Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh Stage DISCOVERING HAMLET 2/1

Fascinating BBC period drama Garrow's Law, Series 1 debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on February 1, 2011. The series follows the true tale of William Garrow, an 18th century lawyer with a passion for reform. Winner of a Royal Television Society award for best history program, the series features compelling plots, lavish sets and costumes, and an outstanding cast including Andrew Buchan (Cranford, The Fixer), Alun Armstrong (Little Dorrit, New Tricks), Lyndsey Marshal (Being Human, The Hours), and Rupert Graves (The Forsyte Saga). A favorite of critics and fans alike, Garrow's Law first aired on BBC in 2009 and is available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release. A second series recently aired in the U.K. as well. The DVD 2-Disc set includes the four episodes of Series 1, a bonus 19-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, cast filmographies, and more (www.AcornOnline.com, $39.99).

A passionate young barrister leads a legal revolution in this superb new courtroom drama set in 18th-century England. Appalled by the corruption of London's Old Bailey, William Garrow (Andrew Buchan) advocates for the accused and pioneers the art of cross-examination, paving the way for our modern legal system. Aided by his mentor (Alun Armstrong) and the beautiful Lady Sarah Hill (Lyndsey Marshal), he faces down ruthless bounty hunters; callous judges; smug solicitors; and MP Sir Arthur Hill (Rupert Graves), who sees Garrow as a threat to the law-and his marriage.

Based on a true story and drawing on actual Old Bailey court records, this award-winning series follows Garrow as he argues his first cases, rails against outdated legal practices, and shows that one man can indeed change everything.

BONUS FEATURES: Behind-the-scenes featurette (19 min.), photo gallery, biography of William Garrow and cast filmographies

Street: Feb. 1, 2011 SRP: $39.99
DVD 2-Disc Set: 4 episodes - Approx. 240 min., plus bonus - SDH subtitles

Lone cop fights crime and corruption in rural Ireland;
Award-winning crime series makes its U.S. debut

SINGLE-HANDED
Set 1 on DVD February 1, 2011

"Don't miss it." -The Observer
"Absorbing . . . multilayered and intelligent" -The Irish Times
"Powerful, charismatic performances" -Evening Herald

Silver Spring, MD - Celebrated by critics and fans alike and hailed "a superior drama" (Irish Independent), Single-Handed, Set 1 makes its DVD debut from Acorn Media on February 1, 2011. Filmed on location in breathtaking Ireland, this new, engrossing crime drama follows disgraced Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll (Owen McDonnell) after he has been transferred from Dublin to the rural Irish town where he grew up. He soon learns the remote community he's been tasked with policing is rife with corruption and long-held secrets. Nominated for best drama series at the Irish Film & Television Awards and a silver medal at the New York Festivals Television & Film Awards, Single-Handed debuted on ITV in the U.K. in 2009, and new episodes are scheduled to air in 2011. Available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release, Set 1 includes the first three feature-length mysteries of the series (3-disc, www.AcornOnline.com, $49.99).

When Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll returns home to the windswept west coast of Ireland, his father-and predecessor at his new post-warns: "Out here, it's a team of one." As chief law-enforcement officer in this insular community, Jack Soon learns the hard truth in those words. Small-town life presents challenges he never faced in Dublin-among them, winning the respect of the villagers and escaping the shadow of his father (Ian McElhinney, Little Dorrit, Doc Martin) whose methods relied more on pragmatism than principle. Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) guest stars.

In these three feature-length crime dramas, Jack investigates a beautiful immigrant's murder, a child's abduction, and a teenager's baffling drowning. Complex characters rife with moral ambiguity and internal conflict populate this gritty series set against a landscape of epic beauty and isolation.

The Mysteries: Natural Justice, The Stolen Child, The Drowning Man

Street: Feb. 1, 2011 SRP: $49.99
DVD 3-Disc Set: 3 mysteries - Approx. 278 min. - SDH subtitles
Features: Text interview with the producer and production notes.

"The most fascinating British female cop since Jane Tennison" - San Francisco Chronicle
"Quentin is marvelous." - Connecticut Post

BLUE MURDER COMPLETE COLLECTION
On DVD February 1, 2011

Acclaimed British crime drama starring Caroline Quentin;
Now available as Value-Priced Complete Collection

Silver Spring, MD - Starring award-winning actress Caroline Quentin, Blue Murder Complete Collection arrives on DVD from Acorn Media on February 1, 2011, featuring all 19 episodes of the smash-hit British crime series. Quentin (Life Begins, Men Behaving Badly) delivers a standout performance in her breakout dramatic role as a top cop with the Manchester police force who also happens to be a single mother of four children. Broadcast on ITV from 2003-2009, the critically-acclaimed series blends gritty storylines with wit and warmth and also features stars Ian Kelsey (Casualty), Paul Loughran (Emmerdale Farm) and Saskia Wickham (Clarissa). This value-priced 9-disc collection contains all 19 episodes, in addition to a behind-the-scenes documentary, text interviews with stars Quentin and Kelsey, cast filmographies, and much more ($99.99, 19 ½ hours, www.AcornOnline.com).

On the job, Detective Chief Inspector Janine Lewis deals with the ugly side of human nature, investigating Manchester's most gruesome crimes. At home, she's a harried but devoted single mother of four, struggling to balance her challenging career with the stresses and rewards of family life. Caroline Quentin perfectly captures Lewis's strength and vulnerability as she balances work and family, aided by her handsome, dedicated partner (Ian Kelsey).

This complete collection follows the gritty realities of Lewis's career from her initial promotion through personal and professional ups and downs-always presented with a touch of wry humor and keen observations about modern motherhood.

Guests stars include Brendan Coyle (Lark Rise to Candleford) and Rhea Bailey (The Bill).

Bonus Features: Text interviews with stars Caroline Quentin and Ian Kelsey, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and cast filmographies.

Street Date: Feb. 1, 2011 SRP: $99.99
DVD 9-Disc Set: 19 episodes - Approx. 19 ½ hrs. - Closed Captioned (Sets 2-4)

Acorn Media previously released Blue Murder, Sets 1 - 4 between 2007- 2009.

Coming up (available upon request):
Next week (Jan. 25): Man in a Suitcase, Set 1, DVD debut of the stylish action-packed 1960s spy series starring Richard Bradford (The Untouchables); Pie in the Sky, Series 4, more from Richard Griffiths' (Harry Potter, The History Boys) culinary cop series; Wish Me Luck, Series 2 features British heroines in a gripping WWII drama set behind enemy lines; and The Agatha Christie Hour, Set 2 features more classic Agatha Christie short fiction.

February 15: Murphy's Law Series 3 (DVD Debut), BBC's hit undercover cop series starring James Nesbitt (Peter Jackson's The Hobbit in 2012), as well as Bill Moyers: In Search of the Constitution and Bill Moyers: World of Ideas-Writers

February 22: New Tricks, Season 3 (DVD Debut), the third season of the hit UK crime series makes its highly anticipated DVD debut; Fresh Fields, Set 1 (Home Video Debut) starring Julia McKenzie (Marple) and Anton Rodgers in an International Emmy®-winning comedy; and Midsomer Murders Set 17 (U.S. Debut), episodes available to U.S. audiences for the first time of Acorn's top-selling series.

About Acorn Media: The Acorn Media Group, a leading independent 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 more than 100 DVDs in North America in 2011, including Upstairs, Downstairs Complete Series: 40th Anniversary Edition; NBC's star-studded Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1 from Lisa Kudrow; BBC's smash hit series New Tricks (Seasons 3-5); great new series Garrow's Law, Single-Handed, and Reggie Perrin with Martin Clunes; more episodes from Doc Martin, Murphy's Law, Poirot, Marple, George Gently, Murdoch Mysteries, Midsomer Murders; as well as several Blu-ray releases, including Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Edition, Visions of Europe, and Robin of Sherwood, Set 1; and acclaimed documentaries from our Athena line with Discovering Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi, Genius of Britain, and more from Mike Wallace and the Bill Moyers library

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.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.