The thrilling new drama series Vienna Blood from Endor Productions attracted large audiences to BBC Two in the UK last night, November 18, when it premiered on the channel.

With 1.8m viewers, the drama series topped the channel’s average slot share of 1.1m by 63% and increased the market share by over 50% (9.2% over 6.0%), making it BBC Two’s second top-rated drama of the year after Richard Gere series MotherFatherSon.

Vienna Blood (3×90’ or 6×30’) is a new crime drama set in 1900s Vienna, from acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson (Sherlock), and based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis.

Filmed in English on location in Vienna, the series is directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) and Umut Dag (Cracks in Concrete), and stars Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game, And When Did You Last See Your Father?) as Max Liebermann, and Juergen Maurer (Vorstadtweiber, Tatort) as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt.

Co-stars include Conleth Hill (Game Of Thrones), Charlene McKenna (Ripper Street), Amelia Bullmore (Gentleman Jack), Jessica De Gouw (Dracula) and Luise Von Finckh (Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten).

Produced by Endor Productions and MR Film, Vienna Blood is commissioned and co-produced by Germany’s ZDF and Austria’s ORF. Red Arrow Studios International has led the co-financing of the drama and is distributing the show worldwide. Other funding partners include Televisionfund Austria, TV-Filmfund Vienna and Niederoesterreich Kultur.