CHINA’S love affair with British-made TV dramas and documentaries shows no sign of easing, as BBC’s series four of “Sherlock” returned to the small screen on the Youku online platform.

    The latest series of “Sherlock” has received over 6 million viewings on China’s video streaming site Youku.com and generated heated discussions since it was released Jan. 1, despite criticism from Chinese fans and mainstream media. Fans complained that too much ink was given to the characters’ emotions and not enough to the detective’s logical reasoning process in the first episode.

    The show turned out to be a surprise hit in China in 2016. In addition to home viewers, some 1.7 million people turned out at cinemas to see the show’s feature-length special, “The Abominable Bride,” according to BBC Worldwide.

    Looking ahead to the new year, the U.K.’s ITV Studios Global Entertainment has sealed a deal with China’s Huace Film and TV for the Chinese company to remake one of ITV’s shows and distribute the Chinese-version across Asia. The choice of show is still under discussion.

    ITV and Huace already have an agreement for a Chinese version of the U.K.’s “Dancing on Ice.” Viewers in China will be able to tune into the first season of the Chinese-produced “Star on Ice” starting this month as part of the early lead-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

    Also in 2017, motoring enthusiasts will be able to choose from among nearly 360 hours of the “Top Gear” episodes on the BesTV platforms in China. The offering includes “Top Gear U.K.” as well as versions from the United States, South Korea and China.

    On the documentary front, China has steadily turned itself into a key player in the global market for factual television.

    This year will see the cinematic release of “Earth: One Amazing Day,” the first documentary feature to be produced under the landmark U.K. and China film coproduction treaty announced in 2014.

    The film is produced by the U.K.’s BBC Earth Films, part of BBC Worldwide, and China’s SMG Pictures, the film and television production arm of Shanghai Media Group. It is a sequel to the 2007 nature documentary “Earth,” which went on to become a box-office hit.

    BBC Worldwide also announced a series of deals that will bring four BBC “Earth Giant Screen Films” to more than 20 science and technology museums across the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in 2017.

    In partnerships with Orient International Holding Shanghai Foreign Trade Co. and Wuhan DDMC Culture Co., the screenings will start this month and the films will be shown in giant 2-D dome and 3-D format.

    China is also becoming a major player in film production. Wanda Studio’s state-of-the-art facilities, already operating in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao and due for completion by 2018, have the potential to draw production away from Hollywood.

    “We’ve got investments, we’ve got distributions and new studios,” Wanda Studio President Edwin Tan said.

    “Film producers should have a look and see how they can come up with scripts that are suitable for the Chinese market, even if it’s an international film. This gives British filmmakers an alternative opportunity to tap into China’s market.”

    Recently, it was announced that China’s Alibaba Pictures Group is collaborating with “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman to adapt the book series “Warriors” for the big screen.

    (China Daily)