ITV and PBS order police procedural

ITV’s latest crime drama will see Richard Armitage as an unconventional forensic pathologist, whose rule-breaking approach helps solve complex murder cases.

Created by Eagle Eye Drama and co-produced with Masterpiece and in association with ITV Studios, six-part Winter also stars Annabel Scholey as DI Lauren Bell, who works alongside Armitage’s titular character Ethan Winter to solve cases.

Behind his maverick methods, Winter is harbouring a secret over an unsolved murder of someone close to him and is intent on unofficially investigating the death. This thread runs through series while each episode features its own self-contained story.

The procedural was ordered by ITV’s director of drama Polly Hill and commissioner Callum Dziedzic. Dziedzic said the scripts “masterfully blend the science, mystery and emotion audiences love in forensic shows.”

David Allison (The Couple Next Door) and Mark Greig (Marcella) are adapting and writing the series for ITV and PBS.

Directed by Dries Vos and Kaat Beels, the series is produced by Matt Baker and exec producers are Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino on behalf of ITV Studios-owned Eagle Eye Drama.

Winter is based on the French drama Balthazar, created by Clothilde Jamin and Clélia Constantine and produced by Beaubourg Stories. The import is currently available to watch on ITVX.

The series, which is supported by the Belgian Tax Shelter, will also be broadcast and streamed in the US by PBS Masterpiece. ITV Studios will distribute the format internationally.