BBC AMERICA PICKS UP SEASON TWO OF FANTASY SERIES "ATLANTIS" FOLLOWING RECORD PREMIERE

New York - November 27, 2013 - BBC AMERICA has picked up season two of new fantasy co-production, Atlantis, from the creators of Merlin and Misfits. On November 23, Atlantis delivered the highest rated series premiere ever for Supernatural Saturday with 838,000 total viewers. The 13-part series premieres Saturdays at 9:00pm ET on BBC AMERICA. In the UK, Atlantis is the biggest new Saturday night drama series to launch across all BBC channels since 2006, even up on the launch of hit show Merlin.

Atlantis is an Urban Myth Films production for BBC Cymru Wales co-produced with BBC AMERICA. Executive producers are Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy and Howard Overman for Urban Myth Films. Executive produced for BBC Cymru Wales by Bethan Jones.

Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, BBC AMERICA says: "Atlantis is off to a fantastic start and is the centerpiece of our Saturday nights for the next twelve weeks. We're committed to bringing our viewers even more entertaining episodes inspired by Greek mythology from Howard and the talented team in season two."

Capps, Murphy and Overman said: "We are all thrilled at Urban Myth Films that Atlantis has been re-commissioned and look forward to continuing the legend next year."

Far from home and desperate for answers, Jason washes up on the shores of an ancient land. A mysterious place; a world of bull leaping, of snake haired Goddesses and of palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants - this is the lost city of Atlantis. The series follows the adventures of Jason (Jack Donnelly, Dancing on the Edge), Hercules (Mark Addy, Game of Thrones) and Pythagoras (Robert Emms, War Horse) who battle against some of the most famous names of Greek legend, often in unexpected guises. The show also stars Jemima Rooper (One Chance) as Medusa, Aiysha Hart (About Time) as Ariadne, Sarah Parish (Hatfields & McCoys) as Pasiphae and Juliet Stevenson (The Hour) as The Oracle. All of these characters will return in season two.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including two Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.