In 2020, UKTV’s network share grew by 3.2% to achieve 4.63%, reaching over 18 million viewers a week, and grew its SOCI by 4%.
UKTV Play increased direct-to-consumer views by 42%, with shows such as Red Dwarf: The Promised Land, The Bill: The Early Years, Meet The Richardsons, EastEnders and Hypothetical topping the VOD service.
The six-part series, produced by Black Camel Pictures, is based on the Radio 4 drama written by Nick Walker.
Nicola Walker will take on the role of DI Annika Strandhed. Known for being quick-witted and mysterious, Strandhed is the new head of a specialist Marine Homicide Unit, which investigates the brutal and bewildering murders that are discovered in the waterways of Scotland.
Strandhed invites the audience into her world by breaking the fourth wall and revealing her thoughts on the cases and her own life.
The ten-part series is based on the novel of the same name by Ross Thomas and has added a modern spin on the pulp fiction genre.
The series sees straightforward and dogged detective Allegra Dill (Rosario Dawson) return to her eccentric hometown, San Bonifacio, after her sister is tragically murdered.
Dill finds herself trying to work through her grief, while searching for the killer and straightening out her corrupted hometown.
The gripping crime drama Traces returns to Dundee for a second series.
Written by Amelia Bullmore and Jess Williams, the series follows the world of SIFA: the Scottish Institute of Forensic Science.
Written by Ben Richards and produced by World Productions, The Diplomat sees Laura Simmonds team up with her colleague and friend at the Barcelona Consul Alba Ortiz, to help protect British nationals who get themselves into trouble in the city.
Simmonds and Ortiz take on the roles of lawyer, counsellor and cop as they try to handle the stream of problems they face.
Tommy, led by Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), and Evil, starring Katja Herbers (Westworld) and Mike Colter (The Good Wife), are also slated to air on Alibi.
Written by Jason Richman, the series has been adapted from the graphic novel series of the same name created by Greg Rucka.
The series is set in Stumptown, a nickname for the city of Portland, and focuses on quick-witted former army veteran turned private investigator Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders), who is suffering from PTSD.
Parios deals with the cases that the police can’t get involved in and her intelligence and drive to do the right thing sees her excel at her job, but her reckless nature and tendency to ignore the rules frequently gets her into trouble.
Marcus Arthur may be a BBC veteran, but the winds of change blowing through UKTV these past nine months or so have been like no other in his lengthy BBC career.
Last June, he succeeded Darren Childs as the outfit’s CEO. His appointment followed the end of the joint venture with Discovery, which finally gave BBC Studios full control of UKTV and its seven-channel portfolio (its three lifestyle channels were acquired by Discovery as part of the separation) and the online hub, UKTV Play.
Set in nineteenth century London, Miss Scarlet and The Duke chronicles the adventures of the first ever female detective in Victorian London.
Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders) plays the headstrong Eliza Scarlet who is left penniless when her father dies and marriage is her only hope of financial security.
Determined to provide for herself, Scarlet takes over her father’s detective agency, but soon realises she needs a partner if she is to operate in this man’s world.
The drama series focuses on the 51-day gun battle – the longest in U.S. law enforcement history – following a raid by the FBI on cult leader David Koresh (Taylor Kitsch) and his devout followers, just outside Waco, Texas in 1993.
The aftermath of the gun battle led to the deaths of four agents and six civilians, with dozens more wounded. A fire then engulfed the compound killing the 76 men, women and children inside.
What really happened during those 51 days remains a mystery and is one of the most misunderstood stories in American history.
