BBC Worldwide Showcase 2018, held later this month (February 18-21), will be hosting Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Hulu and more digital giants in Liverpool, UK.

The Showcase, which brings together buyers with A-list talent, commissioners and producers, will also play host to localised SVOD players such as Showmax, Stan and iFlix.

Joining the streamers, stars such as Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Idris Elba (Luther) Charlotte Riley (Press), Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge), Nicola Walker (The Split) and Karl Pilkington (Sick of It) will launch their brand new shows.

The itinerary will include a coproduction forum, where potential partners will hear about titles that are in their infancy and, from industry experts, insight sessions on cultural and consumer trends in factual and scripted.

Blue chip titles such as The Split, Doctor Who and Serengeti will preview exclusively to buyers, where they will hear first-hand from the on- and off-screen talent about the productions.

Paul Dempsey, president of global markets at BBC Worldwide, said: “We continually evolve Showcase to make sure it fits the needs of our customers and this year we’ll be hosting a wider range of companies than ever before.

“We’ll also be joined by many of the key names from Britain’s biggest independent production companies, including BBC Studios, as well as producers, broadcasters and financiers from all around the world who’ll be discussing their latest content strategies, new projects and global trends.”

The Showcase is likely to be the last the BBC holds under the ‘BBC Worldwide’ moniker, with the name being dropped in favour of BBC Studios as the UK’s pubcaster merges its production and distribution wings.