The Tunnel (TV series)

Not to be confused with the South Korean TV series Tunnel.

The Tunnel
Also known asTunnel
FrenchTunnel
EnglishThe Tunnel
GenreCrime drama
Based onThe Bridge
Developed by
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Opening theme"The End of Time" – sung by Charlotte Gainsbourg
ComposersAdrian Johnston
Dominik Moll
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • France
Original languages
  • English
  • French
No. of series3
No. of episodes24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Lars Blomgren
  • Jane Featherstone
  • Manda Levin
  • Nora Melhli
  • Anne Mensah
  • Fabrice De La Patellière
  • Karen Wilson
  • Emilia di Girolamo
ProducerRuth Kenley-Letts
Production locations
  • United Kingdom
  • France
Running time
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSky Atlantic
Release16 October 2013 (2013-10-16) –
14 December 2017 (2017-12-14)
NetworkCanal+
Release11 November 2013 (2013-11-11) –
18 June 2018 (2018-06-18)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Tunnel (French: Tunnel) is a British–French crime drama television series adapted from the 2011 Danish–Swedish crime series The Bridge (Bron/Broen). The series began broadcasting on 16 October 2013 on Sky Atlantic in the UK, and on 11 November 2013 on Canal+ in France. The series stars Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy as British and French police detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann. The plot follows the two detectives working together to find a serial killer who left the upper half of a French politician and the lower half of a British prostitute in the Channel Tunnel at the midpoint between France and the UK. The killer is nicknamed the "Truth Terrorist" and is on a moral crusade to highlight many social problems, terrorising both countries in the process. As the series progresses, the killer's true intention is revealed.

The Anglo–French adaptation of The Bridge was announced as a joint project between Sky and Canal+ in January 2013. Tunnel head writer Ben Richards worked with Hans Rosenfeldt, the creator of the original series. Due to the setting, the dialogue of the series is bilingual, a first for a British / French television co-production. Filming took place between February and August 2013 with a budget of £15 million, and was shot on location in Kent, England and Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. It was produced with both British and French crew members. The premieres on both Sky Atlantic and Canal+ received strong ratings for the respective channels, with an initial consolidated figure of almost 900,000 in the UK and 1.3 million in France. Critical reception of the series has been generally positive, with Dillane and Poésy's acting being praised, as well as the plot's grittiness. Some reviewers made favourable comparisons with The Bridge, though others criticised The Tunnel for being identical. The producers admit that the first episode is a copy of the original.

On 16 February 2015, Canal+ and Sky Atlantic announced that a second series would begin production in March,[2] set to air in early 2016, entitled The Tunnel: Sabotage,[3] and consisting of eight episodes. Series 2 would focus on the crash of an airliner into the English Channel, with Dillane and Poésy returning;[4][5] it premiered on Canal+ on 7 March 2016.[6][7] The debut on Sky Atlantic was originally set for 5 April 2016 but was put off until a week later in deference to the Brussels terrorist attacks on 22 March 2016.[8] It premiered in the UK on 12 April 2016[9] and was made available via Sky's On Demand service.[10]

The renewal for a third and final series was announced on 20 January 2017[11][12] entitled The Tunnel: Vengeance and consisting of six episodes.[13] It began filming in March 2017[14] and premiered on Sky Atlantic on 14 December 2017, with all episodes released on the same day.[15][16] Canal+ did not announce a corresponding date for France at the time of the UK release.[17][Note 1] Season 3 premiered on Canal+ on 4 June 2018.[18][19]

In the United States, the first season aired on many PBS stations from June through August 2016.[20] The second season was broadcast from June through August 2017.[21] The third season aired July through August 2018.[22]

  1. ^ "Tunnel, nouvelle Création Originale". Canal+. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Une saison 2 pour Tunnel, la série avec Clémence Poésy et Stephen Dillane". Première. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. ^ "The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016)". Kent Film Office. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  4. ^ Plunkett, John (16 February 2015). "Sky Atlantic's The Tunnel to return for second series". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Gill, James (16 February 2015). "The Tunnel to return to Sky in 2016". Radio Times.
  6. ^ Bessières, Michel; Gallois, Laurence (7 March 2016). "Tunnel (Canal+) : une saison 2 originale et intense". Télé-Loisirs. Prisma Media. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  7. ^ Hansen-Love, Igor (7 March 2016). "Tunnel, saison 2: une franche réussite". L'Express. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  8. ^ Frost, Caroline (23 March 2016). "Sky Atlantic Delay 'The Tunnel' Series 2 Following Belgian Attacks". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  9. ^ Dowell, Ben (12 April 2016). "The Tunnel series two sees Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy's coppers fight terrorist mass killers". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  10. ^ "What's coming soon to Sky and NOW TV in April 2016?". VODzilla.co. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Robert (20 January 2017). "Sky Re-Enters 'Tunnel,' Wants 'Gone' by Lennie James". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  12. ^ Dezeraud, Pierre (20 January 2017). ""Tunnel" : Une troisième et dernière saison pour la série de Canal+". PureMédias. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  13. ^ "La saison 3 de " The Tunnel " en tournage au printemps". La Voix du Nord. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  14. ^ MacDougall, L (6 March 2017). "Series three of The Tunnel is filming in Thanet and Dover – here's how you can be on screen". Kent Live. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  15. ^ Sky Atlantic @skyatlantic (28 November 2017). "KARL & ELISE ARE BACK. @c_poesy & Stephen Dillane return as our favourite French/British double act. All episodes 14 December. #TheTunnel". Twitter. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  16. ^ Northmore, Henry (22 November 2017). "TV review: The Tunnel: Vengeance, Sky Atlantic". The List. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  17. ^ Fabien (14 December 2017). "Tunnel Saison 3 : La dernière enquête d'Élise et Karl arrive aujourd'hui sur Sky Atlantic". Critictoo. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  18. ^ CANAL+ @canalplus (2 June 2018). "Un bateau retrouvé brûlé sur la manche... Dernière enquête pour Élise et Karl dans la saison 3 de Tunnel à partir du 4 juin sur myCANAL". Facebook (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2018. A boat found burned on the channel. Last investigation for Elise and Karl in season 3 of the Tunnel from June 4 on myCANAL.
  19. ^ Baudin, Julia (4 June 2018). "Tunnel : une fin sombre et inquiétante". Le Figaro TV Magazine (in French). Le Figaro. Retrieved 19 June 2018. Tunnel: a dark and disturbing end
  20. ^ "The Tunnel : Season 1". PBS. 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  21. ^ "The Tunnel : Season 2". PBS. 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  22. ^ "Season 3 premieres Sunday, July 1 @10:30/9:30c". PBS. 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.


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