Is Annika Based on a True Story?

The British crime series ‘Annika,’ created by Nick Walker, follows Annika Strandhed, a Norwegian detective in the Scottish Police who is assigned to the Glasgow Marine Homicide Unit (MHU). Each episode of the show centers on a heinous crime that she must solve. The titular character’s bond with her adolescent daughter, however, is the story’s centerpiece.

The fact that the main character Annika breaks the fourth wall stands out in the series. As a result, rather than being passive observers of Annika’s life, we as viewers become a part of the story. This is presumably why people often wonder if the crime drama is based on real-life events. So, here’s all you need to know about it!

Is Annika Based on a True Story?

‘Annika,’ on the other hand, is not based on a true story. ‘Annika Stranded,’ a BBC Radio 4 drama, is the inspiration for the British series. Because the radio show allowed the character to form a close bond with the listeners, the TV show attempted to do the same. Breaking the fourth wall so served to bridge the distance between the character and the audience. Nicola Walker, who plays Annika on the radio show, also reprised her role as the major character onscreen.

Walker expressed her delight at the prospect of reprising her role as Annika in an interview with Alibi. “As everyone knows, I’ve played a lot of detectives throughout the years,” she explained. But I’ve been Annika for a long time, and if there was any way to fill her out in a real-world setting, I wanted to be a part of it. I was particularly interested in seeing how her work translated to reality in Scotland.” Later, the actress discussed how series creator Nick Walker skillfully employs all of the most well-known crime drama cliches.

Jamie Sives (DS Michael McAndrews), on the other hand, stressed that the show’s dramatic plotlines kept things intriguing. Sives told Drama Quarterly, “You never get weary of it.” “The murders are implausible, baroque, and odd,” he continued. It’s a type of marine homicide unit that doesn’t exist in the United Kingdom. Because it is strictly a hypothetical context, the murders and other events are highly dramatic.”

The unusual relationship between Annika and her teenage daughter, Morgan, is at the heart of the criminal drama. As a result, the show isn’t just about the eponymous character’s professional life, but also her personal life, giving it a complex yet interesting portrait of a woman who many people can identify with.

Nicola Walker referred to Annika as her ideal alter-ego and highlighted the aspects of the character that she enjoyed earlier in 2016. She admired Annika’s unconcerned attitude toward what others think of her. In addition, the actress admired how the character handles difficult situations in her life, whether at work or at home. With all of that stated, it is evident that the characters and situations in the show’s storyline are fictional, even if they may reflect reality in some way.