.” – K.J. Yossman

Commission

A+E Networks U.K. has commissioned “Lost Relic Hunters,” the sequel to Sky History channel hit “Lost Relics of the Knights Templar,” from Fired Up Films and Krempelwood.

The...

BBC Four is one of the BBC’s most highly-regarded networks, but its future is under threat as the UK broadcaster looks to cut costs and refocus on super-serving young audiences.

There have been months of whispers about BBC Four’s durability and the rumor mill went into overdrive last week when the channel’s editor, Cassian Harrison, made a surprise sideways move to BBC Studios on a nine-month attachment.

The BBC insisted that the plan is for Harrison to return, but industry insiders think it is the first step in a major change of course for the network, which spawned hits like The Thick Of It and introduced UK audiences to Scandi drama The Killing.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday that BBC Four will be axed, even though it said the BBC won’t publically admit that this is the case. Indeed, a spokeswoman said: “There are no plans to close BBC Four.