Silver Spring, MD; August 1, 2018 – Acorn TV and Acorn Media Enterprises announce their third series commission this year with British drama series Queens of Mystery. Acorn Media Enterprises (AME), the UK-based development division for the Acorn brand of RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE), has partnered with Sly FoxProductions in association with Ferncroft Media to produce the new series along with Acorn Media International distributing in all English-speaking territories and international distributor ZDF Enterprises distributing in the rest of the world. Created for television by writer Julian Unthank (Doc Martin, New Tricks), the first series of Queens of Mystery will go into production in September with three feature-length episodes which will make their North American premiere in 2019 as an Acorn TV Original. The series will also be available as 6 x 45’. The deal was negotiated by Shane Murphy at Acorn Media Enterprises, and Linda James and Tim Vaughan at Sly Fox Productions.
Queens of Mystery follows a perennially single female detective and her three aunts, who are well-known crime writers that help her solve whodunit style murders as well as set her up on blind dates. The wickedly offbeat Amelie-esque style contemporary murder mystery series will feature bold visuals, quirky characters, fast-paced dialogue and darkly comic murders.
Queens of Mystery will be scripted by Julian Unthank and Matthew Thomas (The Rook, The Chameleon, New Tricks) with Oscar® and BAFTA® winner Ian Emes directing the first two episodes.
Mark Stevens, RLJ Entertainment’s Chief Content Officer for the Acorn brands, said, “With our third sole commission this year, Acorn TV is leading the way in producing high quality British and international television for North America, UK and Eire and ANZ. With its fun characters, beautiful setting, and entertaining mysteries, Queens of Mystery is exactly the kind of show our subscribers will love and is an ideal addition to our rapidly growing slate of original series. Additionally, we’ve been looking for the right project to work with the talented producers from Sly Fox, and they’ve put together a fantastic series.”
Linda James, Producer at Sly Fox Productions, said, “It’s a wonderful challenge to create a new detective series that feels fresh and different. With Queens of Mystery, Julian has brought wit and verve to the genre that we’re sure will delight a global audience. With the exceptional support we’ve enjoyed from Mark and everyone at both RLJE and Acorn TV, Tim, Ian and all the team are greatly looking forward to bringing DS Matilda Stone and her clever and tenacious Aunts - Beth, Cat and Jane Stone - to the screen.”
Acorn TV with Acorn Media Enterprises is having an incredible year with its recent expansion announcement into twelve Latin American countries; commission announcements for the straight-to-series order of British drama London Kills Series 1 and 2 starring Hugo Speer and Sharon Small as well as Agatha Raisin, Series 2 starring Ashley Jensen; co-production announcements for Irish comedy Finding Joy from Amy Huberman and Aussie comedy Sando; and the licensing of hit ABC Australia drama Mystery Road starring Judy Davis and Aaron Pedersen, British police procedural No Offence, Jack Irish, Season 2 starring Guy Pearce, and S4C drama Hidden with BBC Wales. Read recent announcements athttps://www.rljentertainment.com/press-room/
In 2018, Acorn TV has already featured five Originals with Series 3 of universally adored BBC comedy Detectorists starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones; Kay Mellor’s ITV drama Girlfriends starring Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Miranda Richardson, and Zoe Wanamaker (Agatha Christie’s Poirot); Irish legal drama Striking Out, Series 2 starring Amy Huberman; record-setting Welsh thriller Keeping Faith starring Eve Myles (Torchwood), and Aussie family comedy Sando. Acorn TV Originals coming later this year include Mystery Road (Aug. 20), Finding Joy, and Agatha Raisin, Series 2 as well as Straight Forward and London Kills in 2019.
Called “Netflix for the Anglophile” by NPR and featuring “the most robust, reliable selection of European, British, Canadian and Australian shows” by The New York Times, Acorn TV has quickly become one of the top streamers and is the greatest value in streaming at only $4.99 a month and is commercial free. Acorn TV curates the very best in international television and remains North America’s largest streaming service for international television. Acorn TV exclusively premieres several new international series and/or seasons every month from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and other European countries.
Website: Acorn.TV
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About RLJ Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) is a premium digital channel company serving distinct audiences primarily through its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and UMC (Urban Movie Channel), which have rapidly grown through development, acquisition, and distribution of its exclusive rights to a large library of international and British dramas, independent feature films and urban content. RLJE’s titles are also distributed in multiple formats including broadcast and pay television, theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, and a variety of digital distribution models (including EST, VOD, SVOD and AVOD) in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE co-produces and develops new programs and owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited. For more information, please visit RLJEntertainment.com, Acorn.tv, and UMC.tv.
Acorn TV Press Contact: Chad Campbell, ccampbell@acorn.tv
