The critically acclaimed crime drama that has been hailed as 'the BBC at its best' and stands as the broadcaster's highest-rated series is making its return. Strike: The Running Grave, the seventh instalment in the Cormoran Strike book series, is being brought to television, reuniting viewers with well-loved characters.
Plot and Cast
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are set to return as Detective Cormoran Strike and his trusted colleague Robin Ellacott — and they're facing a particularly challenging case. The seventh series will follow the pair as they assist a concerned father attempting to extract his son from a religious cult operating in the Norfolk countryside, with Robin infiltrating the organisation herself.
The synopsis states: 'In Strike: The Running Grave, Cormoran Strike is hired by a father to locate his son, Will, who has joined the religious cult known as the Universal Humanitarian Church (UHC). To investigate the deeply sinister undertones and suspicious deaths surrounding the UHC, Robin Ellacott goes undercover at the cult's remote Norfolk headquarters, uncovering dangers and trauma that take a devastating toll on her.'
Background and Acclaim
The much-loved drama draws from the Cormoran Strike book series, penned by J. K. Rowling writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The inaugural series, The Cuckoo's Calling, debuted on the BBC in 2017 and immediately captured audiences' attention. For anyone unfamiliar with the series, this crime drama centres on private investigator and war veteran Cormoran Strike alongside his assistant Robin Ellacott, who draw upon their unique expertise to crack intricate cases that have stumped the Metropolitan Police.
Six series have been broadcast thus far, with Kerr Logan, Killian Scott, Ben Crompton and Natasha O'Keeffe amongst the regular cast members. The Independent previously remarked in a review: 'Strike: Troubled Blood, in other words, is the BBC at its best, and now, as in the 1970s, the corporation is one of the few things in this benighted nation that actually works and is world-class.'
Success and Availability
The novels have received widespread acclaim and all seven Strike books have reached the top of both domestic and international bestseller charts, with over 20 million copies sold globally across all formats. The television adaptations have proved equally popular, establishing themselves amongst Britain's most-watched dramas. Critics have lauded it as both 'an extraordinarily fine drama' and 'brilliantly acted.' While a release date remains unconfirmed, with production currently in progress, it may arrive before the year's end. Meanwhile, series one through six are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
