Banijay Entertainment will present a diverse slate of dramas and formats at the 2026 London TV Screenings on February 25. The lineup features U.K. dramas such as 'A Woman of Substance' and 'Falling,' alongside the soccer reality show 'Football Island.' Executives highlight the global appeal of their premium content.
Banijay Entertainment is preparing to showcase one of its largest lineups at the 2026 London TV Screenings, taking place on Wednesday, February 25, at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly in two sessions. The event will spotlight powerful U.K. dramas, including 'A Woman of Substance,' a new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's novel starring Brenda Blethyn as the older Emma Harte and Jessica Reynolds as the younger version. The story follows Emma's rise from an impoverished Yorkshire maid to the world's richest woman. Another key title is 'Falling,' a romantic drama by Jack Thorne starring Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu, where a nun falls in love with a Catholic priest, exploring their vows and faith. Paapa Essiedu described it as a story with Thorne's 'singular talent of mining the sublime out of the ordinary.'
Other scripted highlights include a modern Swedish reboot of 'Wallander' with Gustaf Skarsgård as the divorced detective facing personal unraveling, produced by Jarowskij/Yellow Bird for TV4. 'Half Man,' from Richard Gadd, features him and Jamie Bell as former friends turned enemies, produced for BBC and HBO. The slate also covers returning series like 'Peaky Blinders' for BBC and Netflix, and 'My Brother,' a Swedish psychological mystery selected for Series Mania.
In formats, 'Football Island' returns as a survival show with soccer legends on a remote island, commissioned by Videoland. New additions are 'How Old Is Your Brain?,' a quiz for M6 from DMLS TV, and 'Staying Alive,' a music competition pairing artists to perform hits by legends like Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston, from EndemolShine Germany. '100 Knives' pits 100 chefs in challenges for TV4.
Cathy Payne, CEO of Banijay Rights, stated, 'The London TV Screenings is the perfect stage to spotlight the scale and breadth of our catalogue.' James Townley and Lucas Green added that they are 'turning up the heat' with evolving formats for global audiences.
Factual content includes 'Eva Longoria: Searching for France' for CNN and 'Bear Grylls – Wild Reckoning' for BBC One, focusing on relationship resolutions through survival challenges.