07-04-2025
BBC acquires "gripping" police drama The Black Forest Murders
The BBC has acquired German police drama The Black Forest Murders for BBC Four and streaming service iPlayer.
Called Spuren in its native tongue, the mini-series of four 45-minute episodes premiered in Germany back in February.
The show is based on a combination of two real-life cases from 2016, and the non-fiction book SOKO Erle, and focuses on the investigation into a woman's bludgeoning to death.
Detectives Barbara Kramer (Nina Kunzendorf) and Thomas Riedle (Tilman Strauß) form a large special investigation unit around the case, but their efforts are hampered when they have to deal with a second murder that may or may not be connected, and emerging parallels to a similar case in Austria.
The BBC's head of programme acquisition, Sue Deeks, said in a statement: "The Black Forest Murders is an authentic and compelling crime series focussing on the work of a meticulous investigative team.
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"As well as being a gripping murder mystery, the series offers a detailed look at the challenges of solving complex crimes, and the psychological toll on those involved in such high-stakes investigations."
When the show premiered in Germany, local reviewers praised it for for paring back the clichés of the crime drama and focusing on the nitty-gritty process of the investigation, rather than the detectives' personal lives (although some did note that this methodical approach might seem "dry" to some).
Elsewhere on iPlayer, the "heartbreakingly beautiful" show Reunion (from the producers of Adolescence) just joined the service, while the first season of acclaimed Australian drama The Newsreader is leaving in a week's time.
The Black Forest Murders will air on BBC Four and stream on BBC iPlayer, although dates haven't been announced at the current time. In Germany, the show aired on Das Erste. at at Pandora at at at at at Apple at at at
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