Thursday 10 July

Watch, UKTV's flagship entertainment channel, will premiere hotly-anticipated US drama series, The Strain, this autumn.

From Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, The Strain is based on the best-selling vampire novel trilogy by Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and award-winning author Chuck Hogan. Carlton Cuse (Lost) will serve as Executive Producer/showrunner and writer on the series

The high-concept 13 x 60' series, set in New York, opens with a feature-length episode and follows the lethal outbreak of a virus linked to ancient vampires.

Catherine Mackin, Director of Acquisitions, UKTV, said,

The Strain feels totally fresh in the horror/fantasy genre - forget everything you've seen about vampires, as this series will turn it on its head and leave you spinning. It has a rich heritage of writing talent combined with stunning visuals and outstanding acting and we can't wait to bring this exciting and epic series to Watch. We are also delighted to be extending our relationship with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution and bringing more quality drama to the UK.

Steve North, General Manager for Watch, added,

The opportunity to premiere the work of Guillermo del Toro in the UK was too good to miss. It is one of the most anticipated shows of the year and I'm delighted we can bring it to Watch viewers.

Steve Cornish, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution said,

Watch viewers had better prepare themselves for The Strain. Guillermo, Chuck and Carlton have really created a stunning and terrifying piece of television. The show definitely raises the bar for horror and fantasy on TV.

The ensemble cast stars Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro, Sean Astin, Kevin Durand, Natalie Brown, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, Jack Kesy, Ben Hyland, and Miguel Gomez.

The Strain tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.

Guillermo del Toro has built his career on bringing fantasy and horror to vivid life. He wrote and directed the dark fairy tale Pan's Labyrinth, which garnered six Academy Award nominations, including one for del Toro for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. The film went on to win three Oscars.

Cuse is an Emmy and Peabody Award winning writer/producer, best known for the acclaimed series Lost.

Del Toro and Hogan co-wrote the pilot script for The Strain, which was directed by del Toro. Cuse, del Toro, Hogan and Gary Ungar will serve as Executive Producer. The series is produced by FX Productions and will premiere in America on 13 July and on Watch in the UK in the autumn.

UKTV's Watch has enjoyed a strong start to 2014 with adult share up year-to-date 14% (year-on-year). More than 14m individuals tune into the channel every month, helping to make UKTV the fastest growing non-PSB broadcaster in Britain. UKTV's award-winning network of 10 channels reaches over 42 million viewers a month.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Kerry Parker, Head of Network Communications

Justine Bower, Group Publicity Manager, UKTV

About Watch

Sky 109 (HD)/155 and Virgin 125 (HD)/124

Watch is an entertainment channel that promises to surprise with out of the ordinary programming. Premiering hit fantasy and science-fiction dramas such as Grimm, Believe and Beauty and the Beast, it also showcases a selection of distinctive series like Doctor Who, David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities, Masterchef Australia and The Happenings. Watch is the exclusive home of Dynamo: Magician Impossible, an award winning original commission from UKTV.

www.justwatch.co.uk / @Watch_Channel

About UKTV

UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers per month.

UKTV's ten imaginative channel brands - Watch, Dave, Gold, Alibi, Eden, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home and Good Food - include the most watched non-PSB channel, the most watched channel in the Factual genre and the most watched channels in the Lifestyle genre (Pay and Free). The company's most recent financial results showed a record-breaking year-end revenue of £262m, and operating profit at £71m.

UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC and Channel 4 content, and embracing technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT TV, TalkTalk, YouView, plus direct On Demand digital services. The network distributes its highly valued programmes to 200 territories around the world and supplies Sky with more hours of HD content than anyone else.

Now celebrating its 21st year at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the only British broadcaster to be recognised by Best Companies.

20th Century Fox Television Distribution

A unit of 21st Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution is a global leader in the distribution of award-winning motion pictures, television programming and entertainment content across pay-TV, broadcast television and SVOD. Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution connects audiences around the world with premium content from the production divisions of Twentieth Century Fox Films, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX and FBC as well as other 21st Century Fox companies.