BBC Studios licenced the ‘Doctor Foster’ format to Nippon TV earlier this year. The new agreement builds on that relationship between the two companies.
Koso Koso sees celebrity secret agents prank unsuspecting contestants to win them a cash prize. The contestants think they are in a reality show, unaware of the celebrity agents constantly observing their every move. The undercover agents must complete ridiculous missions without arousing suspicion.
The new format is the result of a co-development partnership between the company, BBC Studios and the content incubator Empire of Arkadia (EOA), which operates in Asia. EOA, led by Fotini Paraskakis is known for its local format adaptations of global brands such as Got Talent, Big Brother and Masterchef across Asia over the past 25 years.Speaking about the development of Koso Koso, Suzy Lamb, MD of BBC Studios Entertainment productions said: “This has been an exciting creative process and together we have created a format which may not have happened in isolation. It’s a real coming together of UK and Japanese creativity to create a format that will have wide appeal.”
Paraskakis, Founder of EOA added: “Our aim is to leverage creative gaps in the highly competitive unscripted market, by creating a format based on known international structures with the addition of fresh Japanese creative twists. We are thrilled with this achievement. It’s been amazing to see how two powerful and very culturally different platforms have come together, with our support, to create something unique that really addresses content demands today.”
