New York, NY– BBC AMERICA announced today that it will develop two new distinctive series, Wired and The Dead Beat, with UK indie Clerkenwell Films, producers of the hit UK sci-fi series Misfits. Wired, a sci-fi program from writer Steven Volk (Afterlife), and The Dead Beat, a paranormal crime show from writer John Jackson (Being Human), are the first series created out of the non-exclusive development deal between BBC AMERICA and Clerkenwell Films, which was announced in September 2011. Both series will be distributed by BBC Worldwide.

Wired takes place in a world that looks exactly like today, except for one thing: this is a world with ‘Syns’ (‘Synthetic Organisms’), exact replicas of human beings and the newest luxury accessory money can buy. Wired explores our evolving relationship with technology, the boundaries of society’s values and moralities, our hypocrisies and contradictions – holding up a mirror to who we are today and what we might become.

In The Dead Beat, two cops, one dead and one alive, become a reluctant team, working from leads in the world of the dead to track down killers in the world of the living. Subverting the crime genre, The Dead Beat brings a whole new meaning to cold cases, underworld informants, dead leads and buried evidence.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be developing these British projects with Clerkenwell – our first originals in the sci-fi genre,” commented Perry Simon, General Manager, BBC AMERICA. “Supernatural Saturday has become a popular fixture on BBC AMERICA’s schedule and both these highly creative ideas add a new dimension to our programming.”

Murray Ferguson, Chief Executive at Clerkenwell said, “There’s a great energy behind this partnership; the creative-makeup of BBC AMERICA, Clerkenwell, Steven Volk and John Jackson is truly inspiring and has given us the opportunity to create something very special. The prospect of reaching a global audience is exciting and we’re eager to bring the worlds of Wired and The Dead Beat to life.”