PBS Announces Filming for 'Winter' Is Underway
The newest British police procedural heading to PBS, 'Winter,' based on the French series 'Balthazar,' rounds out its cast as filming commences.
It was the beginning of December 2025 when ITV announced it was partnering with Masterpiece to co-produce a new police procedural, Winter, heading for U.K. screens as part of the 2026-2027 TV season. The series announcement confirmed that the production had already cast the main leads: Richard Armitage (Missing You) and Annabel Scholey (The Sixth Commandment) will star in the new six-part series.
The series comes from PBS favorite Eagle Eye Drama. Longtime readers of Telly Visions will recognize the production studio as the same one behind PBS hits such as Professor T and Patience, both of which are English-language remakes of successful foreign language shows on PBS Passport via Eagle Eye's sister company, Walter Presents. Winter is also a remake of a foreign-language series; however, it's not available on PBS Passport. The original show is the French-produced Balthazar, all five seasons of which are streaming on Acorn TV.
In that sense, Winter is more like Paramount+ The Agency, which is based on Le Bureau des Légendes (also available on Acorn). Balthazar starred French actor Tomer Sisley as forensic pathologist Raphaël Balthazar, who teams up with Captain Hélène Bach (Hélène de Fougerolles) to become an odd-couple crime-solving duo. Armitage will play the anglicized pathologist Dr. Ethan Winter, with Scholey taking the role of the renamed DI Lauren Bell.
(One assumes ITV and Masterpiece plan for Scholey to stay as co-star for as long as the series runs, despite de Fougerolles departing Balthazar after three seasons, replaced by Constance Labbé as Captain Camille Costes for the series last two.)
Here's the series synopsis:
The series features an unconventional forensic pathologist, Dr. Ethan Winter, whose brilliance, sharp intellect, and rule-breaking approach help the police solve some of the most complex murder cases. Winter possesses an extraordinary analytical mind, capable of impeccable deductive reasoning, which perfectly complements DI Lauren Bell, a meticulous, no-nonsense detective who is as driven as Winter when working on a case. Together, they make a formidable team, as Winter’s genius and insight into the victims is invaluable to Bell and her murder squad detectives.
Each episode features its own compelling, self-contained crime story, with a personal story thread, the unsolved murder of someone close to Winter, running beneath entire season, as it still haunts his every move and he is intent on unofficially investigating the case and bringing the murderer to justice.
Armitage and Scholey will star alongside a cast of recognizable faces, including Jamie Kenna (House of the Dragon), Carlotta Banat (Three Body Problem), Josh Barrow (Hostage), Adwoa Akoto (Surface), Jay Taylor (Manhunt), Rishi Rian (Ridley), Deirdre Mullins (Bad Sisters), Ellis Elijah (Mammoth) and Evie Coles (The Lady Grace Mysteries).
Winter is penned by David Allison (The Couple Next Door) and Mark Greig (Ashes to Ashes), based on the television series Balthazar, created by Clothilde Jamin and Clélia Constantine. Directing duties will be split between Dries Vos (The Couple Next Door) and Kaat Beels (The Twelve), with Matt Baker (Professor T) producing the series. Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino executive produce the series on behalf of Eagle Eye, with Susanne Simpson for Masterpiece.
Winter is currently filming in Bristol and Belgium. It is expected to debut on both ITV and Masterpiece as part of the 2026-2027 TV season.
