Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hit British TV on DVD Feb. 22 - New Tricks, Midsomer Murders, and Julia McKenzie in Fresh Fields

 
NEW TRICKS

Highly anticipated third season of the hit U.K. crime series debuts on DVD February 22, 2011

“An unstoppable ratings monster” – The Sunday Telegraph

“Excellent crime series” —Daily Mail

“Enjoyably mischievous” —The Sunday Times

“Cutting-edge Brit TV” —The Guardian


Silver Spring, MD —Showcasing a superb ensemble cast and more mysteries tackled with typical wit and flair, New Tricks, Season 3 makes its highly anticipated DVD debut from Acorn Media on February 22, 2011. 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, New Tricks also boasts ongoing public television broadcast exposure in North America. The series stars Amanda Redman (Sexy Beast), Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney), Alun Armstrong (Bleak House), and James Bolam (The Beiderbecke Affair). The DVD 3-Disc Set includes all eight episodes from Season 3, a special 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, cast filmographies, and more ($39.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

Sexy, ambitious Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman) leads the unsolved crimes unit of the Metropolitan Police. Her team includes three aging former detectives lured out of retirement. Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman) is a womanizer, Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) is clinically depressed, and Jack Halford (James Bolam) has conversations with his dead wife. Can this curmudgeonly trio of crime busters learn new tricks to crack tough crimes? Or are old-fashioned hunches and footwork still best?

The masterful performances and top-tier guest stars make this long-running, award-winning British series an “unstoppable ratings monster” (The Sunday Telegraph). A drama with tongue firmly in cheek, deftly written and perfectly cast, it’s “the crime show to watch” (Liverpool Daily Post). Guest stars in this season include Kenneth Cranham (Rome), Patrick Malahide (Inspector Alleyn Mysteries), Kevin Whately (Inspector Lewis), and Richard Briers (Monarch of the Glen).

Series 3 Episodes: Lady’s Pleasure, Dockers, Old Dogs, Diamond Geezers, Wicca Work, Bank Robbery, Ice Cream Wars, and Congratulations

Bonus Features: Behind-the-scenes featurette (20 min.) and cast filmographies

Street: February 22, 2011                 SRP: $39.99

DVD 3-Disc Set: 8 episodes - Approx. 463 min. - British mystery - SDH subtitles



MIDSOMER MURDERS, SET 17

Episodes available to U.S. audiences for the first time; four new, contemporary, stand-alone mysteries from Acorn’s top-selling series

Debuts on DVD February 22, 2011

Spectacularly entertaining as always” —Paper Magazine

“Superbly acted and filmed, and a great joy to watch
” —British Heritage

Great bloody fun” —San Francisco Chronicle


Silver Spring, MD — Available to U.S. audiences for the first time with this release, Midsomer Murders, Set 17 debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on February 22, 2011 with four new, contemporary, stand-alone mysteries from the top-selling British mystery franchise. Fan favorite John Nettles (Bergerac) returns as Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby in these engrossing mysteries set in the idyllic villages of England’s deadliest county. The DVD 4-volume boxed set also includes cast interviews, fascinating facts and production notes ($49.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles as the unflappable DCI Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones. Guest stars include Peter Davison (Doctor Who, The Last Detective), Susannah Harker (Pride and Prejudice, Chancer), Benjamin Whitrow (Pride and Prejudice), David Haig (Two Weeks Notice), David Bamber (Pride and Prejudice, The Bourne Identity), Philip Jackson (Poirot, Robin of Sherwood), and Alice Krige (Star Trek: Voyager, Chariots of Fire).

The Mysteries:

The Dogleg Murders—Members of the swanky Whiteoaks Golf Club keep turning up dead by the 13th hole.

The Black Book—The detectives investigate a string of savage murders precipitated by a local art auction.

Secrets and Spies—A mysterious creature is killing sheep in Midsomer County, but it soon moves on to larger prey.

The Glitch—A local scientist’s determination to stop an American millionaire’s latest business venture has fatal repercussions. 

BONUS FEATURES: Cast interviews, fascinating facts and production notes

Midsomer Murders premiered in the United Kingdom in March 1997. Since then, nearly eighty feature-length episodes have aired with new episodes still in production. In the U.S., the series has been seen on A&E and The Biography Channel, however the episodes in Set 17 are the first part of Series Twelve (2009), which never broadcast in the U.S.

Street: February 22, 2011                                         SRP: $49.99

DVD 4-Vol. Boxed Set: Four mysteries of approx. 100 min. each - SDH subtitles

Acorn Media previously released Sets 1-16 with three to five mysteries per set ($39.99 to $59.99) as well as The Early Cases Collection (19-vol. collector’s set which includes Sets 1-3, 5), Barnaby’s Casebook (19-vol. collector’s set which includes Sets 4, 6-8) and Village Case Files (16-vol. collector’s set which includes Sets 9-12) . Each set ranked in Acorn’s top 10 best-sellers for its year and sales of each new set consistently gain momentum.



FRESH FIELDS

International Emmy®-winning comedy seen on PBS makes home video debut;
Starring Julia McKenzie (Marple) and Anton Rodgers

Set 1 Debuts on DVD February 22, 2011

Full of sly, sharp, warm humor” – Los Angeles Times

Silver Spring, MD — A lighthearted empty-nester comedy with “universal appeal” (Los Angeles Times), Fresh Fields, Set 1 makes its North American home video debut from Acorn Media on February 22, 2010. Broadcast continually on PBS since the 1980s, this International Emmy®-winning series stars fan favorite Julia McKenzie (Agatha Christie’s Marple) and Anton Rodgers (Lillie, May to December) as a happily married couple adjusting to middle age. Sharply written and brilliantly acted, the DVD 2-Disc Set includes the first two series of the affable Brit-com celebrated by critics and fans alike ($49.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

After 20 years of marriage and raising two children, suburban housewife Hester Fields (Julia McKenzie) is ready for a new challenge. And it doesn’t seem to matter what it is—she dabbles in painting, jogging, cooking, pottery, and even fencing. Her staid accountant husband, William (Anton Rodgers), feels no such need for change, yet somehow always seems to get dragged into Hester’s exploits. Each morning he sets off for the office, never knowing what he’ll face when he returns home. But with Hester trying something new each day, life is never dull for the Fields.

Episodes: Dish of the Day; Middle-Aged Dread; Hook, Line and Sink Her; The Naked Truth; Des. Det. Res.; Something in the Oven; A Night to Remember; A Brief Encounter; Alright on the Night; In the Spring; Business Contacts; and Get Me to the Church

Street: February 22, 2011                 SRP: $49.99

DVD 2-Disc Set: 12 episodes - Approx. 294 min. - British comedy - SDH subtitles
 


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