Int’l nets add radio adaptation Annika

Nicola Walker in Annika

Broadcasters in Europe and Australia have pre-bought a forthcoming adaptation of a BBC Radio 4 play about a Scandinavian detective from distributor All3Media International.

NRK in Norway, DR in Denmark, SVT in Sweden, YLE in Finland, VRT in Belgium, NPO in the Netherlands, Lifecell-owned TV+ in Turkey and Cyprus, and ABC in Australia will air crime drama Annika.

Starring Nicola Walker (Unforgotten, Last Tango in Halifax), the show is a Black Camel production for UKTV, coproduced with Masterpiece in North America in association with All3Media International.

Annika is based on the popular BBC Radio 4 play Annika Stranded, which also starred Walker as the eponymous Scandinavian detective, a leading light in Oslo police’s murder squad.

Walker reprises her role as the detective, who will be heading up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit in Scotland in the TV series, which premieres on UKTV’s Alibi channel next month.

All3Media International said the series “delivers a unique perspective on the detective genre” and “breaks the fourth wall as Annika invites audiences in to hear her thoughts, engaging them and enticing them to solve the crimes with her.”

It also stars Jamie Sives (Guilt), Katie Leung (The Nest), Ukweli Roach (Blindspot), Kate Dickie (The Cry) and Silvie Furneaux (Limbo).

Written by Nick Walker and directed by Philip John and Fiona Walton, Annika is executive produced by Arabella Page-Croft, producer, director and co-founder at Black Camel Pictures, and has funding support from Screen Scotland.

David Swetman, senior VP of scripted content at All3Media International, said: “Nicola is the perfect lead for what promises to be a uniquely engaging drama, bringing Annika’s investigations vividly to life and drawing viewers in by making them her confidante throughout.”