How to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online – stream JK Rowling crime drama adaptation
Tom Burke's brooding PI returns
JK Rowling’s moody PI is back for another big-budget adaptation of the sixth book in the long running series. So keep reading as we explain how to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online from anywhere and potentially for FREE.
Watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online
Premiere: Monday, December 16 at 9 pm GMT |
FREE stream: BBC iPlayer |
Use NordVPN to watch any stream |
Written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith – perhaps to distance the adult crime novels for what the Harry Potter author is more known for – the Cormoran Strike books follow the titular war veteran turned private eye (Tom Burke) and his assistant turned partner Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger) as they investigate increasingly macabre and dangerous cases.
The latest instalment, Strike: The Ink Black Heart sees the pair tasked with uncovering the true identity of an online persona after a would-be client, whose request to unmask the mysterious figure they turned down, winds up murdered. Drawn into a complex online world of online aliases, familial politics and shady business dealings, they must navigate the tangled (dark) web to uncover the truth.
The BBC’s Cormoran Strike adaptations are always a gritty crime treat and the latest looks to be a gripping start to the network’s festive schedule. And there’s still more books left to adapt. So read on for how to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online, from anywhere and potentially for FREE.
Can I watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart for FREE?
Viewers in the UK are in luck because not only are they the first to be able to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart on December 16, but they can do so completely FREE on BBC iPlayer.
Not at home over the holidays? Use a VPN to access you usual streaming services from abroad.
How to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart from abroad
For those away from home looking to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart, you’ll be unable to watch the show as normal if you're outside the UK due to regional restrictions. Luckily, there’s an easy solution.
Downloading a VPN allows you to stream geo-blocked services online, no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home. Our favorite is NordVPN.
Use a VPN to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart from anywhere:
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How to watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online in the UK
Strike: The Ink Black Heart is set to air on BBC One in the UK, with the first episode going out at 9pm on Monday, December 16. Episode 2 follows on Tuesday, December 17 while the final two episodes air in the same pattern the following week, with the finale arriving on Christmas Eve.
It will also be available to stream FREE on BBC iPlayer as it airs and on-demand.
Away from the UK right now? Just use a VPN to alter your IP address so you can stream your favorite TV shows and films online just like you would at home.
Can I watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online in the US?
Known as C.B. Strike in the US, seasons normally arrive on Max. There's no confirmed release date for The Ink Black Heart just yet though.
Brit abroad in the US? Anyone travelling in the US who wants to watch their usual streaming service from abroad can do so by using a VPN.
Can I watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online in Canada?
Crave is the home of C.B. Strike in Canada, but we're still awaiting release information for The Ink Black Heart.
British viewer travelling in Canada? Brits away from home who want to watch their usual streaming service can do so using a VPN.
Can I watch Strike: The Ink Black Heart online in Australia?
It's the same story in Australia, with Binge being the usual place to stream C.B. Strike. However, nothing is confirmed as to when The Ink Black Heart might arrive at present.
Brit abroad in Oz? Just use a VPN to alter your IP address so you can stream your favorite TV shows and films online just like you would at home.
What you need to know about Strike: The Ink Black Heart
Strike: The Ink Black Heart trailer
When is the Strike: The Ink Black Heart release date?
Strike: The Ink Black Heart, or season 6, premieres on BBC One in the UK at 9pm GMT on Monday, December 16. Episode two will follow in the same slot on Tuesday, December 17 with the final two episodes in the same pattern the following week.
International release dates are still to be confirmed.
The full episode schedule is as follows:
- Episode 1: Monday, December 16
- Episode 2: Tuesday, December 17
- Episode 3: Monday, December 23
- Episode 4: Monday, December 24
What can we expect from Strike: The Ink Black Heart?
The official synopsis from the BBC reads: "When frantic, desperate Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie's true identity. Robin informs Edie that the agency is too busy to take on her case and thinks nothing more of it until a few weeks later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart. Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie's true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches them to their limit."
Who is in the cast of Strike: The Ink Black Heart?
- Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike
- Holliday Grainger as Robin Ellacott
- David Westhead as Grant Ledwell
- Christian McKay as Inigo Upcott
- Emma Fielding as Katya Upcott
- Tupele Dorgu as Midge Greenstreet
- James Nelson-Joyce as Pez Pierce
- Ruth Sheen as Pat Chauncey
- Jack Greenlees as Sam Barclay
- Natasha O'Keefe as Charlotte Ross
- Caitlin Innes Edwards as Ilsa Herbert
Is Strike: The Ink Black Heart based on a book?
The Ink Black Heart is the sixth installment of the Cormoran Strike series of novels by Robert Galbraith, a pseudonym of Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
Previous installments, all of which have been adapted by the BBC are: The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil, Lethal White and Troubled Blood. The most recent novel, The Running Grave, follows The Ink Black Heart.
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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Tom is a freelance writer, predominantly focusing on film and TV. A graduate of Film Studies at University of South Wales, if he's not diving in to the Collector's Edition Blu Ray of an obscure 80s horror, you'll find him getting lost with his dog or mucking about in the water with his board.