History Cold Case Secures Double Commission

LONDON: BBC Two has recommissioned Shine TV’s History Cold Case, while National Geographic Channel has given the greenlight for a U.S. version of the format.

The 4×1-hour show, which first launched on BBC Two in 2010, follows the forensic team at the Centre for Anatomy and Human ID at the University of Dundee as detectives investigate the historical finds of human remains. The second season will feature new mysteries, such as a new discovery of a pit full of skeletons that could change the accepted view of the English Civil War. The production is underway for delivery in 2011.

In its U.S. incarnation for National Geographic Channel, the show will feature U.S. forensic experts investigating U.S.-based finds. The series is currently in pre-production and will debut later this year.

Martin Davidson, the BBC commissioning editor for history and business, said: "I am delighted that History Cold Case and its dedicated forensic detective team will be returning to BBC Two with a news series full of fascinating mysteries from the distant past, and I sure that it will prove just as popular with BBC viewers."

Natalie Humphreys, the executive producer for Shine TV, added: "The double commission marks a strong start to the year for Shine’s specialist factual slate. I am thrilled that History Cold Case is returning to U.K. screens and has now also been commissioned in the U.S. where new audiences can be taken beyond the limits of what they thought they knew to unearth remarkable stories that would otherwise have been lost forever."