UKTV Adapting Radio 4 Drama Annika

UKTV is continuing to bolster the roster of originals on Alibi with the co-commission of Annika with Masterpiece PBS in the U.S.

The six-part series is based on the successful Radio 4 drama of the same name, written by Nick Walker. It will see Nicola Walker (The Split, Unforgotten) starring as DI Annika Strandhed, who heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit tasked with investigating the unexplained, brutal and seemingly unfathomable murders that wash up in the waterways of Scotland.

The series is produced by Black Camel Pictures for Alibi and all3media international.

Walker said: “Annika navigates the world, her work and her home life in fabulously unique and unusual ways and I can’t wait to see her come to life in Scotland.”

UKTV Drama Commissioner Phillippa Collie Cousins said: “Our new detective series Annika is a breath of fresh air: a whip-smart detective, great cases and the glorious Scottish scenery. Nicola Walker has been integral in helping us develop her character, creating a maverick female detective who not only has Norwegian ancestry but is dryly funny, a chaotic parent and a fish out of water. We’re also really excited to have a diverse writer’s room with lead writer, Nick Walker and emerging talents, Frances Poet and Lucia Haynes.”

Alibi Channel Director Emma Ayech added: “We’re so excited to bring Annika to life in a brand-new TV adaptation. Nicola Walker is a fantastic lead, making this series a brilliant addition to our growing portfolio of UKTV Original dramas on Alibi.”

Arabella Page Croft, co-founder of Black Camel Pictures, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to bring Nick Walker’s radio show Annika to life as a new marine homicide crime drama series. The show feels right at home in the cinematic landscape of Scotland’s dramatic lochs, rivers and seascapes. Fabulous Nicola Walker as Annika is already adored by audiences in Nick Walker’s hit radio series, so it’s a simply wonderful opportunity to bring this engaging, energetic show to a much wider audience with our broadcast partner Alibi and partners all3media, Masterpiece and Screen Scotland.”