Acclaimed British Period Drama Premieres Mon., September 12th – Wedn., September 14th
Aussie-Kiwi dramedy premieres Monday, September 5
Silver Spring, MD; July 27, 2016 – After a record-setting summer with a new exclusive premiere every week, Acorn TV begins the fall with the exclusive U.S. Premieres of Australia’s #1 new drama, 800 Words, on Monday, September 5th, and the highly anticipated, critically beloved British period drama The Secret Agent from Monday, September 12 – Wednesday, September 14, 2016. Based on Joseph Conrad’s timeless novel about terror, espionage and betrayal in 1886 London, The Secret Agent stars Toby Jones (Detectorists, Hunger Games),Vicky McClure (Line of Duty), and Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire). The acclaimed Aussie-Kiwi dramedy 800 Words, Season 1 stars Erik Thomson (Packed to the Rafters) as a widower making a new start in a small seaside town.
Acorn TV has also secured the exclusive SVOD rights to the recent landmark adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and the witty British drama Capital, from the makers of Broadchurch and Humans. Both of these star-studded critical darlings will make their exclusive streaming debut on the service in September. From RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) and available at Acorn.TV and on most devices, Emmy®-nominated Acorn TV is the premier North American streaming service for world-class television from Britain and beyond with lavish, high-quality international premieres every week.
Acorn TV’s international partners include All3Media for 800 Words, Content Television for The Secret Agent; Agatha Christie Limited for And Then There Were None, and FremantleMedia for Capital.
President of Acorn Brands at RLJ Entertainment Mark Stevens noted, “We’re thrilled to offer the exclusive U.S. Premiere of critically-acclaimed BBC One thriller The Secret Agent, a riveting period drama with very modern implications, based on the work of iconic novelist Joseph Conrad. Additionally, we’re delighted to feature the original U.K. broadcast version of the newest addictive adaptation of Agatha Christie’s most successful novel, And Then There Were None, plus the sweet and very funny family dramedy 800 Words and fascinating British drama Capital.”
September 2016
Monday, September 5 – 800 Words, Season 1 (Exclusive U.S. Premiere, Trailer)
Monday, September 12, 13, 14 – The Secret Agent (Exclusive U.S. Premiere, Trailer)
Monday, September 19 – Capital (Streaming Exclusive, Trailer)
Monday, September 26 – Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (Streaming Exclusive, Trailer)
800 Words, Season 1 (Exclusive U.S. Premiere, Mon., Sept 5)
*Logie Award winners for Best Actor (Erik Thomson) and Most Outstanding Newcomer (Melina Vidler)
Australia’s #1 drama series follows a recently widowed father (Erik Thomson, Packed to the Rafters) who quits his job as a popular 800-word columnist for a top-selling Sydney newspaper. Over the internet he buys a house on an impulse in a remote New Zealand seaside town. He then has to break the news to his two teenage kids, who just lost their mom, and now face an even more uncertain future. But the colorful and inquisitive locals ensure his dream of a fresh start does not go to plan. (8 episodes)
The Secret Agent (Exclusive U.S. Premiere, Mon., Sept 12-14)
“Fascinating. It’s unusual for a costume drama to feel quite so contemporary. **** [Four Stars]” – The Telegraph
An explosive and heart-breaking adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s classic novel of terrorism, espionage and betrayal. In 1886 London, Verloc (Toby Jones,Detectorists) runs a seedy sex shop in the heart of Soho. Unbeknown to his loyal wife Winnie (Vicky McClure, Line of Duty), Verloc also works for the Russian embassy, spying on a group of London anarchists. The Russians are furious with the English establishment’s indifference to the anarchist threat gripping the rest of Europe. So Verloc is assigned a mission: blow up the Greenwich Observatory and make it look like a terrorist attack to provoke a crackdown. Should he fail, Verloc’s real identity as a spy will be exposed to his vicious comrades. The miniseries co-stars Tom Goodman-Hill (Humans), Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire), and Ian Hart (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). (3 episodes)
Capital (Streaming Exclusive, Mon., Sept 19)
“A brilliant portrait of London life” —The Guardian
“Beautifully written, superbly performed” —The Times
“Hugely moving and outrageously funny” —The Observer
From the makers of Broadchurch and Humans and based on John Lanchester’s best-selling novel, Capital is a witty, colorful and sharply observed drama about the interconnected lives of a diverse group of characters linked to a fictional street. One day, the street’s residents all receive an anonymous postcard through their front doors bearing a simple message: “We want what you have”. Who is behind the anonymous hate campaign? And what do they want? As the mystery of the postcards deepens, interweaving stories reveal lives filled with love and loss, fear and greed, fortune and envy, and at its heart, family and home. The miniseries stars Toby Jones, Gemma Jones (Harry Potter films, Sense & Sensibility), and Rachael Stirling (Detectorists). (4 episodes)
Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (Streaming Exclusive, Mon., Sept 26)
“Astoundingly and almost absurdly entertaining…As addictive as anything likely to air on either side of the Atlantic this year.” – Variety
This new, landmark BBC adaptation of the best-selling novel of all-time features Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Hobbit trilogy), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones),Anna Maxwell Martin (The Bletchley Circle), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter films, Sleepy Hollow), Douglas Booth (Great Expectations), Maeve Dermody (Serangoon Road), Burn Gorman (TURN: Washington’s Spies), Toby Stephens (Black Sails, Jane Eyre), and Noah Taylor (Game of Thrones). The gripping miniseries follows a dinner party on an isolated island where the guests start dying one by one. (3 episodes)
Currently, Acorn TV features the exclusive premieres of breakout British comedies Raised by Wolves and Cradle to Grave; epic British period drama Jericho starring Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife), and Christmas in July with a special Murdoch Mysteries: A Merry Murdoch Christmas movie. In August, Acorn TV features the Acorn TV Original Series Agatha Raisin (8/1), a fun new mystery series starring Ashley Jensen (Catastrophe); critically-acclaimed French drama series The Disappearance (8/15); star-studded British drama The Syndicate: All or Nothing (8/22), and the return of “Acorn’s superior legal drama” (TV Guide)Janet King (8/29), starring Marta Dusseldorp (A Place to Call Home).
Acorn TV adds exclusive new programs every week and features a deep library of mysteries, dramas, and comedies with no set end dates. Subscribers can stream many of their favorite international series and discover new and classic programs previously unavailable to U.S. audiences. Acorn TV series include Aussie drama A Place to Call Home, BAFTA-winning comedy Detectorists, Guy Pearce’s noir thriller Jack Irish, hit dramedy Doc Martin, ‘Best Dramatic Series’ winner 19-2, and many more. Acorn TV offers a free 30-day trial and thereafter is just $4.99/month or $49.99/year.
“Discover an alternate universe of terrific British shows.” –Los Angeles Times
“Netflix for the Anglophile.” –NPR’s Here & Now
NOTES:
*WATCH: Press can easily watch these premieres beginning next week at the Acorn TV press streaming site: http://press.rlje.net/. Limited DVDs are available upon request.
*Acorn TV: https://acorn.tv
*Link to images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g7j2pcc0upiakk8/AACF1MFLBEFgRtWkZ707nWXZa?dl=0
Acorn TV Press Contact: Chad Campbell, 301.830.6203, ccampbell@RLJEntertainment.com
