Agatha Christie's PARTNERS IN CRIME Makes U.S. Premiere On Acorn TV Tonight

Following the U.S. Premieres of Brenda Blethyn's return in the smash hit British series Vera and the BAFTA Award-winning comedy Detectorists, Acorn TVpresents the U.S. Premiere of Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, the hotly anticipated new series based on the books from the best-selling novelist of all-time. The first two episodes debut tonight, September 3, 2015, and a new episode will be added every Thursday, through the sixth and final episode on October 1st. David Walliams (Little Britain, Big School) stars as Tommy Beresford and Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife, Wolf Hall) stars as his wife Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley. Set in 1950s Britain, these gorgeously produced mysteries are jam-packed with period atmosphere and playful banter between Agatha Christie's crime-fighting couple. The delightful duo tackles two cases based on the Agatha Christie novels The Secret Adversary and N or M? in these two sumptuous three-part mysteries. Available at Acorn.TV and on a variety of devices, Acorn TV is the premier British television streaming service in North Americafrom RLJ Entertainment (RLJE).

Agatha Christie's Partners in Crimeis a lively adventure series that dives into the world of Cold War espionage while keeping humor and hope at its heart. Set in a 1950s Britain rising from the ashes of the Blitz into the grip of a new Soviet threat, our unlikely heroes stumble into a world of murder, undercover agents and Cold War conspiracy. Tuppence is a woman who sees adventure around every corner, throwing herself head first into every mystery with passion and zeal, determined to get to the truth no matter what it takes, much to the dismay of her more cautious husband Tommy.

Miguel Penella, Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Entertainment, Inc., said, "Since acquiring a majority interest in Agatha Christie's literary estate in 2012, RLJ Entertainment and Agatha Christie Limited have been developing new programs to bring Christie's beloved characters to a new generation. Following the finales of the long-running Poirot and Marple series last year on Acorn TV, we're thrilled to introduce two more iconic Agatha Christie characters to U.S. audiences in lavish, new BBC productions. David Walliams and Jessica Raine are ideally suited to bring new life to Christie's delightful married detective duo. The Tommy & Tuppence stories were the ones Christie enjoyed writing the most, so we're excited to bring them back coinciding with the 125th anniversary of her birth in September."

Penella added, "Acorn TV continues to be a leader in the digital movement for niche streaming services with our deep library of highly entertaining international programs, and PARTNERS IN CRIME is a perfect example of the major, exclusive premieres we're securing for our subscribers."

Produced by Endor Productions and Agatha Christie Productions Ltd., Agatha Christie's Partners in Crimeis directed by Edward Hall (Downton Abbey), produced by Georgina Lowe, (Mr Turner, Mad Dogs), and executive produced by Emmy winner Hilary Bevan Jones (State Of Play), David Walliams, Hilary Strong (Agatha Christie's Poirot) and Agatha Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard.

Agatha Christie's PARTNERS IN CRIME (Two Mysteries, Six 60-minute episodes)
Thursday, September 3 The Secret Adversary Part 1 and 2 Premiere on Acorn TV
Thursday, September 10 The Secret Adversary Part 3Premieres on Acorn TV
Thursday, September 17 N or M? Part 1 Premieres on Acorn TV
Thursday, September 24 N or M? Part 2 Premieres on Acorn TV
Thursday, October 1 N or M? Part 3 Premieres on Acorn TV

RLJ Entertainment's Acorn brand will syndicate the episodes to public television stations in January 2016 and also release the series on DVD in early 2016.

In 2015, Acorn TV has featured the U.S. Premieres of the final season of Foyle's War starring Michael Kitchen; the 1680s set British period drama New Worlds starring Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey); new BBC period drama Jamaica Inn starring Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey); BBC thriller The Driver starring David Morrissey (The Walking Dead); the newest season of Acorn's top-selling series with Midsomer Murders, Series 17; New Zealand detective dramas TheBrokenwood Mysteries and Harry; Brenda Blethyn in the hit detective drama Vera, Series 5 (July 6-27); and Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones in their BAFTA-winning comedy Detectorists (Aug. 17).

Available at Acorn.TV and on a variety of devices, Acorn TV debuted in July 2011 and is the first British TV focused streaming service in North America. Given the limited broadcast options for U.S. viewers to watch first rate international programs, Acorn TV offers U.S. fans the opportunity to not only stream many of their favorite series but, more importantly, discover new and classic programs previously unavailable to U.S. audiences. Acorn TV adds new programs every week and features a deep library of mysteries, dramas, documentaries, and comedies with no set end dates. Acorn TV offers a free 30-day trial and thereafter is just $4.99/month or $49.99/year. https://acorn.tv

Agatha Christie's PARTNERS IN CRIME A History
First published in 1922 (The Secret Adversary), Tommy Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley stumbled into detective work accidentally and soon became full-time sleuths. Agatha Christie cast the couple in four full length novels as well as a collection of short stories entitled PARTNERS IN CRIME (1929). Tuppence is a charismatic, excitable and impulsive individual who acts as the perfect partner to the less imaginative, more methodical Tommy. In the original books, Christie developed the relationship between Tommy and Tuppence as well as ageing the couple from "bright young things" of the 1920s (The Secret Adversary, 1922) to mature sleuths in their '70s (Postern of Fate, 1973). Tommy and Tuppence were portrayed by James Warwick and Francesca Annis, first in the feature-length The Secret Adversary (1982), and then in the 10-episode hour-long series Agatha Christie's PARTNERS IN CRIME (1983).

About Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and is outsold only by THE BIBLE and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels written under the name Mary Westmacott.

About RLJ Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (RLJE) is a premier independent owner, developer, licensee, and distributor of entertainment content and programming in primarily North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. RLJE is a leader in numerous genres including feature films and urban with distinct content via its owned and distributed brands such as Acorn (British TV), Acacia (fitness), Athena (documentaries), and Madacy (gift sets). These titles are distributed in multiple formats including broadcast television (including satellite and cable), theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download, and digital streaming.

Through Acorn Productions, its UK production arm, RLJE owns all rights to the hit UK mystery series Foyle's War and is developing new programs. RLJE owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited, which manages the intellectual property and publishing rights to some of the greatest works of mystery fiction, including stories of the iconic sleuths Miss Marple and Poirot.

RLJE leverages its management experience to acquire, distribute and monetize existing and original content for its many distribution channels, including its branded digital subscription channels, Acorn TV, AcaciaTV, and UMC Urban Movie Channel, and engages distinct audiences with programming that appeals directly to their unique viewing interests. Through its proprietary e-commerce web sites and print catalogs for the Acorn and Acacia brands, RLJE has direct contacts and billing relationships with millions of consumers. For more information, please visit www.RLJEntertainment.com

SOURCE RLJ Entertainment, Inc.

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