BBC’s scripted acquisition spree continues with return of ‘The Bridge’

Bron III

The BBC in the UK has struck a new deal for hit Nordic drama The Bridge (aka Bron), which last aired on the broadcaster in 2018.

The new deal for the show’s four seasons was struck with ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) and will see it airing on BBC Four and become available via the iPlayer streaming service. The UK pubcaster has been expanding its boxset acquisitions recently, adding veteran series such as Battlestar Galactica and Heroes as production lockdowns affect its pipeline.

The show originally aired on BBC Four between 2012 and 2015, with the fourth season moving to BBC Two in 2018. It was created and written by Hans Rosenfeldt, with Filmlance in Sweden and Nimbus Film in Denmark producing.

European broadcasters ZDF, DR, SVT and German sales house ZDFE were attached as co-producers, with the latter selling the show to companies including Amazon, Canal+ in France, Hulu in the US and Sky Italy and Germany, among numerous others.

The drama, which originally starred Swedish actress Sofia Helin and Danish actors Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve) and Thure Lindhardt, also spawned local remakes, with a UK/France version between Sky and Canal+ among them.

Robert Franke, VP of ZDFE.drama, said: “Every once in a while, a drama comes along that is so brilliantly written and acted, it transcends language barriers and has audiences begging for more. The Bridge, with one of the most captivating female detectives ever to grace the small screen, belongs in that category.”