MIPCOM Hot Pick: The Tunnel

Shine International will hope three is the magic number as it takes this new incarnation of the popular Nordic noir series Bron (aka The Bridge) to the global market.

Where the original had Swedish and Danish detectives investigating a body carefully left between the two countries’ borders and 2012’s US version on FX paired Mexican and US sleuths, this series begins with a murder in middle of the Channel Tunnel, which connects England to France.

“This version has particular resonance because of the Anglo-French context. The way the English and the French bounce off each other creates some great dialogue,” says Shine International’s CEO Nadine Nohr.

The 10-part series stars the UK’s Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones) and France’s Clémence Poesy (In Bruges) and incorporates elements of the recent European economic and social crises, which leads to “quite a lot of dark humour you wouldn’t necessarily expect”, according to Nohr.

The UK-France collaboration extends all the way to the production and broadcasting, with Broadchurch producer Kudos Film & Television and Shine France coproducing and paycasters Sky Atlantic and Canal+ set to transmit it.

“The story naturally lends itself to coproduction and they’ve genuinely cracked it in the coming together of two cultures,” says Nohr.

Further proof in the success of the format comes from the record-breaking ratings the second season of the Scandi version scored for SVT1 last week – 1.2 million, or a 33.8% market share. Elsewhere Fox International Channels has acquired season two of The Bridge and plans to launch it across 125 territories.

The show: The Tunnel

The distributor: Shine International

The producers: Kudos Film & Television, Shine France, Filmlance

The broadcasters: Canal+ (France), Sky Atlantic (UK)

The concept: Gritty Anglo-French crime drama based on the Scandinavian noir series Bron