BBC iPlayer Original ‘The Rack Pack’ is to be broadcast on BBC Two following iPlayer success

The critically acclaimed film was released exclusively on BBC iPlayer in January and made it into the top 20 most requested titles that month; it has had over 1 million requests in total since, making it the most successful BBC iPlayer Original to date.

Directed by Brian Welsh (Glasgow Girls, Black Mirror) this comedy drama explores the glory days of the 70s and 80s snooker scene, when huge characters became household names and Snooker Loopy troubled the pop charts. The film is written by Shaun Pye, Mark Chappell and Alan Connor, who are the team behind A Young Doctor’s Notebook.

The story tells of the rivalry between Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins (Luke Treadaway, Fortitude), whose natural talent and showmanship transformed the image of the traditional game and captivated audiences across the country, and Steve ‘The Nugget’ Davis (Will Merrick, Skins) who under the guidance of manager Barry Hearn (Kevin Bishop, The Kevin Bishop Show) dominated the sport throughout the 80s and ushered in a new era of professionalism. Nichola Burley (Death Comes To Pemberley) plays Alex’s wife, Lynn Higgins, and James Bailey takes on the role of the greatest player never to be World Champion, Jimmy White.

Produced by Zeppotron, this BBC iPlayer Original takes viewers on a rip-roaring romp through the snooker scene of Eighties Britain. It is a celebration of the huge personalities of the time and an affectionate look at a gloriously nostalgic period of this very British sport.

The Rack Pack was ordered by Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content for BBC iPlayer, and Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning, and is executive produced by Peter Holmes (Would I Lie To You?, Frankie Boyle's Election Autopsy). The film is a BBC iPlayer Original made by Zeppotron, part of Endemol Shine Group. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Gregor Sharp and the producer is Barney Reisz (Black Mirror).

Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content for BBC iPlayer, says: “We’re thrilled BBC iPlayer’s first original drama feature film, The Rack Pack, will be shown on BBC Two. The film has been a massive hit with iPlayer audiences, attracting over 1 million requests to date. The film will be the perfect complement to BBC Two’s coverage of the World Snooker Championship, delighting audiences who haven’t already discovered it on iPlayer. The Rack Pack is a great example of how BBC iPlayer’s role within the TV channel portfolio is transforming. No longer is BBC iPlayer just about distributing yesterday’s TV, it’s about originating the TV of tomorrow.”

BBC iPlayer is available on over 10,000 devices in the UK for free, from computers and smartphones to tablets and Connected TVs. BBC iPlayer and BBC iPlayer Radio saw a record-breaking 3.6bn TV and radio programme requests in 2015 - with nearly 3 billion TV requests, and 0.7bn radio requests, across all devices.

The BBC recently launched a brand new BBC iPlayer Kids app, putting kids in control of watching and downloading their favourite CBeebies and CBBC shows, whenever and wherever they want. The app available to download for free on iOS and Android phones and tablets, as well as Kindle Fire.

MA