PH adaptation of ‘Doctor Foster’—aka Korea’s ‘The World of the Married’—is coming to ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN will make a local adaptation of the BBC drama Doctor Foster, both networks announced on Tuesday, April 13. Asian drama fans might know Doctor Foster as the basis of the popular 2020 South Korean drama The World of the Married.
In a joint press release, the BBC and ABS-CBN said: “BBC Studios and ABS-CBN Corporation, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company, today announced a new scripted format agreement that will see gripping psychological drama Doctor Foster remade for the Filipino audience.”
According to the release, production for the local adaptation of Doctor Foster will start later this year. Based on the report, the show will be made by ABS-CBN production unit Dreamscape Entertainment.
“It truly is an honor to know that Doctor Foster will be coming to life in the Philippines under the extraordinary creative team at ABS-CBN Entertainment. I am confident this will be a hit among the Filipino audiences,” BBC Studios SVP for Format Sales André Renaud said in the statement.
The Philippines will be the sixth international market to license and locally adapt Doctor Foster, after South Korea, France, Russia, Turkey, and India.
Of course, Filipinos know the show as The World of the Married, which streamed on Asian TV streaming site Viu. ABS-CBN also aired a Filipino dubbed version of the show last year.
The World of the Married is a breakout show both in South Korea—where it is the highest-rating drama in Korean cable television history—and the Philippines, where the show was a constant trending topic whenever a new episode aired.
Doctor Foster is about Gemma Foster (played by actress Suranne Jones), a doctor who suspects her husband is having an affair. Its South Korean adaptation, which stars actress Kim Hee-ae as the doctor whose husband is having an affair, has 16 episodes and ran from March 27 to May 16.
As early as now, fans are speculating and dream-casting who will play the lead in the Philippine adaptation. An earlier report by PEP.ph claims that Judy Ann Santos will top-bill ABS-CBN’sremake, with the Fan Girl actress playing the other woman. However, the report was published in January 2021, and other names may already be attached to the project.