The BBC has acquired the atmospheric Australian crime drama ‘Treasure & Dirt‘, bringing Chris Hammer’s bestselling novel to BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The twisting thriller heads deep into the Outback, landing viewers in a dying opal town where a grisly murder sets off a labyrinth of secrets and old sins that refuse to stay buried.
Set in a remote settlement scorched by heat and silence, the story begins when a miner is found beheaded and left to rot in the depths of his own modest claim. Into this blistering wasteland steps big city homicide detective Ivan Lucic, played by Michael Dorman (Territory, For All Mankind). He is partnered with rural detective Nell Buchanan, portrayed by Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets, He Had It Coming), who understands the rhythms of the place and the way it warps the people who live there. The two are drawn into a maze of greed, buried crimes and human frailty as they track down a killer who knows how to disappear in the dust.
The supporting cast brings serious pedigree, with Sarah Peirse (The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer, Under the Vines), Thomas M. Wright (Wolfram, The Stranger), Mark Mitchinson (Mystery Road, Uproar), and Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks, The Witcher). The series adapts Hammer’s Australian novel Treasure & Dirt, published in the UK as Opal Country.
Speaking about the acquisition, Sue Deeks, Head of Scripted Pre-buy Acquisitions at the BBC, says: “Treasure & Dirt is an atmospheric, multi-layered, psychological thriller where the isolation, heat and barren landscape add to the many challenges the investigative team must overcome to solve a rivetingly complex crime.”
Ian Collie and Rob Gibson, Executive Producers for Easy Tiger, add: “Treasure & Dirt is a gripping, must-watch thriller and continues our partnership with Chris Hammer, arguably one of Australia’s best crime writers. We are delighted to be working with the ABC on this production and thrilled to be filming again in South Australia, with the support of the South Australian Film Corporation as well as our international partners Sphere Abacus, and the BBC. Adapted for the screen by fellow Executive Producer Matt Cameron, the incredible Treasure & Dirt team is led by director Madeleine Gottlieb and producer Rebecca Summerton. We cannot wait for audiences in Australia and around the globe to meet Detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan and the colourful characters of Nulla, as well as showcasing the amazing locations of South Australia, including the arid deserts and the underground tunnels of the unique Coober Pedy.”
The six part drama is produced by Easy Tiger for ABC in association with the BBC and the South Australian Film Corporation. Matt Cameron adapts the novel for television, with Rebecca Summerton producing and Madeleine Gottlieb directing.
‘Treasure & Dirt‘ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you will be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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