BBC Drama's new six-part adventure series, from the same writers and creators of the hit series Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes, is packed with historical mystery and contemporary relevance both on screen and online.

Set against the backdrop of Bath, a city steeped in 3,000 years of history, Gillian and her team are brought in under a variety of imperatives to extract bodies, books, weapons and all manner of artefacts which lead them into an investigation of the past that will unlock dangers and mysteries in the present.

The Brief

The BBC are now taking a multi-platform approach to new commissions. Splendid were asked to create the online component for Bonekickers that would compliment the rich subject material of the series.

During our immersion phase it became clear that the show required a strong visual identity. Mamouth, the production company, asked us to do this too.

What we did

Splendid worked closely with the creators of the show, Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah of Monastic Productions, to generate ideas & content for the site.

We looked closely at how an online audience could interact with the core themes and storylines of the show, and not just watch it. We also paid close attention to how the site would react to the audience across the 6 weeks duration of the show.

Several set visits gave us enough visual stimulation to start working on the identity. We worked closely with the production team, presenting back ideas on set and between takes, to ensure the logo was hitting the right mark.

Our Solution: website

The result is a website that works as the perfect companion to the show. After each episode is broadcast the site is refreshed to reflect the latest events in the storyline working in harmony with the creators vision for the series.

Viewers can interact with the series in a number of ways depending on their particular interest:

• An exclusive behind the history video for each episode is available for those wanting more detail on the historical evidence that inspired each story.
• Every episode is avavilable, in its entirety, for 7 days after broadcast thanks to the embedded iPlayer
• Online discussions and direct access to the creators and actors from the show
• Quick catch up clips of key moments for those viewers joining the series after the first episode

Our solution: title sequence

The titles at the start of each episode reflect the pace and excitement of the series, whilst eluding some of it's to content. We used detailed macro footage of the archaeological process to form the backbone of the sequence, then cut in bursts of action from historical flashbacks and present day scenes, resulting in 30 seconds of contrasting scale and pace.

Splendid came to us along with the creators, producers and distributors of the show and they seemed to understand our overall 360 degree approach to commissioning. We're excited by what they've produced to date and look forward to the continued development of the site as the show goes from strength to strength.

Rosie Allimonos Online Commissioning Editor, BBC