First look as BBC drama Strike returns with chilling new case

Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are set to return this December in the sixth instalment of Strike, the BBC’s acclaimed crime drama.

Based on JK Rowling’s best-selling novels under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Strike – The Ink Black Heart will follow detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott as they dive into a deeply unsettling new case.

Returning to the BBC in a four-part series, Strike fans will see familiar faces and new additions to the cast.

Tom Burke (Furiosa, The Souvenir) reprises his role as the gritty private investigator Cormoran Strike, while Holliday Grainger (The Capture, Animals) returns as his determined and resourceful partner, Robin Ellacott.

The pair will be joined by David Westhead (Enola Holmes 2), Christian McKay (Rivals), Emma Fielding (Sanditon), Tupele Dorgu (The Full Monty), and James Nelson-Joyce (Time).

Returning cast members include Ruth Sheen as Pat, Strike’s no-nonsense office manager, Jack Greenlees as Sam Barclay, and Natasha O’Keeffe as Strike’s on-again, off-again flame, Charlotte.

In The Ink Black Heart, Strike and Robin find themselves wrapped up in one of their most complex cases to date. The story begins with a desperate plea from Edie Ledwell, the co-creator of a popular but controversial online cartoon, The Ink Black Heart.

Harassed by an online stalker known only as Anomie, Edie’s fears fall on deaf ears at the detective agency when Robin declines to take the case, claiming they’re overloaded with work. But weeks later, Edie is found dead at Highgate Cemetery – the very setting of her cartoon.

The murder leaves Robin and Strike with no choice but to pursue Edie’s stalker, thrusting them into a web of dark secrets, online deceptions, and disturbing family feuds. The enigmatic Anomie proves to be a formidable adversary, hiding behind a maze of online aliases and shrouded in mystery.

With both professional and personal stakes at their highest, the case pushes Robin and Strike’s partnership – and their resilience – to the edge.

Directed by Strike veteran Sue Tully (Troubled Blood, Line of Duty) and adapted by Tom Edge (Vigil), The Ink Black Heart has all the hallmarks of the atmospheric tension and intricate storytelling that Strike fans have come to expect.

Strike will air on BBC One and iPlayer in December.