BBC Four has acquired UK rights to Below The Surface, a new Danish thriller executive produced by the creator of The Killing, Søren Sveistrup, and Borgen creator Adam Price.
Created by Kasper Barfoed (Dicte, Those Who Kill and Summer Of ’92), the eight part crime series was acquired from STUDIOCANAL and will be broadcast next year.
Set in present day Copenhagen, the drama opens with a national crisis – the hijacking of a subway train, where 15 members of the public are held hostage.
Setting in motion a chain of events that unfold across eight days, the whole of Denmark is in thrall to the hijackers’ next moves and the fate of the 15 people they hold captive.
A terror taskforce led by Philip Norgaard (Johannes Lassen) and Louise Falck (Sara Hjort Ditlevsen) is dispatched to rescue the hostages.
Reporter Naja Toft (Paprika Steen) acts as a go-between with the hostages and police as the captors bait the press with information about each of those aboard.
As a media frenzy ensues, the country finds itself divided on how to respond…
Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor of BBC Four, said: “Below The Surface combines some of the finest television makers in the world with a fantastic cast.
“It’s an impeccably crafted series full of twists, turns, stunning characters and a thrilling story that puts an entire country under the spotlight in a moment of crisis.”
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, added: “Below The Surface is an exciting and thought-provoking thriller which ratchets up the tension until you are literally on the edge of your seat.”
Francoise Guyonnet, Executive Managing Director, TV Series at STUDIOCANAL, commented: “Below the Surface is very relevant to the world we all live in today.
“A huge amount of research was undertaken by the creators to ensure the unfolding events are very realistic.
“It is a series full of action with unexpected twists that force viewers to re-evaluate who the hero in this story really is.”