Irish thriller Smother lands first global adaptation

Irish drama series Smother is to be adapted for the first time in Slovakia, following a deal brokered by BBC Studios.  

Written by Kate O’Riordan, Smother was produced by BBC Studios and Treasure Entertainment for RTÉ, and ran for three series from 2021-23. It is set in County Clare and follows a widow who, only after his death, discovers that her late husband had manipulative relationships with his family which might have driven one of them to murder. 

BBC Studios has sold the drama to Slovakia’s TV Markíza and its digital platform Voyo, with a 12-part local version to be produced by Film Kolektiv. The series will start filming in the first half of 2025. 

It is the third scripted format from BBC that TV Markíza has adapted in recent years, following a 12-part adaptation of Mistresses, which aired in 2018, and a 10-part adaptation of Doctor Foster, which aired in 2024. 

The original production of Smother picked up an RTS Ireland award for Best Drama and sold to the US, Australia, and across Europe. 

BBCS format sales director for unscripted Magdalena VanNiekerk, who brokered the deal, said: “BBC Studios continues to be one of the top scripted format distributors in the world owing to the incredibly crafted stories and characters within in our catalogue, available to be retold in new ways and to new audiences around the world.  

“Relationship and family-based dramas are appreciated by our customers as they share universal themes, such as betrayal and revenge, which resonates with audiences wherever they are in the world.” 

Smother forms part of BBC Studios Showcase unrivalled scripted formats slate presented today to buyers in London.  

O’Riordan’s latest six-part crime thriller Blackshore is co-produced by River Pictures and Treasure Entertainment for RTÉ.