Calling all Agatha Christie fans! The Italian crime drama, Stranded, has just landed on Channel 4 via its streaming offshoot Walter Presents, and it might be worth adding to your watchlist for the festive period.

The eight-part series follows wealthy banker Giovanni Lo Bianco, who is on holiday at a luxury ski resort with his children when he recognises a fellow guest with the potential to uncover his double life. But when a huge avalanche cuts off the Vanoi Valley, the guests are stranded and only fate will decide who escapes alive.

Stranded is just one of many compelling foreign-language dramas available via Walter Presents, which highlights top-rated, award-winning shows picked by Italian TV producer, Walter Iuzzolino, whose TV credits include Professor T, Bookish and The Couple Next Door. 

The drama has been described as a combination of Agatha Christie, Lost and The White Lotus in a review by The Guardian, which described the series as “soapy” and filled with “melodrama”.

© Marco Bellucci

A luxury ski resort is left isolated after a huge avalanche

What is Stranded about?

The series is set on Christmas Eve, when a massive avalanche cuts off the Vanoi Valley, leaving a luxury ski resort and nearby village isolated without power or contact with the outside world.

The story centres on Giovanni Lo Bianco, a wealthy broker spending the holidays with his two children after the loss of his wife. He hides a dark past, tied to a powerful Camorra boss (an Italian Mafia-type criminal organisation), who is also his brother.

The synopsis continues: “When he recognises Marco, a guest whose ex-wife is the key witness against that same clan, Giovanni realises his double life is about to unravel. Trapped by the snow, fate will decide who makes it out alive.”

With a scenic background, a protagonist hiding a dark secret and the threat of the Italian mafia, Stranded sounds like a crime drama binge-watch waiting to happen, and with the series set on Christmas Eve, what better time to stream it?

© Marco Bellucci / Channel 4

The series has been described as an adrenaline-fuelled story

What have critics said about the show?

The anxiety-inducing series has been met with positive reviews from critics, with The Guardian awarding three stars in its review, which described the show as “like Agatha Christie, Lost and The White Lotus all at once.”

Meanwhile, Vanity Fair Italy hailed the series as an “adrenaline-fuelled story” that “exceeds expectations”.

© Channel 4

The series follows a rich banker with a dark past

Who stars in Stranded?

The series, which comes from creator Valerio D’Annunzio, stars Alessandro Preziosi, Federico Russo, Giulia Patrignani, Rike Schmid, Marco Rossetti and Aurora Ruffino.

© Channel 4

Stranded is available to stream on Channel 4 now

How to watch Stranded

All episodes of Stranded are available to stream on Channel 4 now.