The BBC have acquired the four-part German drama The Black Forest Murders for BBC Four and the iPlayer. 

The show combines two real-life criminal cases from 2016 in southern Baden into a gripping fictional police drama, focusing on the credible portrayal of the investigative work.

Here’s the setup:

A young woman is missing. After an intensive search, her body is found, bludgeoned to death by an unknown assailant. Senior Detective Barbara Kramer (Nina Kunzendorf) of the Lauburg police and her team, including Thomas Riedle (Tilman Strauß), begin the search for the perpetrator. They speak with witnesses and gather evidence but quick successes elude them.

The team grows into a large special investigation unit, securing hundreds of clues and attempting to connect them. In addition, they must deal with a second murder, unclear whether it is connected to the first, and parallels to a similar case in Austria that occurred four years earlier are emerging. Under the watchful eye of the concerned public, the police officers face mounting pressure for months, until their persistence is finally rewarded.

The show also Aliki Hirsch, Božidar Kocevski, Atrin Haghdoust, David Richter, Liliane Amuat, Florian Hertweck, Markus Krojer, Katja Bürkle, Sophia Schober and Mira Huber.

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says:

“The Black Forest Murders is an authentic and compelling crime series focussing on the work of a meticulous investigative team. As well as being a gripping murder mystery, the series offers a detailed look at the challenges of solving complex crimes, and the psychological toll on those involved in such high-stakes investigations.”

The Black Forest Murders is a Lailaps Film (a STUDIOCANAL Company) production with SWR and is supported by the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern. The Producer is Nils Dünker, the Executive Producer is Caroline Daube, and the director is Stefan Krohmer.

We’ll keep you posted.