February 15:
Murphy’s Law Series 3 (DVD Debut) – BBC’s hit undercover cop series starring James Nesbitt (Match Point and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit in 2012). Ran for five seasons and aired on BBC America. (6 episodes)
“Eminently watchable…Nesbitt acts the hell out of the lead role” — San Francisco Chronicle
“Nesbitt, with his mix of self-destructiveness, smarts and soul, is as watchable as
Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect or Robbie Coltrane in Cracker.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution
Bill Moyers: In Search of the Constitution (DVD Debut) – “Captures both the history and day-to-day vitality of the U.S. Constitution…Grade: A” (Entertainment Weekly). Seen on PBS in late 1980s, Bill Moyers presents this series of absorbing interviews with legal scholars, Supreme Court justices (William J. Brennan, Harry A. Blackmun and Sandra Day O’Connor), and ordinary citizens exploring the Constitution’s history and continuing legacy. (11 episodes)
Bill Moyers: World of Ideas-Writers (DVD Debut) – In the Peabody Award-winning 1988 PBS series, 13 celebrated authors discuss life, culture and politics. Bonus disc features recent interviews and a slew of extras. Celebrated journalist Bill Moyers speaks with some of the world’s leading literary voices—from science fiction writers to Broadway playwrights, including Alice Walker, Isabel Allende, Barbara Kingsolver, and Doris Lessing. (16 episodes)
February 22:
New Tricks, Season 3 (DVD Debut) – Showcasing a superb ensemble cast and more mysteries tackled with typical wit and flair, the third season of the hit UK crime series makes its highly anticipated DVD debut – an “unstoppable ratings monster” (The Sunday Telegraph). Featuring retired cops solving cold cases, this fresh and funny British crime drama has earned itself fans on both sides of the Atlantic. Broadcast on the BBC for seven seasons since 2003 with an eighth season in production, and ongoing public television broadcast exposure. Stars Amanda Redman (Sexy Beast), Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney), Alun Armstrong (Bleak House), and James Bolam (The Beiderbecke Affair). (8 episodes plus behind-the-scenes featurette)
Fresh Fields, Set 1 (Home Video Debut) – Starring Julia McKenzie (Marple) and Anton Rodgers in the International Emmy®-winning comedy. The lighthearted empty-nester comedy has broadcast continually on PBS since the 1980s. McKenzie and Rodgers play a happily married couple adjusting to middle age. Includes the first two series. (12 episodes)
Midsomer Murders Set 17 (U.S. Debut) – Episodes available to U.S. audiences for the first time. Four new, contemporary, stand-alone mysteries from Acorn’s top-selling series. Fan favorite John Nettles returns as in these engrossing mysteries set in the idyllic villages of England’s deadliest county. Guest stars include Peter Davison (Doctor Who, The Last Detective), Susannah Harker (Pride and Prejudice, Chancer). Episodes in Set 17 are the first part of Series Twelve (2009), and have not broadcast in the U.S. (4 mysteries)
March 1:
Murder Investigation Team, Series 1 (DVD Debut) – The hit, realistic procedural crime drama in the vein of CSI reveals the gritty reality of police work. Broadcast on A&E in the U.S. and on ITV in the U.K. (2003), the suspenseful series follows a squad of elite detectives as they investigate horrific crimes in metropolitan London. From the makers of popular, long-running series, The Bill, the series stars Olivier Award-winner Samantha Sprio (The Bill, From Hell), Lindsey Coulson (EastEnders, Manchild), Richard Hope (Tipping the Velvet), Michael McKell (Doctors), and Richard Huw (Sword of Honour, The Bill). (8 episodes)
Napoleon & Love (DVD Debut) – Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings) leads an illustrious cast in a romantic drama about Napoleon’s many loves. Broadcast on A&E and PBS, this sumptuous costume drama follows the romantic exploits of Napoleon Bonaparte (Ian Holm) as he conquers Europe’s battlefields and bedrooms. The cast includes Peter Bowles (The Irish R.M.), Billie Whitelaw (Hot Fuzz, Quills), Susan Wooldridge (The Jewel in the Crown), and Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). (9 episodes)
The Norman Conquests (DVD Debut) – Alan Ayckbourn’s Emmy®-nominated trilogy seen on PBS. Called “Hilarious” by The Washington Post, this study in family dysfunction is a tale of love, lust, and confusion seen from three different sides. Based on the celebrated plays by Alan Ayckbourn and broadcast in the late 1970s as part of PBS’ Great Performance series, the release follows 2009’s hit Broadway revival that garnered the adaptation Tony Award® recognition. Three full-length dramas with pitch-perfect performances by Richard Briers (Good Neighbors), Penelope Keith (To the Manor Born), Penelope Wilton (Match Point), David Troughton (Fingersmith), and Oscar® nominee Tom Conti (Shirley Valentine).
March 15:
Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1 (DVD Debut) – NBC and Lisa Kudrow’s star-studded family history series featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, and Emmitt Smith. Working alongside genealogists, researchers and historians, the stars travel the world to uncover the secrets and surprises of their family trees and share their life-altering discoveries. Lisa Kudrow is an executive producer. Sarah Jessica Parker noted, “It’s changed everything about who I thought I was, everything.” Season 2 premieres on NBC on Friday, February 4th at 8:00pm ET. (7 episodes)
The Red Green Show: The Delinquent Years – The collected Seasons 7-9 (1997-1999) of the Canadian comedy and longstanding PBS hit. Creator and star Steve Smith is a mastermind of north-of-the-border handyman humor with widespread appeal. Currently appearing at venues throughout the U.S., Smith’s multi-year tour continues to sell out. Akin to Home Improvement, which also debuted in 1991. (47 episodes)
March 29:
Upstairs, Downstairs Complete Series: 40th Anniversary Edition – The most popular and successful British drama series in television history. 21-disc collection features all five series and more than 25 hours of never-before-seen extras. Winner of seven Emmy® Awards, two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody, it tells the epic saga of life in Edwardian England. The beloved ITV drama series captivated viewers for five heart-tugging, humorous and satisfying seasons from 1971 to 1975 and has been seen by a billion people in 40 countries worldwide. The series inspired the recent hit Downton Abbey and the highly-anticipated BBC revival starring Jean Marsh in her original role beginning on PBS’ Masterpiece on April 10th.
**Limited copies of the complete series are available; Series 1 readily available.
The Genius of Design (DVD Debut) – Fun, fast-paced and always informative BBC documentary explores the personalities and technology that shape our modern life. Broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel in fall 2010. With spotlights on industrial design giants, such as Braun electronics, Ford, and Apple, this fascinating five-part documentary examines the art and science of design and the stuff it shapes –- from computer chips to cityscapes and everything in between. (5 episodes)
The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide (U.S. Debut) – Captivating BBC documentary series reveals revolutionary discoveries about the universe’s composition, history and origin. Affable presenter Adam Hart-Davis explores how technology is shaping our understanding of the universe, while making these findings accessible and fun with compelling presenters and superb 3-D recreations. Seen on the BBC in 2007 and available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release, this eye-opening, six-part series shows how leading scientists are using ingenious tools to achieve breakthroughs in understanding the stars, planets, and our place among them.
Coming in April 2011:
Lorna Doone starring Clive Owen, Polly Walker, and Sean Bean; Bill Moyers: The Language of Life; A Mind to Kill, Series 3; 20th Century with Mike Wallace: America at War; Demob starring Martin Clunes; and the Doc Martin Collection: Series 1-4.
Jan-Feb 1, 2011:
Discovering Hamlet (DVD Debut), featuring Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi (The King’s Speech) and narrated by Patrick Stewart; Garrow’s Law, Series 1 (U.S. Debut), a riveting new courtroom drama series seen on BBC; Single-Handed, Set 1 (U.S. Debut), a lone cop fights crime and corruption in rural Ireland in an award-winning crime series; Blue Murder: The Complete Collection, called “The most fascinating British female cop since Jane Tennison” (San Francisco Chronicle); Dirty Tricks (Home Video Debut), Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) leads an all-star cast in the International Emmy®-winning Best Drama; The Guilty (DVD Debut), taut conspiracy thriller featuring fan-favorite Michael Kitchen (Foyle’s War); Enemy at the Door, Series 2, finale of the gripping WWII drama series; Man in a Suitcase, Set 1 (DVD Debut), stylish action-packed 1960s spy series; Pie in the Sky, Series 4 (DVD Debut), features Richard Griffiths in fun culinary cop series; Wish Me Luck, Series 2, based on the true story of British heroines; and The Agatha Christie Hour, Set 2 (DVD Debut), more classic Agatha Christie short fiction comes alive.
Select 2010 Releases:
Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection, Oscar® and Emmy® winner Helen Mirren in her iconic, groundbreaking TV role; Foyle’s War Set 6, one of the most highly acclaimed and popular programs on PBS; Life on Mars: The Complete UK Collection, the award-winning, original U.K. police drama; Time magazine Short List selection Touching Evil: The Complete Collection; Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray); Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Murder on the Orient Express (Blu-ray) starring David Suchet; Poldark Series 1 and 2 (DVD Debuts); Cadfael: The Complete Collection starring Derek Jacobi; and from the Athena documentary line Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers.
About Acorn Media:
The Acorn Media Group, a leading independent media company, provides distinctive home video products and other merchandise to consumers in North America, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. With a special focus on the best of British television programming, Acorn Media has exclusive distribution rights to hundreds of collectible titles on DVD. Its U.S. division will release more than 100 DVDs in North America in 2011, including Upstairs, Downstairs Complete Series: 40th Anniversary Edition; NBC’s star-studded Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1 from Lisa Kudrow; BBC’s smash hit series New Tricks (Seasons 3-5); great new series Garrow’s Law, Single-Handed, and Reggie Perrin with Martin Clunes; more episodes from Doc Martin, Murphy’s Law, Poirot, Marple, George Gently, Murdoch Mysteries, Midsomer Murders; as well as several Blu-ray releases, including Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Edition; and acclaimed documentaries from our Athena line with Discovering Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi, and more from Mike Wallace and the Bill Moyers library
Acorn’s and Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com. For the complete press releases, please visit: www.acornmedia.com