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15.12.2022 12:56:42
THE REIGN OF “SISI” CONTINUES
WITH A BRAND-NEW SEASON COMING TO EPIC DRAMA THIS CHRISTMAS!
15.12.2022 12:56:42
WITH A BRAND-NEW SEASON COMING TO EPIC DRAMA THIS...
06.12.2017 06:20:00
Set against the backdrop of 18th century Georgian...
11.09.2020 21:37:07
Meet 19th Century London’s First-Ever Female Detec...
15.10.2020 18:00:32
Photography Is Killer Business…
28.10.2020 13:30:17
James Herriot's classic memoirs of a Yorkshire cou...
28.10.2020 14:38:07
One Of The Most Widely Debated Hauntings Of The 20...
19.11.2020 09:46:24
A powerful and stylish adaptation of JP Priestley’...
25.11.2020 16:52:46
REAL GHOSTS SEEN WHILE SHOOTING IN ENGLAND
22.01.2021 13:27:48
The multi award-winning international period crime...
18.12.2020 12:50:22
The methodical and dashing detective who pioneers...
24.03.2021 15:17:13
Murdoch is imprisoned, Julia is kidnapped and Brac...
01.02.2021 12:29:19
Golden Globe, and Emmy nominated powerful period d...
07.04.2021 17:43:53
ONE AFFAIR THAT CHANGED AN ENTIRE COUNTRY FOREVER!...
08.02.2021 17:49:38
Watch the greatest race against time in the histor...
03.03.2021 18:57:50
Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, Co...
01.06.2021 17:29:50
This June will see the premiere of a brand-new ser...
04.10.2022 09:03:24
THIS IS HOW A QUIET LIFE OF A VICAR BECOMES SOMETH...
24.10.2022 13:44:34
IN THE SHADOW OF WAR THERE’S STILL A CHANCE FOR HA...
22.11.2022 10:22:02
Eliza Scarlet is back in a brand-new season of Mis...
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15.12.2022 12:56:42
THE REIGN OF “SISI” CONTINUES
WITH A BRAND-NEW SEASON COMING TO EPIC DRAMA THIS CHRISTMAS!
This December, Epic Drama is taking viewers on a magical journey back to the imperial court in Vienna, as Dominique Devenport returns as “Sisi” in a new season of the lavish period drama based on the real-life 19th century royal romance between Elizabeth “Sisi” of Bavaria and her husband, Austrian-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph (Jannik Schumann). Series one of the much talked about drama, produced by Story House Productions, stole the hearts of audiences across Europe when it aired in 2021; and this Christmas new episodes will premiere [exclusively] on Epic Drama across Central and Eastern Europe every night at 9pm [9.30pm Poland] from the 26th, with the sixth and final instalment sashaying onto TV screens on New Year’s Eve!
The dramatization of the infamous story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the 1800s continues as an heir to the throne is born at last. But what should be a joyous moment for Sisi and Franz is soon overshadowed by renewed power struggles in Europe: Otto von Bismarck threatens to drive Austria into a new war. Sisi tries with all her might to be there for her husband and her people. And although she loves Franz and demonstrates her diplomatic talent over and over, Sisi's life remains that of a bird in a golden cage. Yet, when she must travel to Hungary on a political mission, Sisi manages to rediscover the light-heartedness of her childhood for the first time in many years. The untamed, endless expanses of the Hungarian puszta, the hard, simple life of the people, and a man with whom one can steal horses. While Franz discovers his sensitive side at the Viennese court, Sisi still successfully resists the growing attraction to Count Andrassy (Giovanni Funiati) who fascinates her immensely. But when Sisi ends up in captivity with Andrassy, of all people, she finally must ask herself how long she can remain steadfast...
Filming for the new eagerly anticipated season took place in Latvia and Lithuania, with the main filming locations in Vilnius and its surrounding areas, as well as Trakai, Kernavė and Rokiškis. Filming also took place in Poland.
The second season of Sisi is directed by Sven Bohse and Miguel Alexander, and written by Elena Hell, Svenja Rasocha, Robert Krause and Andreas Gutzeit. It stars Swiss-American actress Dominique Devenport, known for her role in Night Train to Lisbon, and German actor Jannik Schümann who starred in Centre of My World and Charité, as the shows leading stars. The cast also includes Murathan Muslu as the Hungarian rebel leader Ödön Körtek, Romy Schroeder as Marie, the daughter of Sisi's maid Fanny, who was hanged for treason in Season one, Amanda Da Gloria as Countess Emanuelle Andrássy, Count Andrássy's sister, and Bernd Hölscher as Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor from 1871.
Sisi Season 2 will premiere [exclusively] on Epic Drama across Central and Eastern Europe from December 26th, at 9pm [9.30pm Poland], concluding on New Year’s Eve.
06.12.2017 06:20:00
Harlots
Set against the backdrop of 18th century Georgian London, Harlots is a powerful family drama ofering a brand new take on the city’s most valuable commercial activity - sex. Inspired by the stories of real women, the series follows Margaret Wells (Morton) and her daughters, as she struggles to reconcile her roles as mother and brothel owner. When her business comes under attack from Lydia Quigley (Manville), a rival madam with a ruthless streak, Margaret fghts back, even if it means putting her family at risk. Brown Findlay will star as Charlotte, Margaret’s eldest daughter and the city’s most coveted courtesan who begins to grapple with her position in both society and her immediate family.
Written by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter, Moira Bufni (Jane Eyre, Tamara Drewe) and created by Moira Bufni and Alison Newman, Harlots is the frst commission for Monumental Pictures, the independent company founded by Oscar nominated producers Alison Owen (Suffragette, Tulip Fever) and Debra Hayward (Bridget Jones’s Baby, Les Misérables).
In 1760s London there were brothels on every corner run by women who were both enterprising and tenacious. History has largely ignored them, but their stories are in turn outrageous, brutal, humorous and real.
Alison Owen, Executive Producer11.09.2020 21:37:07
MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE
Meet 19th Century London’s First-Ever Female Detective…
Epic Drama, home to the very best period drama series from around the globe, brings you the new and exclusive, fast-paced crime series, Miss Scarlet And The Duke, premiering Tuesdays, 21:00 (CET) from 15th September. Lead protagonist, Eliza Scarlet is an educated, fearless, young woman played by Kate Phillips (Wolf Hall, Peaky Blinders, The Crown, Downton Abbey movie), and she stars alongside Stuart Martin (Babylon, Jamestown, Medici: Masters of Florence) as consummate rogue, The Duke.
When Eliza's father dies, he leaves her penniless in a time where marriage is the only option for financial security. But headstrong Eliza, has an ace up her bonnet - her father's business, a detective agency. But it's Victorian London and to operate in this man's world, she needs a male partner. The Duke, Eliza’s envisioned partner in crime is a Detective Inspector for Scotland Yard, who as a young boy was mentored by her father. He’s a gambler, a drinker and a womaniser but he is genuinely fond of Eliza who he shares an almost sibling like bond, but with an underlying sizzling attraction.
Also supporting Eliza as she sets out to become 19th century London’s first female detective, are Moses (Ansu Kabia) and Rupert Parker (Andrew Gower). Moses works at a night club in Soho and has come to London from Jamaica for a new beginning. While their first encounter doesn’t make for a good start, they eventually form an unlikely alliance. And Rupert Parker is a wealthy young man, whose domineering mother is extremely displeased about her only son’s unmarried status and forces him to propose to Eliza. Clearly terrified of his mother, Rupert confides in Eliza that he doesn’t want to be married and the two bond over the fact that they both crave independence and soon discover a different way for them to form a partnership.
The gripping and endearing, six-part series, follows the fiery relationship between Eliza and Duke as they team up to solve a new puzzling crime in each episode, set in the murkiest depths of 1880s London. With her inquisitive mind, Miss Scarlet has always been more interested in running her late father's detective agency than behaving like a proper lady. But nothing has prepared her for the dangers she is about to face as a woman in the murder investigation trade.
Miss Scarlet and The Duke premieres exclusively on Epic Drama across Central and Eastern Europe, Tuesdays, 21:00 (CET) from 15th September.
15.10.2020 18:00:32
DELIGHTFUL THRILLER “DEAD STILL” PREMIERES EXCLUSIVELY ON EPIC DRAMA
Photography Is Killer Business…
Epic Drama’s new series, Dead Still, is inspired by the real-life trend of post-mortem photography in the Victorian era. Written and created by John Morton and Imogen Murphy, the six-part series, which premieres [Friday 16th October at 21:00 across CEE and Wednesday 21st at 21:30 in Poland], features an acclaimed international cast including award-winning actor, Michael Smiley (Kill List, Luther, Wire in the Blood) as Brock Blennerhasset; Kerr Logan (Game of Thrones, Victoria) as Conall Molloy; Eileen O’Higgins (Brooklyn, Mary Queen of Scots) as Nancy Vickers, and Aidan O’Hare (The Dublin Murders, Jackie) as Detective Frederick Regan.
Dead Still is set in the late 1880s, when the practice of photographing the recently deceased was popular throughout Ireland and across Europe. A photograph of your lost loved one was considered a most treasured possession, and Brock Blennerhasset, Ireland’s foremost memorial photographer, must revive his business after an accident. Brock enlists the help of loyal and efficient assistant, and former gravedigger, Conall Molloy, and his once-estranged young niece, Nancy Vickers, who he charges with helping run his business.
After a rocky start, their working relationship begins to develop, but it appears someone more sinister is getting in on the act of memorial photography. Detective Frederick Regan of Dublin Castle begins to investigate a series of murders in Dublin’s criminal underbelly, and soon concludes that the serial killer may be cashing in on a taste for a different type of imagery: pictures of his victims in the throes of death. As the body count begins to rise, Blennerhasset, Molloy and Vickers must stop a murderer intent on ending not just their business, but their lives.
Dead Still also stars Jimmy Smallhorne (Taken Down, Clean Break) as Cecil Carruthers, Mark Rendall (Departure, Versailles) as Percy Cummins, Peter Campion (Derry Girls, Kat and Alfie: Redwater) as Henry Vickers, and features Martin Donovan (Big Little Lies, Fahrenheit 451) as Bushrod Whacker.
Epic Drama’s new series, Dead Still, premieres across Central & Eastern on Friday 16th October at 21:00 across Central & Eastern Europe, and on Wednesday 21st at 21:30 in Poland.
28.10.2020 13:30:17
New TV Adaptation of James Herriot's ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
James Herriot's classic memoirs of a Yorkshire country vet is to be adapted for a nostalgically entertaining new version of the iconic British drama.
All Creatures Great and Small will premiere on Epic Drama, Sunday 1st November at 18:45 across Central and Eastern Europe. The much-celebrated seven-part series recently launched in the UK on Channel 5 becoming the channels Number 1 British drama, and highest rated programme this year.
All Creatures Great and Small, follows the heartwarming escapades of a young vet in 1930’s Northern England. Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) follows his dream to become a vet in the magnificent and cinematic Yorkshire Dales. He soon discovers that treating the animals is as much about treating their owners, and the Dales’ famers are a tough crowd to please. At Skeldale House, James gets to know his newly formed dysfunctional family; his chaotic and erratic boss Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), his wayward young brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and the shrewd housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) who is endlessly steering the ship. When local beauty and independent farmer’s daughter Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) attracts James’s attention he finds another, more enduring reason to stay in the Dales.
Other on-screen talent includes, Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs Pumphrey, the eccentric owner of spoilt Pekingese dog Tricki Woo; Matthew Lewis as Hugh Hulton, a wealthy landowner and rival to James in a bid to win Helen’s heart; and Nigel Havers who plays General Ransom, the manager of the local racecourse.
The launch this year of this delightful new series, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the original publication in 1970 of the much-loved books. Since they were first published, James Herriot's memoirs have sold more than 60 million copies and entranced generations of animal lovers around the world for almost half a century. But this is not the first time the novels have been turned into a television series. Between 1978 and 1990, there was the classic version which ran on the BBC, starring Robert Hardy, Christopher Timothy, Peter Davison and Lynda Bellingham. All Creatures Great and Small was also turned into a feature film in 1975 starring Anthony Hopkins.
Premiering on Epic Drama this Sunday, 1st November, 18:45, the charming, funny and poignant, new TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small, is a heart-warming story of determination, love and companionship from one of Britain's best-loved authors.
28.10.2020 14:38:07
THE ENFIELD HAUNTING
One Of The Most Widely Debated Hauntings Of The 20th Century…
THE ENFIELD HAUNTING
Epic Drama’s utterly chilling new three-part miniseries, The Enfield Haunting is inspired by the world’s most documented poltergeist incident and adapted from Guy Lyon Playfair’s book ‘This House is Haunted’. Featuring a stellar cast which includes, Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, The King’s Speech), Matthew Macfadyen (Frost/Nixon, Pride & Prejudice) and Juliet Stevenson (Bend It Like Beckham, Mona Lisa Smile), the series premieres on the eve of All Saints' Day, or Halloween, and will air exclusively across Central & Eastern Europe on Epic Drama over three consecutive nights, 31 October, 1 and 2 November at 21:00 CEE.
Based on terrifying real events that took place at a seemingly ordinary house in Enfield, UK, in 1977, and made shocking headlines around the world, The Enfield Haunting portrays the story of Janet Hodgson (Eleanor Worthington Cox), a cheeky 11 year-old girl who was terrorized by the paranormal activity permeating every room of her home. Also living with Janet in the allegedly haunted house, was her (single) Mother Peggy Hodgson (Rosie Cavaliero) and her three siblings, Margaret, 14, Johnny, 10 and Billy, 7. It was in August of ‘77 that the Hodgson family’s ghostly troubles began. One night, as Peggy put her children to bed, she heard loud banging. When she went upstairs to investigate, Margaret and Janet told her about a chest of drawers which had inexplicably slid across the room and strange banging noises they’d heard coming from the walls. Peggy, anxious by the situation, called the police. When two constables arrived, they also witnessed odd happenings as a chair moved across the floor, yet no one had touched it.
In the years that followed, the Society for Psychical Research became involved in the high-profile case. Maurice Grosse (Timothy Spall), a doting researcher was called in, and went to great lengths to protect Janet from the strange, dark forces, in hopes of making peace with his own daughter’s untimely death. But the inexperienced Grosse was joined by Guy Playfair (Matthew Macfayden), a skilled paranormal investigator, and together they tried to unravel the bizarre and horrifying events unfolding at 284 Green Street.
Epic Drama’s chilling new three-part series, The Enfield Haunting, which premieres at 21:00 on Halloween, will have you on the edge of your seat!
19.11.2020 09:46:24
AN INSPECTOR CALLS
A powerful and stylish adaptation of JP Priestley’s play AN INSPECTOR CALLS
Calling all fans of Murder On The Orient Express and other classy crime mysteries. This November on Epic Drama brings the premiere of An Inspector Calls, a film based on the play of the same name written by JB Priestley. The story revolves around a prosperous family embroiled in a tragic death.
Set in 1912, An Inspector Calls tells the story of a wealthy family, as they are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft – a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful businesses. Their festive evening is disrupted by a visit from Inspector Goole. Goole is investigating the suicide of a young girl, a former factory worker of Mr Birling's. Interrogating each family member in turn, Goole's relentless questioning reveals that each one not only had a connection with the deceased girl, but may also have played a significant part in her demise.
An Inspector Calls is based on a play written by English playwright J. B. Priestley. First performed in 1945, it is regarded one of his best-known works and is considered to be one of the classics of mid-20th-century English theatre. This adaptation stays loyal to the original, as it’s played out during one single night. The screenplay is written by Helen Edmundson, who has since gone on to write for the big screen in 2018 with Mary Magdalene and adapted Andrea Levy’s 2004 novel Small Island for the National Theatre. Director Aisling Walsh is best known for her work on films Maudie and Song for a Raggy Boy and has directed episodes of series such as The Bill and Trial & Retribution.
Inspector Goole is portrayed by David Thewlis, best known for his role as Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter films. He has also made impressive turns in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, 2015’s Macbeth, The Theory of Everything and Naked, the latter for which he won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. He’s no stranger to the small screen either, having received recognition for his supporting role as V.M. Varga in Fargo (2014). Sophie Rundle plays the downtrodden Eva Smith. Rundle has made a huge impact in recent years with roles in series such as Peaky Blinders, Gentleman Jack and Bodyguard. Epic Drama watchers will recognize her from series Jamestown and The Bletchley Circle. Miranda Richardson portrays Sybil Birling. She is also no stranger to the Harry Potter franchise, having played Rita Skeeter in two of the films. She’s well-known for her work in The Hours, Made in Dagenham, and The Crying Game and received Academy Award nominations for her roles in Tom & Viv and Damage. Ken Stott, playing Arthur Birling, is most recently known for his role as Balin in the The Hobbit trilogy, and was recognized for his work in series The Vice and The Missing.
An Inspector Calls, premieres on Epic Drama, Saturday 21st November at: 21:00 CET (CEE)
Calling all fans of Murder On The Orient Express and other classy crime mysteries. This November on Epic Drama brings the premiere of An Inspector Calls, a film based on the play of the same name written by JB Priestley. The story revolves around a prosperous family embroiled in a tragic death.
Set in 1912, An Inspector Calls tells the story of a wealthy family, as they are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft – a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful businesses. Their festive evening is disrupted by a visit from Inspector Goole. Goole is investigating the suicide of a young girl, a former factory worker of Mr Birling's. Interrogating each family member in turn, Goole's relentless questioning reveals that each one not only had a connection with the deceased girl, but may also have played a significant part in her demise.
An Inspector Calls is based on a play written by English playwright J. B. Priestley. First performed in 1945, it is regarded one of his best-known works and is considered to be one of the classics of mid-20th-century English theatre. This adaptation stays loyal to the original, as it’s played out during one single night. The screenplay is written by Helen Edmundson, who has since gone on to write for the big screen in 2018 with Mary Magdalene and adapted Andrea Levy’s 2004 novel Small Island for the National Theatre. Director Aisling Walsh is best known for her work on films Maudie and Song for a Raggy Boy and has directed episodes of series such as The Bill and Trial & Retribution.
Inspector Goole is portrayed by David Thewlis, best known for his role as Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter films. He has also made impressive turns in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, 2015’s Macbeth, The Theory of Everything and Naked, the latter for which he won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. He’s no stranger to the small screen either, having received recognition for his supporting role as V.M. Varga in Fargo (2014). Sophie Rundle plays the downtrodden Eva Smith. Rundle has made a huge impact in recent years with roles in series such as Peaky Blinders, Gentleman Jack and Bodyguard. Epic Drama watchers will recognize her from series Jamestown and The Bletchley Circle. Miranda Richardson portrays Sybil Birling. She is also no stranger to the Harry Potter franchise, having played Rita Skeeter in two of the films. She’s well-known for her work in The Hours, Made in Dagenham, and The Crying Game and received Academy Award nominations for her roles in Tom & Viv and Damage. Ken Stott, playing Arthur Birling, is most recently known for his role as Balin in the The Hobbit trilogy, and was recognized for his work in series The Vice and The Missing.
An Inspector Calls, premieres on Epic Drama, Saturday 21st November at: 21:00 CET (CEE)
25.11.2020 16:52:46
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
REAL GHOSTS SEEN WHILE SHOOTING IN ENGLAND
The search for happiness of two people in a remote, rural - as it turns out - haunted house in Victorian England. In short, this is how The Living And The Dead can be summed up, which tastefully mixes the genre of emotional costume drama with spooky horror. And anyone who would like to experience the inexplicable phenomena of the haunted house shown in Epic Drama’s new series, 9pm on 13 December, can also travel there!
Starring: the suddenly emerging sexy star!
It is rare for an actor to be seen in a single episode of a series, and for viewers to remember them. Colin Morgan, who stars in The Living And The Dead, is best known for his title role as Merlin in the BBC fantasy series. But when he appeared in The Crown, the British newspapers were flooded with articles about who could be the “hot journalist” in the successful series. Daily Mail: “The Crown fans swoon over new star Colin Morgan”; the Express has dedicated a separate article to his presentation, which is not at all usual for an episode character. The good news is that we can admire the attractive Northern Irish actor in a new six-part series coming soon to Epic Drama!
Shooting in a real ghost house
According to the story of The Living And The Dead, psychologist Nathan inherits the family estate in the wonderful but isolated Somerset Valley and moves in with his wife to start a new life. Instead of a rural idyll, however, inexplicable events upset their lives and everything they have thought so far about themselves or the world. As a set, it would have been obvious if the creators had set up the haunted house in a studio, but they decided otherwise: instead, the actors moved into a real ghostly mansion: Horton Court, built in the 16th century. Charlotte Spencer, who plays the female lead, said some had already seen a mysterious woman by the large fireplace in the house, while others had noticed a little boy on the roof. “The only problem is that this little boy drowned in the lake next to the house in the thirties,” Colin Morgan adds. The crew heard the sound of mysterious footsteps several times during the filming, but when they turned in the direction of the noise, no one was there. Strange shadows were also noticed, and during the filming of a séance scene, sheets of paper blew across the room, though there was no draft. The creepiest thing, however, was the ringing of the phone: it sounded like an old landline phone ringing somewhere in the house, except that it turned out the phone had been disconnected for years. Yet they heard it twice that day…
Anyone who is brave enough and likes the house in the series, can rent it at any time, as Horton Court has recently been refurbished and opened to tourists.
Until then, The Living And The Dead, the latest series from the creator of ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘Ashes to Ashes,’ reveals how a young couple faces all the memories, trauma, and pain of the property’s rich and eery past. The new six-part series will premiere on Epic Drama exclusively across Central and Eastern Europe, from Sunday 13th December, 9pm, and air every evening at the same time across the week.
22.01.2021 13:27:48
Babylon Berlin
The multi award-winning international period crime drama series returns with season three, premiering soon on Epic Drama!
The critically acclaimed and most expensive non-English-language TV production ever made, Babylon Berlin, is back and premiering exclusively on Epic Drama across Central and Eastern Europe on Thursday 28th January at 21:00 (21:30 Poland).
Delighting critics worldwide, this ambitious series has claimed numerous international awards, including the Deutscher Fernsehpreis, the Grimme Prize, the BAMBI for Best German TV Series, the Bayerischer Fernsehpreis, the Austrian Romy, the Spanish Television Award Premios Onda, and the Magnolia Award of the Shanghai TV Festival. And the European Film Academy awarded the series the newly founded "European Achievement in Fiction Series Award" at the European Film Awards.
Berlin, September 1929: A metropolis in turmoil. Everything is undergoing radical change – the economy, culture, politics and the underworld. Speculation and inflation are already eating away at the foundations of the still young Weimar Republic. Growing poverty and unemployment stand in stark contrast to the excesses and indulgence of the city’s nightlife and its overflowing creative energy.
In the heated climate of speculative frenzy and political change, one of the first sound movies of that time featuring film star Betty Winter is shot at the Babelsberg film studios, but a falling spotlight tragically ends the life of the young actress. As Chief Inspector Rath and police trainee Charlotte Ritter begin to investigate the case, further deaths confirm their suspicion of murder. A Phantom in a black cloak is responsible. Initial investigations suggest a connection to Berlin’s underworld. The Armenian again has his finger in the pie, but he financed the film, so everything points to a war between the bosses of the underworld. When his business partner, Walter Weintraub, is released from prison, the two take up the fight against their enemies to save their existence.
While Rath battles the demons of his past over his love for Helga, he cannot leave the case of Greta Overbeck behind. Suspecting that other forces posing as communists were behind the assassination she allegedly committed, he wants to prevent her conviction and execution. Rath, with Chief of Police Zörgiebel’s help, resorts to a ruse to capture the men behind the crime to save Greta's life, but Government Councilor Wendt turns out to be Rath's fiercest adversary.
Premiering on Epic Drama across Central & Eastern Europe, on 28th January at 21:00 (21:30 Poland), Babylon Berlin is a complex and beautifully shot series starring a plethora of incredible actors, and this all new season three brings some notable new additions to the cast: Ronald Zehrfeld, Meret Becker, Sabin Tambrea, Hanno Koffler, Martin Wuttke, Trystan Putter, Peter Jordan, Caro Cult, Saskia Rosendahl and Bernhard Schütz.
18.12.2020 12:50:22
Murdoch Mysteries, S10
The methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of Toronto’s most gruesome murders, returns in a brand-new season, premiering soon on Epic Drama!
Everyone’s favourite internationally acclaimed drama series, Murdoch Mysteries, returns with Season 10, premiering weekdays on Epic Drama, at 20:15 (CEE) & 20:30 (Poland) from 4th January 2021. The new series also marks the landmark 150th episode with the series finale (ep18) and boasts five female directors!
Season 10 of Murdoch Mysteries kicks off in grand style with Det. Murdoch proceeding with plans to build a house and create a happy life for himself and his wife, Dr. Julia Ogden. But unbeknownst to the detective, Ogden is suffering silently from guilt for killing her tormentor, the psychotic Eva Pearce.
In an effort to distract herself from her anxiety, Ogden is introducing her newly arrived friend Lady Suzanne Atherly (Samantha Bond, Downton Abbey) and her daughter Elizabeth to Toronto society at a debutante ball. Unfortunately, the elegant event turns deadly when one of the ladies vying to marry Toronto’s most eligible bachelor is murdered. The situation worsens when a destructive fire begins to rage throughout downtown Toronto distracting the police from the case and putting Ogden in grave danger.
As the season continues, Murdoch and Ogden must face the possibility that they sent the wrong man to prison for a murder when new forensic testing challenges their original evidence. The detective and doctor will also revisit a harrowing past case when they meet a murderer convinced he’s possessed by the devil.
The suspicious death of a championship show dog leads Murdoch into the competitive world of dog shows and a personal discovery about the merits of canine companionship. After grotesque sketches are found beside the body of a young girl, Murdoch crosses paths with a group of death-obsesssed teenagers, which includes a young artist named H.P. Lovecraft. And Murdoch questions the integrity of his childhood friend-turned-private-investigator, Freddie Pink (Alex Paxton-Beesley, Wynonna Earp), when it appears she’s implicated in the murder of a man she was hired to follow.
After a player’s death puts a football team’s rally for the Olympics in jeopardy, Brackenreid finds himself in a position to coach them and the opportunity to bring Olympic glory to Canada.
As for Constable Crabtree, he’s continuing his relationship with burlesque dancer Nina Bloom (Erin Agostino, 18 to Life) and even decides to go into the automobile repair business with her brother Samuel. But when he meets intrepid newspaper reporter Louise Cherry (Bea Santos, Darken), their mutual attraction becomes obvious. And the more she seeks him out for scoops and insider information, the more precarious his love life becomes.
Meanwhile, at the urging of Ogden, Rebecca James (Mouna Traoré) is studying to become a doctor at the Medical College for Women. But when one of her fellow students is found drowned from an apparent suicide, she is convinced something is amiss and begins her own surreptitious investigation. Under Ogden’s guidance, Miss James confidence grows, and she begins to assert herself.
When the two are nearly knocked over by a group of competitive roller-skaters barrelling down the boardwalk, James decides to take them on at an upcoming racing event. And her enthusiasm is contagious, leading Ogden and a few other allies to lace up for the cause.
Murdoch is also assisted by the young, fastidious Detective Watts (recurring guest star Daniel Maslany, Four in the Morning), whose personal history informs his relentless investigation into a group of missing women. Brash and at times abrasive, his determination to solve the cases leads the constabulary to an unusual communal living arrangement.
Season 10 guest stars include:
Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey, Die Another Day)
Alex Paxton-Beesley (Wynonna Earp)
Daniel Maslany (Four in the Morning)
Bea Santos (Darken)
Jonathan Goad (Republic of Doyle)
Peter Stebbings (Bates Motel, The Listener)
Alan Doyle (Republic of Doyle, Newfoundland at Armageddon)
Natasha Negovanlis (Carmilla, Almost Adults)
Robin Dunne (Inhuman Condition, Defiance, Sanctuary)
Richard Clarkin (Goon, Naturally, Sadie)
24.03.2021 15:17:13
Murdoch Mysteries Season 11
Murdoch is imprisoned, Julia is kidnapped and Brackenreid is missing! Toronto’s methodical and dashing detective returns in the all-new Season 11 of Murdoch Mysteries only on Epic Drama
A new season of the award-winning, long running Canadian detective series, Murdoch Mysteries, will premiere on Epic Drama, on Monday 5th April at 20:15 (20:30 Poland). The eleventh season of the period drama, based on the novels by Maureen Jennings and set in the late 1890s and early 1900s during the age of invention, features the dashing Detective William Murdoch, played by Yannick Bisson – also executive producer of the series - as over 18 hour-long episodes, he works to solve some of Toronto’s most gruesome murders.
Series 11 of Epic Drama’s best loved internationally acclaimed series begins with Murdoch jailed and framed for the murder of a burlesque dancer. His constables were gunned down in an ambush, Brackenreid was last seen with a gun to his head, and the corrupt politician and his cronies responsible kidnapped Ogden. Murdoch must prove his innocence from behind bars, as Detective Llewellyn Watts helps covertly to solve the case.
Upcoming cases feature the return of Alexander Graham Bell, who assists Murdoch after a guest is murdered at a unique dinner honouring Helen Keller. A bizarre automobile accident must be solved before a deadly deadline, and a radical surgeon’s attempts to perform an organ transplant operation are disrupted by Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy. After a painter is found murdered, Brackenreid picks up his paintbrush again to investigate, attracting the attention of a lascivious patron. And when a series of elderly men commit suicide, overzealous reporter Louise Cherry lambastes Dr. Charles Osler, the father of modern medicine. As the season continues, Brackenreid must deal with the newest additions to the constabulary at Station House Four when eccentric Detective Llewellyn Watts (Daniel Maslany,) and Brackenreid's eldest son John (Charles Vandervaart) joins the force.
Guest stars this season include Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders, New Tricks), Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Elise Bauman (Carmilla, Below Her Mouth) and WWE Raw and Smackdown star Jay Reso. Returning guest stars include Peter Keleghan (Workin’ Moms) and David Hewlett (Incorporated, Stargate: Atlantis).
Murdoch Mysteries Season 11, premieres on Epic Drama across Central & Eastern Europe on Monday nights at 20:15 (20:30 Poland) from 5th April.
01.02.2021 12:29:19
THE WHITE QUEEN
Golden Globe, and Emmy nominated powerful period drama, starring Rebecca Ferguson and Max Irons, premiering soon on Epic Drama
Epic Drama, the home of high-quality international period drama series, brings you THE WHITE QUEEN. Set in 15th Century England, but filmed on location in Belgium, this multi layered epic saga is based on Philippa Gregory's historical novel series The Cousins' War (The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker's Daughter). The series, which received several award nominations – three Golden Globe, four Primetime Emmys and a People's Choice - will premiere exclusively across Central & Eastern Europe on Epic Drama, Wednesdays at 21:00 (21:30 Poland) from the 3rd February, with the season finale on the 31st.
The White Queen is a riveting portrayal of one of the most dramatic and turbulent times in English history. A story of love and lust, seduction and deception, betrayal, and murder, uniquely told through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women - Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. In their quest for power, they scheme, manipulate, and seduce their way onto the English throne.
The year is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled the country, and war has been ravaging throughout England over who is the rightful King. It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster. The House of York's young and handsome Edward IV is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator, Lord Warwick "The Kingmaker." But when Edward falls in love with the most beautiful woman in the land, Lancastrian commoner, Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick's plan to control the throne comes crashing down. A violent, high-stakes struggle ensues between Elizabeth, her most fierce adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville, the pawn in her father's power game. The stage is set for an almighty power struggle, with women pulling most of the strings.
The all-star cast includes, Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible, The Greatest Showman) as Elizabeth Woodville. Max Irons as Edward IV (Condor, The Little Matchgirl, Tutankhamun). James Frain (Elementary, Star Trek: Discovery) as The Earl of Warwick. Amanda Hale (Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker) as Lady Margaret Beaufort. Janet McTeer (Ozark) as Jacquetta Woodville. Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones) as Lady Anne Neville and Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk) as Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
The White Queen, premiering on Epic Drama, 3rd February at 21:00 (21:30 Poland), is an immensely powerful story of love, lies, deception and death: a game of thrones that really was played and, indeed, determined the fate of Britain. Also coming to the channel later this year will be follow-up sequel, The White Princess and third instalment in the trilogy, The Spanish Princess.
07.04.2021 17:43:53
THE TRIAL OF CHRISTINE KEELER
ONE AFFAIR THAT CHANGED AN ENTIRE COUNTRY FOREVER!
PREMIERING ON EPIC DRAMA THIS APRIL!
Epic Drama’s much publicised new series, The Trial of Christine Keeler, goes behind the headlines to tell a human story about the sexual and cultural politics of one of the most revealing and iconic stories of modern times: the chain of events in the 1960s that became known as the ‘Profumo Affair’. The series, written by BAFTA award winning novelist and screenwriter, Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, Room At The Top, Life In Squares) and directed by Andrea Harkin (Come Home, Clique), will premiere on Wednesday April 14th, 21:00, across Central & Eastern Europe exclusively on Epic Drama.
The gripping six-part series features an impressive cast that includes, Sophie Cookson (Kingsman, The Secret Service, Gypsy, Red Joan) in the titular role of Christine Keeler, James Norton (Mafia, War and Peace, Happy Valley) in the role of Stephen Ward, as well as Ellie Bamber (Les Miserables, The Nutcracker, The Four Realm) as Mandy Rice-Davies, Ben Miles (The Crown, The Last Post) as discraced Minister John Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) as his wife Valerie Profumo.
In 1962, the Cold War had reached new heights in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the British government was reeling from a series of sex and spying scandals. Just as the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was battling to restore order rumors were growing that his married War Minister John Profumo had shared a mistress with a Russian spy in the summer of 1961. It was a potential humiliation the country could not afford.
Young model Christine Keeler has moved on from her affair with John Profumo, and he supported by his former actress wife, Valerie Hobson, was a potential candidate for next Prime Minister. But when a scandalous love triangle between Christine and two local West Indian men results in a dramatic shooting, Christine is suddenly thrust into the limelight. Presented with the chance to sell her story and earn money in a male dominated 1960s Britain, Christine tells a newspaper of the affair with Profumo and a Russian. She sells it with a secret love letter from Profumo. This sparks a chain of events that leads to an attempted cover up and national outrage, it also leads to a scapegoating of the man who introduced her to John Profumo: Christine's confidant Stephen Ward.
Set in a fascinating era of shifting class, gender and racial politics, The Trial of Christine Keeler, premiering on Epic Drama, 14th April, 21:00, goes behind the headlines of this groundbreaking British scandal as told through the lives of its key characters with flashbacks to the infamous affair.
08.02.2021 17:49:38
“MANHATTAN”
Watch the greatest race against time in the history of science in Epic Drama’s thrilling new series from Lionsgate Television
February 5, 2021 - Set against the backdrop of the greatest race against time in the history of science - the mission to build the world's first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico – “Manhattan” follows the project’s brilliant but flawed scientists and their families as they attempt to coexist in a world where secrets and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives. The period drama from Lionsgate Television premieres on Thursday 25th February at 21:45 (22:35 Poland) across Central & Eastern Europe exclusively on Epic Drama. “Manhattan” is created and written by Sam Shaw (“Masters of Sex”) and directed by Emmy Award®-winning director Thomas Schlamme (“The West Wing”).
Fuelled by mystery and suspense, “Manhattan” is set in the 1940s in a town whose very existence is classified. Frank Winter and his team have been recruited to work on a project even they could know nothing about until their arrival. Once inside “The Hill,” a middle-class bubble on a dusty foothill in the New Mexico desert, they begin to sense that this is no ordinary assignment. In fact, they are living in a town with the world’s highest concentration of geniuses, yet it can’t be found on any map—a place where men and women are torn between duty and their moral values, husbands and wives conceal the truth from each other and their families, the military keeps secrets from the scientists they chaperone, and the scientists keep secrets from each other. “Manhattan” depicts the wonder, danger and deceit that shadowed the first “nuclear” families.
Glen Babbit mentors the younger scientists and helps them navigate the political minefield of Los Alamos. Charlie Isaacs, a wunderkind, becomes as adept in deception as he is in math and his wife, Abby, emerges as an unlikely leader among the other wives. Frank’s wife, Liza, is a scientist in her own right—a botanist who has put her own career on hold to move to the desert with her husband and their rebellious 17-year-old daughter Callie, and in the process begins to uncover unsettling changes in their environment. Ambitious British scientist Paul Crosley takes advantage of every opportunity for upward mobility, even at the expense of the man who recruited him for the Manhattan Project. Helen Prins is one of the few female scientists assigned to the project and remains a complete mystery to her male colleagues, including Jim Meeks, Louis “Fritz” Fedowitz and Sid Liao.
The ensemble cast of “Manhattan”, includes John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C, The Good Wife) as Frank Winter; Olivia Williams (Rushmore, The Ghost Writer) as Liza Winter; Daniel Stern (Home Alone, Home Alone 2) as Glen Babbit; Ashley Zukerman (Rush) as Charlie Isaacs; Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) as Abby Isaacs; Katja Herbers (De Storm) as Helen Prins; Alexia Fast (Jack Reacher) as Callie Winter; Christopher Denham (Argo, Shutter Island) as Jim Meeks; Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones) as Paul Crosley; Michael Chernus (The Big C, Orange Is The New Black) as Louis “Fritz” Fedowitz; and Eddie Shin (Men of a Certain Age) as Sid Liao.
03.03.2021 18:57:50
The Singapore Grip
Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, Colm Meaney and Charles Dance, star in the ambitious adaptation of The Singapore Grip, premiering on Epic Drama
Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, Colm Meaney and Charles Dance, star in the ambitious adaptation of The Singapore Grip, premiering on Epic Drama
Adapted from Booker Prize winner J.G. Farrell’s novel by Oscar winning screenwriter and playwright Sir Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons), The Singapore Grip stars Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, Colm Meaney and Charles Dance. The highly anticipated 6-part series will premiere across Central & Eastern Europe, exclusively on Epic Drama, from 7th March, at 21:00 (21:30 Poland).
An epic story set during World War Two, The Singapore Grip focuses on a British family living in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion. Olivier Award winning actor Luke Treadaway (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Ordeal By Innocence, Traitors) plays the reluctant hero and innocent abroad, Matthew Webb.
Award winning actor, David Morrissey (The Missing, Britannia, The Walking Dead) takes the role of ruthless rubber merchant Walter Blackett, who is head of British Singapore’s oldest and most powerful firm alongside his business partner Webb played by Charles Dance OBE (Game of Thrones, And Then There Were None).
With Webb’s health failing, Walter needs to ensure the future of their firm is secure. He decides Webb’s son Matthew is the perfect match for his spoilt daughter Joan (Georgia Blizzard). Matthew’s idealism leaves Walter increasingly suspicious as Matthew himself falls under the spell of Vera Chiang (Elizabeth Tan), a mysterious Chinese refugee.
Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous, Little Voice) plays Sylvia Blackett, Walter’s wife and Colm Meaney (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) plays Major Brendan Archer. Also joining the esteemed cast are Luke Newberry (In The Flesh) playing Walter’s son Monty, Bart Edwards (UnREAL, Peep Show) as Captain James Ehrendorf and Christoph Guybert (Sakho et Mangane, Falco) as Dupigny.
The series is co-executive produced by Sir Christopher Hampton alongside Mammoth Screen’s Damien Timmer and Karen Thrussell. Mammoth Screen are responsible for recent dramas including Poldark, World on Fire, The War of the Worlds, Endeavour, The Pale Horse, Noughts and Crosses and The Serpent. Farah Abushwesha (The ABC Murders) produces the series and Tom Vaughan (Press, Victoria, Doctor Foster) directed all six episodes.
Christopher Hampton is one of the UK’s most distinguished writers, with a career spanning six decades. His plays, musicals and translations have won four Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, five Evening Standard Awards and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award; prizes for his film and television work include an Oscar, two BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia and a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Stage work includes Tales From Hollywood, The Philanthropist and Total Eclipse, plays adapted from novels include Les Liaisons Dangereuses, translations include Art and God of Carnage from Yasmina Reza, and musicals include Sunset
Boulevard. Feature films include A Dangerous Method, Atonement, The Quiet American, Carrington (which he also directed) and Dangerous Liaisons, for which he won an Oscar.
J.G. Farrell (1935 – 1979) wrote the Empire Trilogy of novels: Troubles (1970), The Siege of Krishnapur (1973) and The Singapore Grip (1978) all of which dealt with different facets of colonial rule. He received the Booker Prize in 1973 and was retrospectively awarded the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. He died aged 44, drowning on the coast of County Cork while fishing.
The Singapore Grip premieres exclusively across Central & Eastern Europe, only on Epic Drama, from 7th March, at 21:00 (21:30 Poland)
01.06.2021 17:29:50
OPERATION BUFFALO
This June will see the premiere of a brand-new series on Epic Drama. Operation Buffalo is a series developed in Australia by Porchlight Films, who are known for creating stellar productions, such as the much-lauded film Animal Kingdom.
Writer Peter Duncan is best known for his writing and production credits on the popular series Rake, and producer Tanya Phegan has previously worked on films such as Notes on a Scandal, The Last King of Scotland and Never Let Me Go.
The six-episode series takes place in 1956, at an army base in remote Maralinga, the heart of the South Australian outback. Here, nuclear bombs tests, carried out for the British, pit the human capacity for loyalty and betrayal against each other. Major Leo Carmichael (Ewen Leslie) is a highly decorated military engineer, tasked with the design and supervision of the atomic test towers at Maralinga. Answering only to his commandant General Crankford (James Cromwell), known affectionally to all as Cranky and who is not fit for purpose, Leo is also responsible for the day-to-day running and logistics of Maralinga camp, a role that gives him unlimited influence and power. Assisted by camp driver Baxter (Harry Greenwood) and reliable soldiers Murphy (Alexander Bertrand), Jones (Benedict Wall) and Hilly (Sam Parsonson), Leo puts out proverbial fires across every inch of Maralinga.
The first episode launches the viewer straight in the middle of the drama, as Major Leo Carmichael wakes up to news that a prostitute he had flown into Maralinga camp, Carmen (Lucy Rawley), has gone missing and no-one can find her. Ordering the other prostitutes, Molly (Bojana Novakovic), Yvonne (Lucy Velik) and Lydia (Christina Sankira), to stay in his quarters under the supervision of Jones, Leo instructs Hilly and Murphy go out to search for Carmen in the desert.
Main cast:
Ewen Leslie: Ewen graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2000 and has since become one of Australia’s most popular faces in stage and screen. Ewen’s films credits include the critically acclaimed The Daughter, Dead Europe and Sleeping Beauty. Selected television credits include Top Of The Lake, Rake, Love My Way, and The Road From Coorain. He starred in The Cry alongside Jenna Coleman and most recently The Luminaries opposite Eva Green and Eve Hewson both for BBC.
Jessica De Gouw: Jessica De Gouw most recently appeared in Vienna Blood, an ambitious costume drama, working opposite Matthew Beard and in four-part SBS series The Hunting, opposite Sam Reid, Richard Roxburgh, Pamela Rabe and Asher Keddie. She played a recurring role in Billy Ray’s Amazon series The Last Tycoon opposite Matt Bomer, Lily Collins and Kelsey Grammar. Other TV credits include Greg Berlanti’s popular CW series Arrow as the DC Comic character ‘The Huntress’. Jessica co-starred opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Dracula for NBC.
James Cromwell: James Cromwell is an award-winning actor best known for roles in Babe (1995), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), The Green Mile (1999), The Queen (2006) and The Artist (2011), as well as the television series Six Feet Under (2003–2005), 24 (2007) and Halt And Catch Fire (2015). Cromwell has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for BABE (1995). He won his first Primetime Emmy Award for his role in American Horror Story: Asylum (2012). He can currently be seen in the critically acclaimed, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning HBO series Succession (2018-2020).
Bojana Novakovic: Bojana Novakovic is an actress and writer. She was recently seen as the co-lead with Alan Cumming in the CBS series Instinct and the Warner Brothers film Birds Of Prey. Other notable credits include last years I, Tonya, Showtime series Shameless and HBO's Westworld. Bojana was a founder and creative director of independent theatre company, Ride On Theatre, where she produced, wrote, translated, starred in and directed over 13 productions, including the Green Room nominated Fake Porno which marked her directorial debut.
Operation Buffalo, premieres on Epic Drama, Thursday 17th of June at: 21:00 CET (CEE) / 21:30 CET (Poland).
04.10.2022 09:03:24
GRANTCHESTER SEASON 1 & 2
THIS IS HOW A QUIET LIFE OF A VICAR BECOMES SOMETHING MORE
In 1953 at Grantchester, a village just outside of Cambridge, Sidney Chambers the vicar lives a quiet, uneventful life – however he tends to fall in love with the wrong women. Then a murder comes his way and he finds himself in the dangerous world of lies and betrayal. His only partner in ‘crime’ is Geordie Keating, the world-weary Detective Inspector. The unusual couple must unravel the crimes around them and try not to lose their moral compass in the process in Grantchester, an exciting crime drama. Season one debuts on Epic Drama on the 5th of October followed by season two on the 26th of October to further complicate the lives of its protagonists. In our article among others you can read about how Sidney Chambers’ character was inspired by the archbishop who married Diana and Charles.
SIDNEY CHAMBERS’ TRUE INSPIRATION
Diederick Santer, executive producer of Grantchester and managing director/founder of Lovely Day, the series’ production company, was first introduced to the vicar’s charming character by a book called ‘Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death’ written by James Runcie. The producer immediately fell in love with the book and saw the potential of a tv series in it – partly thanks to the fact that his father was a bishop. What’s more, Runcie’s father was also a bishop. But not any bishop! Santer’s and Runcie’s fathers were close friends. Most interestingly, Robert Runcie was the archbishop of Canterbury in the 1980s and he married Diana and Charles.
“Although the fictional Sidney Chambers is not the real Robert Runcie, many of his characteristics and much of his history, he shares with Robert. His look, his tastes, his war record, and his particular brand of faith” – explained Santer, who also revealed that he showed the scripts of the series to his father so he could give some practical advice to the production and also felt that he knows Sidney’s character very well.
GRANTCHESTER IS A REAL PLACE
You could think that the idyllic village of Grantchester was conceived in the minds of the series’ creators, but that’s not the case. This tiny village with a population of 540 is a real place located just two miles south of Cambridge on the River Cam. And compared to how small this village is, it’s definitely part of the popular culture. It is not just the setting for the books on which the Grantchester series were based, they also filmed it on location. And another interesting fact is that the village was the home of David Gilmour, one of the most famous member of Pink Floyd. The band have even written a song about it called Grantchester Meadows. Good to know too is that the creators of the series have long discussed their shooting plans with the people of the village and involved them as extras, because – as Diederick Slater put it – “it was their show too”.
A FLAWED VICAR WHO RUNS THROUGH THE FLAMES
James Norton known from Nowhere Special and Happy Valley plays Sidney Chambers. The actor himself is no stranger to theology, since he studied it at Cambridge University during his college years. However, he did more theatre than theology at that time much to his teachers’ annoyance, but his knowledge of theology helped him a lot to win the part when he auditioned for the role. Norton enjoyed doing some of the stunts during shooting, for example when he runs into a burning home to rescue a woman. “I was in pajamas running through a burning corridor and it felt very real” – smiled the actor, who felt a little bad when he was denied the opportunity to plunge into the River Cam, because it was very breezy during the April shoot.
Above everything else he enjoyed playing a flawed character, who drinks too much and can’t face his demons from the war. “There’s this idea that people who are very religious think themselves incredibly clean and perfect. And actually, that’s not the case at all” – explained the actor who thinks Grantchester is not just another bog-standard murder mystery. “The murders are never meaningless. They’re murders of passion, love, loss, or jealousy done by real people at a time when the death penalty and hanging was still in force”.
“This series doesn’t shy away from the issues of the period that are also relevant now. It’s good to remind people how recent that kind of prejudice was, how far we have come and how positive that is” – summed up Norton the essence of this unique and brave series.
Season one was a great success. It attracted a series average of 6.6 million viewers in Great Britain, so the makers fast tracked the follow up which was shot in London, Cambridge and of course in Grantchester, whose residents warmly welcomed the production team. In season 2 Sidney and Geordie have to face up to the consequences of becoming such an accomplished crime fighting duo, and in the meantime Geordie is trying to find Sidney a woman. Because there are things that don’t change in Grantchester – only on Epic Drama.
24.10.2022 13:44:34
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL SERIES 3
IN THE SHADOW OF WAR THERE’S STILL A CHANCE FOR HAPPINESS
IN THE SHADOW OF WAR THERE’S STILL A CHANCE FOR HAPPINESS: WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL SERIES 3
All Creatures Great and Small returns with its third series to Epic Drama on the 7th of November at 9PM CET followed by a new episode every Monday. The popular series focuses on the adventures of James Herriot, a young veterinary surgeon working in the Yorkshire Dales. All Creatures Great and Small is based on a series of books of the same name written by James Alfred Wight, whose pen name is James Herriot, and is inspired by his own experience as a vet. It sold more than 60 million copies worldwide.
Series three returns with a sense of big changes ahead. It’s spring 1939 and the people in England are preparing for war. James (Nicolas Ralph), however, doesn’t have to be afraid to be drafted because as a vet he is protected, but some of his friends are volunteering to fight. The earnest doctor and Helen (Academy Award winner Rachel Shenton) are planning their wedding while the world is turned upside down and are preparing themselves for a future full of uncertainties.
“The characters don’t know what we know of course” – mused Nicolas Ralph on the couple’s future. “They know that war is no joke and it’s a very scary prospect. He’s just newly married and building a life together with Helen. They see people starting to sign up to the military which could bring a bit of guilt and pressure for James – seeing younger people signing up because vets are a protected profession.”
Siegfried, the older, eccentric owner of Skeldale House has already been to war and has different emotions about the prospect of a new conflict. “He is sort of stretching out like an octopus trying to hold different bits – the people and the life – together as best he can” – said Samuel West, who plays the good doctor in the series. “The young ones think the war is just a great game, but those of us who were there the first time are just going ‘you have no idea what you’re getting in to.’”
Luckily the shooting of series three was nowhere near as dreadful as the feeling of impending war, however the animals caused a little trouble during the scenes. “Cats are untrainable” – complained Ralph. “I had to give a cat an examination and any time Dean the animal handler left for a second the cat just bolted.” This problem didn’t occur with the series’ returning ‘actors’: the cows. “They were in the crushes, so they were very restricted in the amount of movement they got. There was just this one that got very lively and basically started galloping, so the handler had to hit the deck and rolled very professionally out of the way. I was glad I was miles away from that!” – remembered the actor.
Callum Woodhosue, the actor behind Siegfried’s younger brother has only fond memories of acting with animals. “[My favourite moment is] anything with Ernie who plays Jess, the dog in Skeldale House. What I love about Ernie is that you rehearse the scene, you know your lines, things get set for what they do, and then you introduce Ernie into it and everything changes. It’s like introducing chaos into the scene, but it’s the cutest, happiest form of chaos” – laughed the actor who also revealed that some of the chaotic scenes made it into the show, because they’re such honest and truthful moments and that’s what people like to watch.
Viewers love a good wedding too and so does Rachel Shenton who plays Helen. “[Shooting the wedding scene] was great! It was a little bit chilly because we filmed that quite early in the series, around March, but the sun came out” – remembered the actress. “What’s really nice about those scenes is everybody’s in them, all the Skeldale gang.” Shenton also revealed that the children of the real Herriot were also there. “That was a bit surreal. It must have been surreal for them too, because they were basically watching their parents get married. They were so supportive and complimentary of our versions of their parents.”
The people behind the series know how important their work is, since they adapted a book adored by generations of readers and it’s the perfect antidote to the challenges of our modern times. As executive producer Colin Callender put it: “At a time when we are confronted with so many challenges in our everyday life it’s a joy to be transported back to the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and to be welcomed home by our beloved family at Skeldale House who have captured the hearts of audiences all around the world. This is a deeply moving and funny series.” Only on Epic Drama.
22.11.2022 10:22:02
Miss Scarlet And The Duke
Eliza Scarlet is back in a brand-new season of Miss Scarlet And The Duke
If you love a good murder mystery like Miss Marple or Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, then you will love Miss Scarlet and the Duke! Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin return as TV’s duelling detectives in a new season of Miss Scarlet And The Duke, bringing a plethora of intriguing cases set in Victorian-era London. Season 2 of the acclaimed crime drama, stars Kate Phillips (Wolf Hall) as infamous private eye, Eliza Scarlet and Stuart Martin (Medici) as her notorious hot-tempered friend, Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington of Scotland Yard. The new season will air on Epic Drama, exclusively across Central & Eastern Europe, Tuesday evenings at 21:00 (21:30 Poland) from 15th November.
This thrilling detective drama has been hailed by the British media as “smart, funny and fervently feminist”, and “fun, atmospherically shot and packed with skilled supporting players”. Whilst fans who took to social media, have been avidly debating the burning question, “Will they, or won’t they?” Meaning, do the duelling duo realize they are made for each other?
In an era of corsets, bonnets, and rigid patriarchy, Eliza Scarlet is England’s pioneer female private detective, and a credit to her sex since she is arguably the nation’s finest sleuth. For his part, Duke is a natural-born crime-buster, destined for high office at Scotland Yard. Along with the help (or hinderance) of Duke, Eliza is aided by her underworld odd-job man, Moses (Ansu Kabia, World on Fire); her sage housekeeper, Ivy (Cathy Belton, Hidden Assets); and her young friend and protégé, Hattie (Jessie Cave, Harry Potter).
The cast of characters also includes Duke’s new boss, Superintendent Monro (Ian Pirie, Guilt), who puts politics above policing. Consequently, Duke is ordered to mentor Detective Fitzroy (Evan McCabe, Doctor Who), the inept son of the powerful police commissioner (Michael Simkin, This Is Going To Hurt). Young Fitzroy is more suited to literary clubs than billy clubs, getting his colleagues into sticky situations. Charlie Phelps (Tim Chippings, Liar) rounds out the characters at Scotland Yard as the rough-around-the edges detective. Then there is the city mortuary clerk, Mr. Potts (Simon Ludders, Young Dracula), who is justifiably suspicious of Eliza since she has a habit of breaking into his premises to inspect murder victims. Undeterred, Eliza assigns Ivy to find Potts’s weak points.
The new season presents a cavalcade of investigations, among them the search for a missing drawing by Charles Darwin, a murder that Eliza realizes mimics the plot of a mystery novel, a product-poisoning scheme, and a grave-robbing conspiracy. She also helps Hattie by looking into prospective marriage partners proposed by her socially ambitious aunt (Helen Norton, Cracks), conveniently finding scandals associated with all. Eliza is so good at her job that a rival detective agency led by Patrick Nash (Felix Scott, Grantchester) even tries to coerce her into joining their firm. If only Duke would take her more seriously!
Miss Scarlet and The Duke returns with more wit, romance and mystery, in season 2, only on Epic Drama across Central and Eastern Europe, Tuesdays, at 21:00 (CET) and 21:30 (Poland) from 15th November.
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