Fremantle unveiled its true crime series "Shadow of Truth" will air in the UK on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The series will also be coming soon to ntv and RTL Crime in Germany.“We're thrilled that the series was acquired by the BBC, an unparalleled symbol of quality TV, and we can't wait to see how the UK audience will react to this important story, which is truly stranger than fiction," Yotam Guendelman, Mika Timor and Ari Pines, the showrunners at Silvio Productions said.
"Shadow of Truth" is produced by Fremantle company Silvio Productions, and globally distributed by Fremantle. The series will also include a new 5th episode filmed this year detailing the aftermath of one of world’s most notorious and controversial murder trials. The original 4-part series launched on Israeli channel HOT8 in 2016 and was acquired by Netflix in 2017. Now, all five episodes will be available to UK audiences on BBC Four and iPlayer in the Summer.
The shows cover the case of Tair Rada, a 13-year-old who was found inside a locked toilet stall at her school in December 2006. She had been viciously murdered, yet no one had seen or heard anything. The investigation and quick arrest of Roman Zadorov, an immigrant who worked at the school, sparked widespread conspiracy theories and threw the integrity of the entire justice system into doubt.
Aided by the findings from "Shadow of Truth’s" first four episodes, the supreme court ordered a re-trial for Zadorov, 17 years after Tair’s brutal murder. With unparalleled access to those closest to the case, the finale captures explosive new forensic evidence and tells Zadorov’s story for the first time in an exclusive in-depth interview.
The brand-new fifth episode follows the December 2022 re-trial through to March 2023 when Zadorov’s re-trial concluded and became an historic first in Israeli judicial history. Set against the backdrop of major civil unrest in response to the Israeli government’s push for a wide-ranging judicial reform, the re-trial saw new advances in forensic science and DNA technology used to fight Zadorov’s case.
“I am thrilled that this series, which forensically examines a murder case on many different levels, will soon find a new home on both BBC Four and BBC iPlayer," Mandy Chang, Global Head of Documentaries at Fremantle said. "This story, told by our talented Israeli team, Yotam Guendelman and Mika Timor, from Fremantle company Silvio will include a stunning new update on the case that centres around the accused, Roman Zadorov. It’s an honour to be able to collaborate with my old partners at the BBC and to bring the broadcaster’s audience right up to date on this horrifying and ultimately revealing case.”