The show stars Sofie Gråbøl (The Killing)

The BBC have picked up another piece of Nordic noir. However, it’s not a detective series but instead focusses on what happens once the criminals are behind bars.

The show stars Sofie Gråbøl, best known for playing Detective Sarah Lund in The Killing. You might also recognise her for roles in Fortitude and Gentleman Jack.

Here’s the premise for Prisoner:

The series revolves around the lives of four prison officers—Henrik (David Dencik), Miriam (Sofie Gråbøl), Sammi (Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt), and Gert (Charlotte Fich). Their personal challenges intertwine with the complexities of their workplace, a prison plagued by bad press, hierarchy issues, and a drug trade. When faced with the imminent closure of the prison, they embark on a risky investigation to salvage their jobs, triggering a battle for survival within and beyond the prison walls.

The BBC’s Head of Programme Acquisitions, Sue Deeks, said:

“Prisoner is an authentic, complex and compelling portrait of the harsh realities of life in prison, where it isn’t only the inmates who are trapped…”

The show runs across six hour-long episodes. It will be interesting to compare the show with Channel 4’s Screw, which also tackles the same themes.

It was created by writer Kim Fupz Aakeson, directed/co-created by Michael Noer and Frederik Louis Hviid. The series was produced by Rikke Tørholm Kofoed for DR Drama part of the Nordic 12 drama partnership.

There’s no word on a BBC Four and iPlayer start date yet and no UK trailer. Handily, there’s one online thanks to CANNESERIES.