ZDF, Arte investigate historical crimes

Franco-German broadcaster Arte and ZDF in Germany have partnered with Story House Productions and distributor ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) on a series that promises to investigate the biggest crimes in history.

Ralf Rückauer

Cold Case: History (6×50’) will investigate cases such as the murder of Pharoah Ramses III and the death of Marilyn Monroe by applying modern forensic and archaeological techniques.

Also featuring recreations of the crimes in question, further cases will include that of the Medicis, in which two sons were slain in a struggle for power; the death of Vincent Van Gogh; and the discovery of bodies in the Tower of London said to be two young princes killed by Richard III.

The series also looks at the death of prostitute Rosemarie Nitribitt, who was found hanged in her luxury apartment in 1957.

ZDFE is the global distributor for Cold Case: History, which will go into production with Germany-based Story House this autumn.

Ralf Rückauer, VP of ZDFE unscripted, said: “Developing this series has been an exciting journey with each episode unravelling a mystery. It’s been fascinating to see modern day forensics at work dispelling age-old theories, particularly in the case of Marilyn Monroe, where we have unearthed new evidence and testimony.”

In related news, ZDFE has also come onboard as coproducer and global distributor for history series Ancient Apocalypse (6×50′), produced by World Media Rights for ZDF.info. The series investigates the collapse of six of the world’s greatest ancient civilisations: the Akkadian Empire, the Lost City of Helike, Sodom, the Sea Peoples, the Maya Civilisation and Doggerland.