The critically-acclaimed BBC comedy serial "Small Prophets" will now be shown worldwide on Apple TV in a first of its kind acquisition.
Apple TV famously has not bought a whole existing library of programmes, but it has often acquired individual titles such as its Oscar-winning "CODA." They have always been shown first on Apple, though, even if they were intended to be shown elsewhere later.
That's how the BBC got "Trying," by making it for Apple first, for instance. But now Apple has bought a BBC show that hasn't just aired, it was a huge hit. As first spotted by Deadline, Apple TV has acquired worldwide rights to "Small Prophets."
It's really a comedy drama, and starts with a melancholy air as a man turns to alchemy to find out why his partner has disappeared. Always charming, always absorbing, it escalates into a very funny tale of hope and homunculi.
"Small Prophets" is a six-part series written and directed by Mackenzie Crook. In the UK, he's now best known for this show and the gentle "The Detectorists," but he came to fame starring in the original version of "The Office."
Crook played Gareth in Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais's British show, the character who became Dwight in the US remake.
Apple TV has made several deals to co-produce shows with the BBC before, but this time the deal was actually with Scribe Abacus. This is a distribution company that has sold the show on behalf of its production companies, Blue House, Hot Olives, and Mackenzie Crook's own Treasure Trove Productions.
Crook is reportedly writing an eight-part second and final series of the show, but as yet the BBC has not confirmed that it has been commissioned.
The first season will now stream worldwide on Apple TV from October 7, 2026, except in the UK. For UK viewers, the show remains on the BBC iPlayer for another five months, after which it moves to Apple TV.
"Small Prophets" is being described as similar to "Ted Lasso," which recently began its fourth season on Apple TV. That's a stretch, but both series do tell continuing and often dramatic tales rather than aiming for the classic sitcom format of four jokes per page.
