Carnival Film and TV, the shingle behind the behemoth Downton Abbey, has announced a new international co-production from X-Files supremo Frank Spotnitz.

Freud: The Secret Casebook will centre on the founding father of psychoanalysis in early 20th century Vienna as he uses his new theories to solve murder mysteries and become a pioneer of criminal profiling.

Reflecting the current zeitgeist for international co-productions, Carnival’s Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant join fellow executive producers Alexander Keil and Christian Popp of Producers at Work in Germany, and Alan Gasmer (Vikings) and Matt Baer (Unbroken).

The series has been created by Spotnitz, whose recently-established UK indie Big Light Pictures is co-producing, and Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek IV and VI, Houdini). At the time of writing a broadcaster had yet to be confirmed.

Further details on Freud: The Secret Casebook can be found on Production Intelligence, our online database of advance and archive productions.