Get ready to join Inspector Çetin Ikmen on the streets of Istanbul. 

The BBC has acquired a new Turkish/English crime thriller The Turkish Detective. The eight-part series is adapted from the award-winning and best-selling Inspector Ikmen novel series by Barbara Nadel.

Set in modern-day Istanbul, the series stars Haluk Bilginer, Ethan Kai (Killing Eve) and Yasemin Kay Allen.

Set in the multi-faceted city of Istanbul, The Turkish Detective follows the adventures of Inspector Çetin Ikmen (Bilginer), his partner Detective Mehmet Süleyman (Kai) and Detective Ayşe Farsakoğlu (Allen) going through ups and downs as they solve crimes, with each crime story being heavily rooted in the varied culture and history of Istanbul and set against the frenzied world of modern-day Turkey.

The show comes from writer and executive producer by Ben Schiffer (Skins). The director is Niels Arden Oplev (Mr. Robot) who also executive produces. Executive Producers for the series also include Kerem Çatay and Claire Sowerby-Sheppard.

Author Barbara Nadel has penned 26 Inspector Ikmen novels, with the 27th due for release in 2025. Consequently, there’s plenty of material to draw on if the show is a hit.

Ben Schiffer, writer & executive producer, said:

“From the moment I opened Barbara Nadel’s novel, I fell in love with the unique, iconic character of Inspector Ikmen. A beacon of hope and humour in a dark, difficult world, I’m so delighted that he and our show, a blend of emotionally-charged mystery and family drama, has found a home at the BBC.”

While there’s no BBC trailer yet, there’s one available online…

The Turkish Detective launches on the BBC later in 2024, and looks to be bound for BBC Four and the iPlayer.