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´óÏó´«Ã½ Switch has commissioned digital production company Conker Media, part of Lime Pictures (whose credits include Hollyoaks), to create and produce an interactive, digital drama thriller for its teen audience.

The Well will air in the autumn in the Switch zone on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two (Saturdays 12noon-2.00pm) and extends online at bbc.co.uk/switch where the audience can immerse themselves further in the story, exploring a spookily atmospheric recreation of the main drama location in a multi-level game.

By engaging with The Well online through completing a series of tasks and challenges the audience can unlock hidden drama content which reveals the backstory to the TV drama.

The entire experience has been created by the "Godfather of young adult fiction", Melvin Burgess, winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The Well represents his first foray into digital media and television.

It stars a cast of fresh new talent including Karen Gillan, who has recently been announced as Doctor Who's new companion.

Geoffrey Goodwin, Head of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Switch, says: "It's fantastic to have a writer of Melvin's calibre involved in this project. The Well is a great example of Switch's strategy to produce a broad range of high quality and exciting content for British teens, combining both established and new talent with distinctive interactive ideas."

Lee Hardman, Head of Conker Media, adds: "The Well bridges the gap between traditional TV and digital media by showing the creative potential of multi-layered drama in terms of storytelling. This approach deepens the audience's engagement with the story and enables them to get one step ahead of the TV drama – something that works particularly well with the Switch audience."

The action in The Well centres on a derelict building, which contains a long-forgotten well, the resting place of a dormant malevolent force. When the house changes owners and renovations begin, four teenage friends uncover the well and unwittingly unleash an old and restless spirit.

The Well forms an integral part of Switch's new season of drama airing on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two this autumn, which also includes The Cut, a brand new multi-platform soap which will air in five-minute episodes on bbc.co.uk/switch and a weekly TV omnibus, and Fresh, a seven-part comedy series about university freshers.

Notes to Editors

Key production credits:
Writer – Melvin Burgess
Director – Susie Watson
Producer – Jamie Hall
Executive Producers – Geoffrey Goodwin, Lee Hardman, Tony Wood

ER