With the filming of the second series of the BBC crime drama The Mallorca Files well underway on the island, millions of viewers in Japan are now enjoying the first series which premiered recently in Asia.
The police drama is set and screened exclusively in Majorca and the first series, which is already being repeated on Saturday evenings on BBC1, although has been taken off for the duration of the Six Nations rugby, proved a massive hit when it first aired last November breaking all day time audience records.
Even the repeat is averaging two million viewers per episode and it has now been sold to over 60 countries with Europe expected to get the chance to watch series one this Spring.
The creators behind the productions have tried their best to get under the fabric of Majorca and show the very best of the island while staying away from the typical stereotypes.
For the Majorcan tourism authorities, the series is a dream come true providing one of the best shop windows to date of the island. Never before has a BBC series been set, filmed and based in Majorca and, as the Radio Times pointed out, the series is not only going to inject some fun in to peoples’ lives in the United Kingdom, but also some sunshine to give their spirits a boost during the dreary overcast days.
And, never mind the UK, The Mallorca Files is going to provide Majorca with priceless promotion once it begins to be broadcast across the world.
The series stars Julian Looman and Elen Rhys and is about two detectives, one British and the other German, who solve crimes all over the island, but rarely agree on how it should be done.
And, Elen told the Bulletin recently that she has to pinch herself every time she remembers that the series is going to be watched as far away as the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Julian is busy dubbing his voice in German for when it screens in his home country.
The global impact has not gone unnoticed by the local authorities. The Palma Film Office is supervising the filming of the second series in Palma.
Councillor Rodrigo Romero, who is president of the film office, explains that there is consensus that Palma as a filming location should offer “general benefits” for local businesses and those working in the audiovisual sector.