BBC Four acquires new Swedish thriller Black Lake

BBC Four has acquired Black Lake (Svartsjön), an eight-part Swedish drama series about a group of young friends and the unsettling chain of events that are set into motion when they visit an abandoned ski resort.

The remote and neglected Black Lake has been closed for years when Johan (Filip Berg) invites his friends to stay there. He dreams of reopening the isolated hotel and restoring it to former glories, but what begins as a fun research trip soon takes a sinister turn as the group is gripped by a series of unexplained and disturbing events.

They soon uncover the real reason Black Lake was abandoned all those years before, and solving the mystery rapidly becomes a matter of life and death.

Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four, said: “Having expanded our international drama slate to take viewers to Canada (with Cardinal) and Spain (with I Know Who You Are) in the months ahead, it’s great to take BBC Four viewers back to Sweden with this ingenious new take on the mystery thriller, from a country whose acclaimed drama output continues to captivate and entertain us.”

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, added: “The stunning, atmospheric location of Black Lake is the perfect setting for this gripping psychological thriller which will enthral, surprise and shock!”

Chris Stewart, Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions at Banijay Rights, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the BBC once again to bring the best in foreign language drama to the UK. Black Lake is a fresh and exciting departure from the familiar Scandi Noir, and I’m sure the audience are going to be gripped!”

Black Lake is written by Ulf Kvensler, Moa Herngren, Peter Arrhenius, and Jonathan Sjöberg, and directed by Jonathan Sjöberg and David Berron. The series is produced by Jarowskij and was acquired from Banijay Rights.

Black Lake will air on BBC Four later this year.