The year-that-shall-not-be-named is nearly over and we can look forward to all the wonderful things a new year brings – including another month of quality entertainment from Acorn TV.
Viewers looking for a mammoth murder mystery holiday binge-fest need look no further as the final series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot launches, making Acorn TV the exclusive home of all 13 series. But what to do when all the adventures of the greatest detective to ever walk the Earth have been explored? Why, there’s plenty more to watch from the world’s bestselling author of course. Dance back in time to the roaring twenties and the tales of crime-solving couple Tommy and Tuppence will keep you guessing in Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary and Partners in Crime. Then Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery and Sparkling Cyanide will give you a reason to beat the heat and stay indoors.
2021 is kicking off with a killer start with more modern murder mysteries to keep even the most ardent armchair sleuths on their toes. The addition of Series 17 & 18 of Midsomer Murders and Series 5 of The Brokenwood Mysteries will be a treat for long-time fans, and the introduction of the delightful Australian series, My Life is Murder, starring Lucy Lawless will have you begging for more.
For a change of pace, don’t miss Season 2 of Sensitive Skin, starring Kim Cattrall – and plenty more with Acorn TV’s ever-growing list of quality and compelling series from Britain, Australia and beyond. Read on for the full list of January releases…
JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS
Monday, 4 January 2021
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT – SERIES 13
SUBSCRIPTION STREAMING PREMIERE
Acorn TV is now the exclusive home of all 13 series!
“One of the great TV achievements – and great TV performances – of the past 30 years”
He is fastidious, refined, ingenious, incomparable and, bien sûr, the greatest detective that ever walked the Earth! He is Hercule Poirot and he determines the facts, unravels the truth and exposes the murderer with more unparalleled brilliance and ego than ever before. Agatha Christie’s most compelling sleuth will prove once again that regardless of the case, no villain can ever get the better of Poirot.
David Suchet (Hidden, A Perfect Murder) HiHidHhhoias’hfois a pitch-perfect Poirot in these gorgeously filmed adaptations of Agatha Christie’s mysteries. The diminutive detective cracks cases with a sharp mind, dry wit and help from his friends, including Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser, Sharpe), Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson, Boomers, The Good Karma Hospital) and Ariadne Oliver (Zoe Wanamaker, My Family, Mr. Selfridge).
“The series remains as timeless as Christie herself”
– New York Daily News
Monday, 11 January 2021
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE SECRET ADVERSARY
NEW TO STREAMING / EXCLUSIVE
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S PARTNERS IN CRIME
NEW TO STREAMING / EXCLUSIVE
Spirited dialogue, posh Roaring Twenties style and devious mysteries abound as Francesca Annis (Jane Eyre, Marple) and James Warwick (Doctor Who, Murder She Wrote) star in Agatha Christie’s tales of crime-solving couple Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. The feature-length prequel, The Secret Adversary, introduces the detective duo while Partners in Crime finds Tommy and Tuppence newly married and turning pro, as they launch their International Detective Agency. A master and mistress of disguise with a reputation amongst bellboys everywhere for being the worst tippers in town, they undertake a vast array of cases from missing persons and haunted houses, through smuggling, thievery, connivance, skullduggery and, of course, murder.
Monday, 18 January 2021
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY
NEW TO STREAMING / EXCLUSIVE
SPARKLING CYANIDE (AGATHA CHRISTIE)
NEW TO STREAMING / EXCLUSIVE
In The Seven Dials Mystery, a lavish weekend party in a venerable old house promises to be frightfully jolly. Punting and pranks top the agenda until one morning a late sleeper doesn’t wake up at all. Another death, whispers of a secret society called the Seven Dials and stolen state secrets thicken the plot. Feisty Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent (Cheryl Campbell, Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War) runs her roadster right into the middle of the mystery and teams up with the charming “man about town” Jimmy Thesiger (James Warwick) to find the fiends. Full of sly Christie wit, this ingenious mystery also features Sir John Gielgud (Arthur, Murder on the Orient Express) in top form as Bundle’s distracted but indulgent father.
In the contemporary 2003 adaptation of Sparkling Cyanide, Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel is updated and relocated to a glamorous world of London socialites and secret agents. Directed by Tristram Powell (Foyle’s War), it stars Pauline Collins (Upstairs, Downstairs, Doctor Who, The Time of their Lives) and Oliver Ford Davies (Sense and Sensibility, Rosemary & Thyme, Marple) astwo unique and compelling investigators who take us through to the highest corridors of power.
Monday, 11 January 2021
MIDSOMER MURDERS – SERIES 17
Monday, 25 January 2021
MIDSOMER MURDERS – SERIES 18
“Delightful in a murderously charming way”
– Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy
Homicide, blackmail, greed and betrayal: just a taste of what goes on behind the well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer County, which boasts a staggering murder toll of over 300 deaths.
Set in the deceptively idyllic fictional village of Midsomer, the English village mystery gets a contemporary spin in this long-running hit British television series that has earned a worldwide following. Based on the award-winning Inspector Barnaby novels by mystery writer Caroline Graham, bucolic settings harbour macabre crimes and eccentric characters are no match for detective DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon, Life of Riley) and his eager assistant, DS Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee).
“TV gold” – Entertainment Today
ALSO ARRIVING IN JANUARY
Monday, 4 January 2021
MY LIFE IS MURDER – SERIES 1
“Delightful… perfect summer series”
– LA Times
Award-winner Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, Top of the Lake)stars as retired cop Alexa Crowe in this contemporary Australian detective drama helmed by award-winning director Leah Purcell. With her old boss (Bernard Curry, Once Upon a Time) regularly asking for her insight on cold cases and a young police data-analyst (Ebony Vagulans) eager to be mentored – whether Alexa wants to or not – Alexa can’t seem to stop solving crime.
“Smoothly amusing… there’s genuine depth to Alexa. She can be spiky, sexual, and aloof, not to mention bemused” – Sydney Morning Herald
Monday, 18 January 2021
THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES – SERIES 5
“’Wild Applause’ rating. Compelling” – San Francisco Chronicle
This quirky New Zealand mystery follows DI Mike Shepherd, who arrives to the seemingly peaceful town of Brokenwood with a classic car, a country music collection and an indeterminate number of ex-wives. His assistant, DC Kristin Sims, is a by-the-book investigator 15 years younger than her boss’ car. Shepherd soon discovers that Brokenwood is full of secrets and suspicions.
“Must-see TV. Awesome” – British TV Place
Monday, 25 January 2021
SENSITIVE SKIN – SEASON 2
“Kim Cattrall is fantastic” – The Guardian
The second season of this acclaimed remake follows fifty-something Davina (Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City) as she tries to adjust to life as a widow. When her progress is hampered by frequent hallucinations of Al (Don McKellar, Slings & Arrows), she moves into a houseboat on the Toronto Islands and tries to forge new relationships.
“Sharp” – The New York Times
