Silver Spring, MD; September 6, 2018 – Acorn TV with Acorn Media Enterprises, Sly Fox Productions and Ferncroft Media announce the casting for their commission of British drama series QUEENS OF MYSTERY. As announced on August 1st, Acorn Media Enterprises (AME), the UK-based development division for the Acorn brand of RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE), has commissioned the new series from Sly Fox Productions in association with Ferncroft Media. Acorn Media International is distributing in all English-speaking territories and will be at MIPCOM in October along with five other Acorn TV Originals. Created for television by writer Julian Unthank (Doc Martin, New Tricks), the first series of Queens of Mystery will go into production on Monday, September 10, 2018 in Kent in South East England 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 casting director is Louise Cross (Midsomer Murders, Stella) and lead director is Ian Emes (Deadly Summer, The Invisible Man).
Queens of Mystery follows a perennially single female detective (Matilda Stone) and her three aunts (Cat, Beth and Jane), who are well-known crime writers that help her solve whodunit style murders as well as set her up on blind dates. Noted theatre and television actress Olivia Vinall (The Woman in White, Apple Tree Yard, Maigret) stars as Matilda Stone, while her aunts will be played by Julie Graham (The Bletchley Circle, Shetland) as her rebellious Aunt Cat; Sarah Woodward (The Politician’s Husband, New Blood) as her motherly Aunt Beth; and Siobhan Redmond (Alfresco, Between the Lines) as book smart Aunt Jane. They will be joined by Andrew Leung (Doctor Who) as the dashing Dr. Daniel Lynch; Rebecca Grant (Doctors, Holby City) as Daniel’s mean-spirited girlfriend Natasha; Michael Elcock as Police Constable Terry Foster who has long been in love with Matilda; and Martin Trenaman (The Inbetweeners) as the dry Inspector Derek Throne.
Guest stars in the first episode, “Murder in the Dark,” will include Selina Cadell (Doc Martin), Omid Djalili (Dickensian, The Mummy), and Chu Omambala (Liar).
Catherine Mackin, Managing Director, Acorn Media Enterprises, said, “For our third sole commission, Acorn Media Enterprises with Sly Fox Productions have put together a stellar cast of British talent led by Olivia Vinall, Sarah Woodward, Siobhan Redmond and Julie Graham. Queens of Mystery goes into production this month, and we’re thrilled by Julian Unthank’s scripts and know Acorn TV subscribers will love this fun, new mystery series.”
Producers Linda James and Tim Vaughan, Sly Fox Productions, said “We are thrilled that the enthusiasm for Julian’s script has attracted such an exceptional line up of on-screen talent to Queens of Mystery, from both established favorites & emerging stars.”
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 as well as Agatha Raisin, Series 2; co-production announcements for Irish comedy Finding Joy and Aussie comedy Sando; and the licensing of hit ABC Australia drama Mystery Road, British police procedural No Offence, Aussie conspiracy thriller Jack Irish, and S4C drama Hidden with BBC Wales. Read recent announcements at https://www.rljentertainment.com/press-room/
In 2018, Acorn TV has featured several Acorn TV Originals, including universally adored BBC comedy Detectorists; Kay Mellor’s ITV drama Girlfriends; Irish legal drama Striking Out, Series 2; record-setting Welsh thriller Keeping Faith; Aussie family comedy Sando; and ABC Australia’s top series of the year, Mystery Road. Acorn TV Originals coming later this year include Finding Joy and Agatha Raisin, Series 2, as well as Straight Forward and London Kills in 2019.
Acorn TV is currently premiering the final season of one of its most popular series with A Place to Call Home: The Final Chapter. Coming in September, Acorn TV features the return of Guy Pearce in Jack Irish (9/10) and British school dramedy Ackley Bridge (9/24).
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.
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