Nicola Walker's Annika won't return
The 55-year-old actress starred as DI Annika Strandhed in two series of the detective drama
The hit series has been axed and won't return for future seasons
(Image: UKTV)
Nicola Walker's Annika won't return for a third series.
The 55-year-old actress starred as DI Annika Strandhed in two series of the detective drama in 2021 and 2023, but now UKTV, who broadcast the show on U+Alibi, have confirmed that, despite ending on a cliffhanger, audiences will be left hanging because there are no plans to make any more episodes.
A spokesperson told RadioTimes.com: "We are incredibly proud of the success of Annika on U+Alibi, but there are no current plans for a third series."
Annika was based on the BBC Radio 4 audio drama, Annika Stranded, in which Nicola also played the lead role, and was known for the Marine Homicide Unit detective regularly breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience.
Nicola previously admitted it took some time to get used to the unconventional way of bringing viewers insight into Annika.
She said: "With most characters there is so much subtext. But there is no subtext with Annika because the subtext is her talking directly to you and telling you what she feels. By the end, we are going to know her as well as she knows herself.
"On the first day, I kept stopping and laughing. It felt so wrong. But by the end, I was so into it, I was flicking looks at the camera all the time. I'm very worried about my next job now – 'Why does she keep looking down the lens?' It might have ruined me for the future!"
But she explained the device was essential when it came to adapting the original audio drama.
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She said: "When he started talking about a television series, my first question was, how would you populate the world which has previously only been in Annika's head? Nick [Walker, write] said immediately, 'We're going to break the fourth wall!'
"So, she still has Norwegian heritage, she is still an outsider, and she still has a different way of coping with life and work, but the hook is the fact that this is the only detective series where the audience is the silent sidekick. We are in cahoots with her."
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