Disney Channel will make its first UK film

The company is teaming up with the makers of The Only Way Is Essex for the projects.

Disney will work with Lime Pictures, the Bafta award-winning production company behind programmes like The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) and Hollyoaks.

The four-part mystery adventure, Evermoor, is the story of American teenager Tara Bailey who has moved from the US to the UK. Evermoor is a fictional village on the edge of spooky English moors.

It is a huge signal of the strength of the British television industry that the film will be made in the UK and broadcast on the flagship US Disney Channel.

Tricia Wilber, chief marketing officer at The Walt Disney Company Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the film was the organisation’s “most ambitious production yet”.

David Levine, the company’s vice president for programming and production, said: “Evermoor is a hugely exciting project for the team, with a gripping story that I’m sure will captivate our global Disney Channel audience.”

Claire Poyser, managing director for Lime Pictures, said: “We are delighted to be the first independent production company in the UK to work with Disney on a live action movie to be aired worldwide including the US.

“Evermoor extends Lime’s reputation for producing fantastic children’s drama that is inspiring for the whole family.”

The film, whose cast has not yet been revealed, is set to be aired in 160 countries across the world this autumn.

The Disney Channel has helped to launch the careers of global celebrities like singer/actress Selena Gomez and actor Zac Efron.