Disney+ has commissioned the first international version of ABC News' long-running true crime magazine series 20/20, choosing the UK to launch the format outside America for the first time. The series, titled 20/20 Britain's Most Notorious Crime Investigations, will premiere next week and reopens six high-profile British cases, marking a significant expansion for a 50-year-old US franchise and signalling Disney+'s ambition to compete with Netflix and Prime Video in the international true crime market.

The six-part series covers cases including Jane Andrews, Ben Field, Joanna Yeates, Ben Needham, serial killer Peter Tobin and TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari, several of which have already inspired successful British TV dramas. It launches on Disney+ in the UK and on Disney+ and Hulu in the US in nine days, starting with the Needham episode before weekly releases. The show is produced by Candle True Stories, run by former ABC News boss James Goldston, alongside ABC News Studios, and forms part of a wider true crime push by Disney+ EMEA following recent budget increases for the streamer.