Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is one of a new line-up of foreign language films and TV shows set to air on BBC Four.
The 2011 thriller stars Antonio Banderas as Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon who tries to create a new, tougher human skin which could have saved his wife from burning to death.
The channel has also signed rights to Susanne Bier’s In A Better World and French thriller Point Blank.
Two new international dramas are also set to debut on the channel, following in the footsteps of Spiral, Wallander, The Killing, Borgen, Inspector Montalbano and The Bridge.
Based on Jan Arnald’s novels, Arne Dahl revolves around a tight-knit team of elite specialists who investigate the dark side of society.
Inspector Da Luca is a four-part crime series based on the novels by Carlo Lucarelli, and is set in and around Bologna during the tumultuous years of Mussolini’s dictatorship. Da Luca is an investigator whose brutal honesty and uncompromising character may help him solve cases, but combined with his love of women, they also conspire to get him in trouble…
Since it brought Spiral to UK audiences in 2006, BBC Four has enjoyed continued ratings success for its line-up of foreign language dramas.
Announcing the new signings, channel controller Richard Klein said: “These acquisitions are part of BBC Four’s ongoing mission to give viewers an excuse to stay in on a Saturday night by offering an entertaining alternative to Saturday television viewing.
“Arne Dahl continues in the tradition of The Killing and Wallander in portraying a social hinterland through the prism of the day-to-day of police investigation; and Inspector Da Luca is a clever and hugely entertaining drama that portrays wartime Italy in a way that is both very familiar to our own war time experiences and intriguingly foreign.”
Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition added: “We are really thrilled with the increasing audience to, and appreciation of, BBC Four’s international drama offering – but we have no intention of resting on our laurels.
“This year BBC Four viewers can look forward to the return of existing favourites and brand new series which we hope will provide more compelling reasons to travel the world on a Saturday night!”
The fourth series of Spiral concludes this Saturday and is now available to pre-order on DVD.