Tchéky Karyo’s Julien Baptiste, the star of BBC One’s crime drama The Missing, has locked up his own spin-off series with the British public broadcaster. The network has ordered Baptiste from Harry and Jack Williams’ All3Media-backed production company Two Brothers Pictures. The Missing aired on U.S network Starz, although there is no word yet whether it will take the spin-off.

The French character, who was the lead investigator in the disappearance of Oliver Hughes in the first season of The Missing and explored the surprise return of Alice Webster in the second season, looked to be dying in the last episode. However, it appears he has now recovered to solve a new case. Despite the timing of the announced this is not an April Fool’s joke.

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The spin-off follows Baptiste and his wife on a visit to Amsterdam, when the Chief of Police, who happens to be an ex-girlfriend, seeks out his help on a case that takes him from the beautiful streets, canals and houses of Amsterdam to the seamy underworld beneath.

Commissioned by BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore and BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning Piers Wenger, filming starts later this year in Amsterdam and Belgium. Harry and Jack Williams, Christopher Aird and the BBC’s Tommy Bulfin exec produce and John Griffin produces. All3Media International will handle global sales.

Karyo said that the character was “very dear” to him. “I’m really excited to be following his journey to the streets of Amsterdam and seeing what dark secrets he unveils this time. No doubt he’ll continue to take great risks all in the name of justice,” he added.

Wenger added: “Julien Baptiste – played by the exceptional Tchéky Karo – is one of the Williams brothers’ greatest creations and utterly deserving of his own show. This first series of Baptiste will allow us to discover more about Julien than ever before as he is parachuted into the centre of a shocking and wide-ranging crime story.”