BBC's 'Moving On' will be the first drama to premiere on iPlayer later this fall
BBC's iPlayer is shaping up to be a workaholic's best friend for lazy weekends. This time, it's the fifth season of daytime drama Moving On that's hitting the service, which has also scored 30-day catch-up programming and exclusive content in recent months. While the network has previously experimented with pre-TV airing, it has focused on comedies like BBC Three's Jack Whitehall's Bad Education -- this marks the first time a drama will premiere on iPlayer. There's no word on when Moving On will debut online other than that it'll happen sometime this fall, and that all five standalone episodes will be available at once. According to the BBC, this is all part of a trial that explores "the role of online premiering," so we can likely expect more titles to follow suit in the future.
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BBC One Daytime's Moving On will be first drama series to premiere on BBC iPlayer
The BBC today announces a star-studded line-up for the fifth series of BBC One's thought-provoking and acclaimed Daytime drama Moving On. To celebrate its return, the series will also premiere, in its entirety, on BBC iPlayer.
Created by EMMY and multi-BAFTA-winning writer Jimmy McGovern, the Moving On series includes five stand-alone films featuring a plethora of famous faces including Natalie Gumede (Strictly Come Dancing, Coronation Street); EastEnders' legend Anita Dobson, Anthony Flanagan (The Village, Red Riding), Jo Joyner (EastEnders, No Angels), Lee Ingleby (Inspector George Gently, White Heat), Duncan Preston (Acorn Antiques, Love And Marriage), Ray Fearon (Harry Potter, Silk), Emma Cuniffe (The Lakes, Southcliffe), Sharon Horgan (Pulling, Dead Boss), Craig Kelly (Queer As Folk, Coronation Street), Taj Atwal (Stella, Miranda), Amy Nuttall (Downton Abbey, Emmerdale), Ramon Tikaram (This Life, White Heat), Jo-Anne Knowles (Waterloo Road, Young Dracula) Rosalind Ayres (Outnumbered, The Cinder Path), Emma Lowndes (Cranford, Survivors) and Keith Barron (Duty Free, The Chase).
In addition, the series includes two films directed by comic Johnny Vegas (Bleak House, Mr Stink) and actor Robert Glenister (Hustle, Spooks).
The series premiere on BBC iPlayer is part of the BBC Trust's approved trial to explore the role of online premiering across a range of genres and channels.
Damian Kavanagh, Controller, BBC Daytime, said: "Moving On has firmly established itself as a favourite with the daytime audience and we're delighted to be able to offer new episodes exclusively on BBC iPlayer and on BBC Daytime this autumn. Viewers will be able to enjoy gripping drama performed by a stellar cast and written by talented storytellers."
Jimmy McGovern, said: "I always enjoy working on Moving On: five new stories from five brilliant writers, and a cracking cast too."
Moving On explores contemporary issues, from compulsive shoplifting and alopecia to sibling rivalry, family secrets and acrimonious divorce – all linked by the common theme of characters who reach a turning point in life and then move on. The first series of Moving On aired in May 2009 and all four series have proved to be a big hit with the Daytime audience.
Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content, BBC iPlayer, said: "We couldn't be more delighted that Jimmy McGovern's Moving On will be the first drama series to premiere on BBC iPlayer, in its entirety. As an established drama in the daytime schedule, the series premiere on BBC iPlayer will be both a gift to loyal viewers and an unprecedented opportunity for a wider audience to enjoy these five stand-alone films across multiple devices, and at a time that suits them. Over the last year, there has been 43% growth in BBC iPlayer usage across mobile and tablet - with drama programmes driving almost a third of total viewing."
The series is produced by Donna Molloy, executive produced for the BBC by Damian Kavanagh and for LA Productions by Colin McKeown. It is filmed on location in and around Liverpool.
