Published: April 7, 2025 -- The BBC has acquired German four-part series The Black Forest Murders from STUDIOCANAL. Written by Robert Hummel and Martina Mouchot, and based on the non-fiction Walter Roth book SOKO Erle, the series follows a 2016 police investigation into the mysterious murders of two young women in the south of Germany.

The Black Forest Murders (4 x 45’), for BBC iPlayer and BBC Four, combines two real-life criminal cases from 2016 in southern Baden into a gripping fictional police drama, focusing on the credible portrayal of the investigative work.

A young woman is missing. After an intensive search, her body is found, bludgeoned to death by an unknown assailant. Senior Detective Barbara Kramer (Nina Kunzendorf) of the Lauburg police and her team, including Thomas Riedle (Tilman Strauß), begin the search for the perpetrator. They speak with witnesses and gather evidence but quick successes elude them.

The team grows into a large special investigation unit, securing hundreds of clues and attempting to connect them. In addition, they must deal with a second murder, unclear whether it is connected to the first, and parallels to a similar case in Austria that occurred four years earlier are emerging. Under the watchful eye of the concerned public, the police officers face mounting pressure for months, until their persistence is finally rewarded.

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says: “The Black Forest Murders is an authentic and compelling crime series focussing on the work of a meticulous investigative team. 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.”

The lead cast are Nina Kunzendorf as Barbara Kramer and Tilman Strauß as Thomas Riedle. Other cast include; Aliki Hirsch, Božidar Kocevski, Atrin Haghdoust, David Richter, Liliane Amuat, Florian Hertweck, Markus Krojer, Katja Bürkle, Sophia Schober and Mira Huber.

The Black Forest Murders is a Lailaps Film (a STUDIOCANAL Company) production with SWR and is supported by the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern. The Producer is Nils Dünker, the Executive Producer is Caroline Daube, it is directed by Stefan Krohmer and the Editor for SWR is Katharina Dufner. It is distributed by STUDIOCANAL.