07-11-2010

Disney Channel Airs Polish Sitcom

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    The first episode of the Polish version of As The Bell Rings was aired on the 7 November 2010 by the Polish Disney Channel. The Walt Disney Company commissioned the first 20-episode season of the show from Polish producer FreemantleMedia Poland (www.freemantlemedia.com).

    Production started in June 2010, and all the 5-minute episodes were shot in Warsaw. The story covers events that take place in the school corridor just outside the principal's office, where the students spend their breaks and try to cope with teenage problems of love, friendship and schoolwork. The Polish Disney Channel (www.disney.pl) version is the 17th adaptation of this format. Both the American and British versions were already successfully aired in Poland.

    "The Walt Disney Company attaches a great importance to local productions, which complement the global actions and deepen our relationship with the local audience," comments Maciej Bral, the vice Chairman and director general for Disney Channels in Central and Eastern Europe.

    The local version is directed by Tomasz Szafrański and shot by Artur Żurawski. The young cast includes Agnieszka Doczyńska, Iga Krefft, Magdalena Osińska and Wojciech Rotowski.