The series, currently in development, will follow the comedic exploits of a detective working for the African Bureau of Investigation, who no one takes seriously. The pan-African comedy will feature an eclectic mix of characters and will cover various themes and issues.
The comedy drama will be pan-African in nature and will thread through various African socio-cultural settings, as we follow the trail of an African 'Pink Panther' like character. Countries that will be at the mercy of the inspector will be Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria.
The project is in the early stages of script development and production is expected to begin in March 2013. Cote Ouest will partner with South Africa based production house, Dv8 Films, headed by Jeremy Nathan, known for his work on films such as 'Forgiveness', 'Max and Mona', 'Bunny Chow' and a slate of other drama series.
Mike Dearham, senior vice president of Côte Ouest Group and general manager of the Mauritian office says, "Côte Ouest has unprecedented knowledge of the African production industry and has established its position as one of the leading companies within the territory. It now feels like a natural step to enter into the production space with Inspector First Class."
"The comedy genre has a real heritage across the African Diaspora and African producers have crafted a distinctive style. Côte Ouest is looking forward to drawing upon this heritage for development of Inspector First Class as we mark the start of our production business. We will work closely with TV stations in Africa and beyond to secure pre-license deals, several stations have already pledged their support to the project. All rights across all media platforms are still currently available."
"Inspector First Class will be the first of a slate of several other new Cote Ouest productions that will soon follow. This series, along with the properties in Côte Ouest's MIPCOM catalogue, highlight the diversity and quality of the content that is being produced in Africa. African content is rapidly gaining popularity with international audiences and we are excited to be part of its growth as we showcase these properties on the global stage."
