EXCLUSIVE: Slim Film + Television has halted production on David Tennant drama Around the World In 80 Days as the coronavirus crisis continues to hit British-made scripted series.

The production company, run by former Kudos boss Simon Crawford Collins, has suspended shooting on the eight-part show for a month, and cast and crew are being flown home over the next 24 hours. Tennant, who plays Phileas Fogg, is among those returning to the UK.

“We’ll crawl over hot coals to make our shows, but there comes a point when you go: this isn’t fair on the teams and their families back at home. We’ve got to call a temporary hiatus and look after everyone and get them home,” Crawford Collins said. “We’re trying to pause things in the most effective way so we can launch back into production as soon as the mists clear.”

Around The World In 80 Days is co-produced by Federation, with additional co-production partners: Palladium Pictures in South Africa and Daro Film, associate producer. The drama will air on the BBC in the UK, as well as France Télévisions, Germany’s ZDF and Italy’s RAI.

Slim Film + Television has decided to forge ahead with another of its productions: Mystic, which is an adaptation of Stacy Gregg’s Pony Club Secrets books for the BBC’s CBBC, Australia’s Seven and New Zealand’s TVNZ. It is being shot in New Zealand with a local crew, while British cast members are in the country with their family. “If we can keep going safely, we should,” Crawford Collins said.