Acorn Media and Athena Announce DVD Release Calendar

Acorn Media (British TV) and Athena (Best Documentaries) DVD Release Calendar
July 27:
Agatha Christie's Poirot, The Movie Collection, Set 5 (DVD debut) - PBS Mystery!'s most-watched detective returns in three all-new, star-studded movies starring fan-favorite David Suchet. Set includes new adaptation of the iconic Murder on the Orient Express and behind-the scenes program. The DVD release coincides with the recent debut of these new, lavish mysteries on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! in July 2010.

The Agatha Christie Hour, Set 1 (Long-awaited home video debut) - Five beloved stories based on the short fiction of the Queen of Crime seen on PBS Mystery! in the early 1980s. These five classic adaptations feature her customary crime solving along with romance and the supernatural in the glittering 1920s and ‘30s. Guest stars include John Nettles (Midsomer Murders). With just the right mix of danger and deception, romance and revenge, innocence and intrigue, these short stories are Christie at her best, now on DVD for the first time.

August 3:
Monarchy: The Complete Series (Athena) - Complete collection of the acclaimed royal history series features a 1,500-year history of power, passion, and glory. The much lengthier, unedited UK broadcast edition with episodes not seen on PBS. With dramatic storytelling and visuals, royal history comes alive. The foremost authority on the British Crown, Dr. David Starkey presents the epic history of the British monarchy in this fascinating series. Filmed on location at historical sites including Hastings and the Tower of London.

Lytton's Diary Complete Collection (Home Video Debut) - A series so popular it spawned a novelization, Peter Bowles (To the Manor Born, The Irish R.M) stars in a captivating British drama seen on PBS. London journalist Neville Lytton has a knack for scandal - whether he's chasing an exclusive scoop or getting mixed up in office romance. Broadcast on PBS in the 1990s.

August 10:
The Diets That Time Forgot (U.S. Debut) - One-of-a-kind weight-loss reality show with a historic British twist follows 9 Brits trying to lose weight the old-fashioned way as they partake in diets from bygone eras - Victorian, Edwardian, and the Roaring ‘20s. A funny, fascinating look at the diet and exercise regimens of the past, the series combines the period appeal of The 1900 House with weight-loss reality competitions like The Biggest Loser. 2008 series is available to U.S. audiences for the first time. A century ago, women's waists were 10 inches smaller, and the average man was 20 pounds lighter. What did our grandparents know that we have forgotten?

Visions of Israel - Stunning aerial tour of the Holy Land's natural beauty and sacred sites from the bestselling travel series seen on public television. Shot in high definition from a helicopter-mounted camera and planned with precision for optimum lighting and angles, this program offers the ultimate in armchair travel from the Western Wall to the Temple Mount. Narrated by famed Israeli American violinist Itzhak Perlman, the DVD includes footage not seen on TV.

August 24:
Body by Bethenny with Bethenny Frankel (Acacia fitness workout) - First DVD workout from the star of The Real Housewives of New York City and Bethenny Getting Married? and New York Times bestselling author of Naturally Thin and The Skinnygirl Dish. Bethenny keeps her slim figure with simple, realistic exercise routines like this one. Celebrity, award-winning instructor Kristin McGee (30 Rock guest star) joins Bethenny.

August 31:
Agatha Christie's Marple, Series 5 (DVD Debut) - Hit PBS series returns with three new mysteries and a bonus program. DVD release coincides with these mysteries' recent television debut on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! in July 2010. Julia McKenzie (Cranford, Notes on a Scandal) brings Agatha Christie's tidy, tweed-wearing detective brilliantly to life in three gripping new adaptations. BONUS PROGRAM: Agatha Christie's Garden: A revealing documentary about Agatha Christie's personal retreat hosted by Pam Ferris (Rosemary & Thyme).

September 7:
Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection (First complete collection) - Oscar® and Emmy® winner Helen Mirren in her groundbreaking, icon TV role.

"Superlative" -Entertainment Weekly
"Powerful" -The New York Times
"A masterpiece" -USA Today
"Brilliant" -Los Angeles Times
"Suspenseful and moving. The cast is terrific...a winner" -Time
"A perfect marriage of astoundingly talented actress and brilliantly conceived character" -USA Today
"Perhaps the greatest role and performance of a female police detective, ever" -San Francisco Chronicle

Mirren (The Queen) stars as Detective Jane Tennison, "one of the great character creations of our time" (Washington Post), in this revolutionary police drama broadcast on PBS to universal acclaim and more than 20 major international awards, including seven Emmys®, eight BAFTAs, and a Peabody. The 9-disc set includes nine feature-length mysteries as well as a 50-minute behind-the-scenes special. Seen on Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! from the 1990s to the present and created by crime writer Lynda La Plante (Trial & Retribution, The Commander), guest stars include some of Britain's biggest stars--Ralph Fiennes (English Patient) and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton).

Pie in the Sky, Series 3 (DVD Debut) - A detective with an eye for crime and a nose for pie. Featuring equal amounts police work and culinary adventure, Richard Griffiths (Tony®-winner The History Boys, Equus, Harry Potter films) gives a "brilliantly understated performance" (The Times) as a part-time cop, part-time restaurateur whose talent for cooking is only exceeded by his knack for solving crimes. Series 3 guest stars include Michael Kitchen (Foyle's War). Seen on public TV, it debuted on BBC1 in the U.K. in March 1994 and aired for five series.

September 21:
Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers - Joseph Campbell's landmark PBS series on world mythology arrives on DVD with several bonus features.

"Dazzling and still potently relevant" -San Francisco Chronicle
"Fascinating" -The New York Times
"Compelling" -The Wall Street Journal
"Stirring and elevating" -Los Angeles Times

When celebrated scholar Joseph Campbell sat down with veteran journalist Bill Moyers for a discussion about his life's work, the nation was captivated. The series brought Campbell's theories into popular culture and led to a bestselling companion book. The 2-volume DVD boxed set includes several bonus features with selections from Moyers' interview with George Lucas, who credits Campbell with helping to inspire his creation of Star Wars; a 12-page viewers guide; and a never-before-released conversation with Campbell from Bill Moyer's Journal. Filmed at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch and New York's American Museum of Natural History, this series fires the imagination and the intellect.

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster Complete Collection (DVD debut) - In the vein of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Callan, this series follows a British spy hunting down traitors in the heart of government. Golden Globe® nominee Alec McCowen (Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence, Travels with My Aunt), "plays [Palfrey] to perfection" (The Times, UK) in this stylish drama about a mild-mannered British civil servant who's secretly a counterspy. Premiered in the U.K. in 1984 and aired in the US on public television in the 1980s and 2000s.

Taggart, Set 3 - Featuring eight contemporary episodes, the smash hit series follows a team of Glasgow detectives taking on the city's worst cases-from blackmail to murder. Witty scripts and black humor round out this gritty police procedural, lending it universal appeal and helping it become the world's longest continually running police drama series. Available to U.S. audiences for the first time, Set 3 includes episodes that aired in the U.K. in 2005. Stars Alex Norton (Patriot Games), John Michie (To Walk with Lions), Blythe Duff, and Colin.

September 28:
The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries Set 2 - Hailed by critics as one of the finest mystery series ever filmed.

"Eternally appealing" -NPR's Fresh Air from WHYY

"The mystery series that began it all" -British Heritage

"The cast is splendid" -The Washington Post

"Realized superbly" -The New York Times

Based on the novels by beloved crime writer Dorothy L. Sayers, the late Ian Carmichael stars as the debonair sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey in these wittily scripted and lavishly produced BBC adaptations. The mysteries ranked with Upstairs, Downstairs as the most successful series on Masterpiece Theatre in the 1970s, and the mysteries were so popular they inspired PBS's spin-off series Mystery!. Set 2 includes the final three feature-length mysteries: Murder Must Advertise, Five Red Herrings, and The Nine Tailors.

Midsomer Murders Set 16 (U.S. debut) - Four contemporary, stand-alone mysteries from Acorn's top-selling series.

"Spectacularly entertaining as always" -Paper Magazine
"Superbly acted and filmed, and a great joy to watch" -British Heritage
"Mysteries are well-plotted...feature excellent British character actors." -SmartMoney.com

The feature-length mysteries in Set 16 have not aired in the U.S. and are available to U.S. audiences for the first time with their DVD release. DVD includes an episode commentary by star John Nettles. Continually reaching new heights of popularity, Midsomer Murders counts Johnny Depp and even the Queen among its ardent fans. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, Midsomer combines quirky characters and surprising mysteries with postcard-perfect English village settings and the ever-charming John Nettles as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. The episodes in Set 16 are part of Series Eleven (2008), which never broadcast in the U.S.

Coming up in October:
· The Queen (TV), The Roman Invasion of Britain, and Lost Kingdoms of Africa (10/5)
· 20th Century with Mike Wallace and A Mind to Kill, Series 2 (10/19)
· Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection and The Murder on the Orient Express on Blu-ray, as well as Poldark Series 2 and On the Road Set 3 (10/26)

Recent Releases (still available):
(July) Life on Mars: The Complete UK Collection, featuring all 16 episodes and extensive bonus features of the award-winning, original U.K. police drama in a value-priced collection; Time Magazine Short List selection Touching Evil: The Complete Collection, starring Robson Green (Wire in the Blood); Doc Martin, Series 4, a new installment of the hit British dramedy akin to House with Martin Clunes; World War I in Color (Athena), narrated by Kenneth Branagh; Venice Revealed (U.S. Debut, Athena), a new, insightful documentary explores Europe's most mysterious and seductive city; and Selling Hitler (U.S. Debut), the incredible story of the world's worst scam starring Jonathan Pryce.

(June) Foyle's War Set 6 (DVD Debut), one of the most highly acclaimed and popular programs on PBS returns with three new mysteries; Hope Springs (U.S. Debut), Alex Kingston (ER) stars in a 2009 crime caper series; Midsomer Murders Set 15 (U.S. Debut); We'll Meet Again; Lynda La Plante's Trial & Retribution, Set 4 (U.S. Debut); Raffles: The Complete Collection; A Bit of a Do Complete Collection with David Jason (U.S. Debut); Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (DVD Debut); Van der Valk Mysteries, Set 2 (Debut); Visions of New York City (DVD Debut).

(Select January - May) Six Centuries of Verse (ATHENA); Murphy's Law Series 2 starring James Nesbitt; Poldark, Series 1, hailed as a British Gone with the Wind; The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, Set 1 with Ian Carmichael; The Story of Math (ATHENA), landmark BBC documentary; The Evelyn Waugh Collection; Hitler's Bodyguard (Athena); On the Road with Charles Kuralt Set 2 (DVD Debut) eighty-six classic pieces from the beloved Emmy®-winning series, Murdoch Mysteries Season Two (U.S. Debut) CSI meets Sherlock Holmes; A Cold War Spy Collection: The Glory Boys & The Contract; Testament (Athena); and George Gently Series 2 (U.S. Debut)

Acorn's and Athena's DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com. For the complete press releases, please visit: www.acornmedia.com

About Acorn Media: The Acorn Media Group, a leading independent global media company, provides distinctive home video products and other merchandise to consumers in North America, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. With a special focus on the best of British television programming, Acorn Media has exclusive distribution rights to hundreds of collectible titles on DVD. Its U.S. division will release 100 DVDs in North America in 2010, including Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection, Foyle's War Set 6, On the Road Set 2, Poldark, Slings & Arrows, The Queen, The Evelyn Waugh Collection, The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, Midsomer Murders, Murdoch Mysteries, Doc Martin, and Agatha Christie's Poirot and Marple. Athena, Acorn Media Group's newest brand, provides an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, documentary programming, including Playing Shakespeare, Six Centuries of Verse, The Story of Math, and the upcoming The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell.