Honey scores first sales after Cannes premiere

Cold War drama Honey has locked in its first international sales straight off its world premiere in Cannes.

Distributor Fifth Season, meaning the company that sells the show to broadcasters abroad, confirmed the deals after the premiere screening at MIPCOM Cannes, the international television market where channels and streamers shop for new series, on 12 October, according to Deadline.

The six-part series is made for the BBC in the UK and ZDF in Germany. It comes from Sid Gentle Films, with Emma Moran as lead writer and executive producer.

Ann Skelly leads the cast as Martha, a deep-cover agent operating in 1982 Germany. She stars alongside Nate Mann, Jannis Niewöhner and Rory Kinnear.

The story follows an MI6 agent pulled into a deadly and dysfunctional love triangle, the BBC said when it first announced the show. The broadcaster later described it as a darkly comedic Cold War thriller romance, and filming was already underway when the cast was revealed in February, according to the BBC.

Fans of Killing Eve will recognise the DNA. Honey is set in the same universe but is not a prequel, so no prior viewing is required.

On the sales side, Fifth Season confirmed two early pre-buys, meaning deals signed before the finished show was screened. Australian streamer Stan and Sky in New Zealand both boarded the series ahead of the premiere.

After Cannes, two more presales closed. OSN+ took rights for the Middle East and North Africa, and Hot took rights in Israel.

The premiere itself was a centrepiece slot. It screened in the Grand Auditorium at 18:00 on Monday, 12 October, according to the market’s premiere schedule.

What makes this stand out is speed. Four territories in different regions before a broadcast date is a strong early signal that buyers think a period spy romance can travel.

For viewers, this means the path is set. Honey is made for the BBC and ZDF first, with Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, North Africa and Israel now lined up to follow.