Arte Joins Steven Moffat's Number 10 as Co-producer
French-German broadcaster Arte has joined Channel 4's Number 10 as a co-producer, meaning it shares costs and rights in the show. A co-production, in plain television terms, means two or more broadcasters back one series and take rights in different places.
The agreement, reported as an exclusive by Deadline on 12 October 2026, covers broadcast in France and Germany. The series stars Rafe Spall and centres on a fictional UK prime minister and life inside the prime minister's official dwelling. Arte will air the show in both of its home markets.
Number 10 is described as a political dramedy, a story that mixes drama and comedy. That blend shapes the premise. It follows power struggles and personal life behind the most famous door in British politics.
The series was written by Steven Moffat. It is produced by Hartswood Films, which is part of ITV Studios, according to Channel 4. Ben Palmer directs, with Rachel Stone credited as co-producer.
Spall plays the prime minister at the centre of the story. Jenna Coleman and Katherine Kelly co-star opposite him. Channel 4 offered the first public glimpse in May, when it released first-look images featuring Spall and Coleman, as reported by Deadline. First-look images are the first official stills from a production. They introduce the leads and the tone.
The Arte deal adds to a long list of early international backers. Pre-buyers, a trade term for broadcasters that buy transmission rights before a show is complete, have already been lined up in five countries. Those early deals help pay for production and hold slots in schedules around the world. They are HBO Max in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, YLE in Finland, DR in Denmark and NRK in Norway.
For viewers outside Britain, this means Number 10 will not arrive as a strictly domestic show. It was sold abroad early. Each local broadcaster will present it to its own audience in France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark and Norway, alongside its home on Channel 4 in the UK.
What makes this stand out is the breadth of that commitment before transmission. A single new series now has homes in seven territories. Early sales do not guarantee ratings. They do guarantee reach, and that gives the cast and crew a finished story with somewhere to be seen.
