BBC Four’s latest import is a sensationalism-free reimagining of a 1989 Swedish murder case, which trades aspirational design and superhuman sleuths to look deep into societal woes
BBC Four helped kick off Nordic noir’s British boom in 2008 when it aired the Yellow Bird production of Henning Mankell’s Wallander series, starring Krister Henriksson as the brooding Swedish detective. There followed The Killing – made by Denmark’s public broadcaster, DR – and The Bridge – made by DR and Sweden’s equivalent, SVT – plus many lesser imitators. Thirteen years on, though, it’s another Yellow Bird production, also on BBC Four, which best showcases the genre’s subtle yet significant evolution. Like everyone else, the Scandinavians have been swapping fictional stories for true crime.
With a scrupulous lack of sensationalism, The Hunt for a Killer dramatises a 15-year investigation into the 1989 murder of 10-year-old Helén Nilsson in Hörby, Sweden, over six compelling episodes. Five months after Nilsson’s disappearance, police find the body of a 26-year-old woman, and must work out whether they’re looking for a sole perpetrator.