Acorn TV has announced its upcoming lineup for the month of November, including the premieres of the Irish drama The South Westerlies starring Orla Brady (AHS: 1984, Into the Badlands), and Patrick Bergin (Sleeping with the Enemy, Patriot Games) and the contemporary French family drama Réunions. You can check out the full lineup below!
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Monday, November 2, 2020
PRINCE CHARLES: INSIDE THE DUCHY OF CORNWALL
Go behind the scenes of the historic Duchy of Cornwall during the year that HRH Prince Charles celebrates a half-century at the helm of this 700-year-old royal estate. The Duchy provides over £21 million in yearly income for The Prince, his family, and charitable work. It was established in 1337 to generate an income for heirs to the throne and today it is a vast, varied estate that embodies many different facets; from rolling farmland to visionary housing developments and even parts of inner-city London. With exclusive access to Prince Charles, as well as interviews, this documentary series provides a moving, candid, and often humorous insight into a uniquely British institution. It includes scenes with Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. (2 EPS, 2019)
IT TAKES A WORRIED MAN, Series 1
This witty comedy is a carefully observed view of life after the age of 30- through the eyes of a man who is forced to realize that, on top of everything else, his bald patch is here to stay. Philip Roath (played by the series’ writer, Peter Tilbury) is 35, lazy, self-centered, insecure and with an overdraft to support, a boss who tries in vain to get him to work in return for his salary, an ex-wife who rings periodically to remind him of his inadequacies and an analyst whose problems dwarf his own. Following on the heels of Tilbury’s Shelley and Sorry I’m A Stranger Here Myself, the series follows Roath in his uphill struggle to come to terms with his lot. (6 EPS, 1981)
MYSTERY ROAD, Series 2 (Acorn TV Original series) – Episode 5 of 6
One of Australia’s most in-demand actors, Aaron Pedersen (Jack Irish, A Place to Call Home) reprises his signature role as brooding yet very dedicated and sharp Indigenous detective Jay Swan in this beautifully filmed, multiple award-winning Neo-Western mystery set in the Australian outback. When a decapitated body is found in the mangroves of a coastal town of Gideon, Jay teams up with local constable Fran Davis (Jada Alberts, Wentworth) to investigate the crime. He also faces obstruction from a visiting Swedish archaeologist (Sofia Helin, The Bridge), who suffers a crisis of conscience when she finds an unidentified modern grave at her dig site that jeopardizes her work, yet it could also solve a murder.
Episode 5 description:
Jay’s ex-wife, Mary (Tasma Walton) starts to see Simon’s true colors but does not fully understand the danger he poses, until an incident at the hospital. Sandra Elmquist (Helin) works to uphold her deal with Fran’s sister, and Owen (Mark Mitchinson) suspends Jay after a complaint is made against him. (1 EP, 2020)
Monday, November 9, 2020
THE SOUTH WESTERLIES (Acorn TV Original series, Commissioned) – Binge premiere
This picturesque Irish drama stars Orla Brady (American Horror Story: 1984, Into the Badlands, Star Trek: Picard) as a single working mom and environmental consultant who has to go undercover among protesters to quash objections to a Norwegian-owned offshore wind farm earmarked for a small town on the southwest coast of Ireland. It’s not just the spectacular scenery that’s under pressure. For this straight-talking Dublin woman tasked to bring the project home for a lucrative promotion, her eco-battle is complicated by the reappearance of a crinkly-eyed surfer with a striking resemblance to her teenage son, as well as the emergence of old secrets she’s keeping under wraps. This heartwarming series features an ensemble of acclaimed actors including Brady (as leading character Kate Ryan), Eileen Walsh (Catastrophe, The Magdalene Sisters), Patrick Bergin (Sleeping With The Enemy, Patriot Games), Ger Ryan (Little Dog, Rialto), Steve Wall (Raised by Wolves, The Witcher) and Porscha Cusack (A Discovery of Witches). (6 EPS, 2020)
THE SILENCE
Under investigation for a fatal shooting, Detective Richard Treloar (Richard Roxburgh, The Hunting, Rake) is transferred to a desk job at the Police Museum. While preparing a photographic exhibition, he becomes obsessed with an archival image of a beautiful murder victim. As he scans the graphic black and white images, he searches for her face – at first in the background, then in the company of criminals and finally, as the victim of an unsolved crime. This film also stars Essie Davis (Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears), Emily Barclay (In My Father’s Den), and Alice McConnell (Mary Bryant). (TV Movie, 2006)
MYSTERY ROAD, Series 2 (Acorn TV Original Series) – Episode 6 of 6 – SERIES FINALE
Jay checks on Mary at the motel, leading to a tense confrontation with Simon. As Fran searches for closure on Zoe’s case, Owen must decide where his loyalties lie. (1 EP, 2020)
Monday, November 16, 2020
LAW & ORDER: UK, Series 1
The English adaptation of the beloved courtroom drama is based on the enormously successful U.S. format created by two-time Emmy award-winning producer Dick Wolf. A host of top British acting talent comes together to form the ensemble, while the original series’ iconic two-part structure – first half Law, second half Order, is handled with a uniquely English spin. Bradley Walsh (Torn, Coronation Street) is DS Ronnie Brooks, a real East End, copper’s copper, friend and partner to the charming DS Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber, Battlestar Galactica), whose approach to policing is part seduction, part force. Both report to DI Natalie Chandler (Harriet Walter, Belgravia) a working mum who would back them to the end. The CPS team consists of Ben Daniels (The Passion, The State Within) as dedicated Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel, a man on a mission for justice; Freema Agyeman (Dr. Who, Torchwood) as hard working, strong-willed young prosecutor Alesha Phillips; and Bill Paterson (Little Dorrit, Criminal Justice) as their respected boss CPS director George Castle, a man trying to balance his ideals with the bigger picture. (10 EPS, 2010)
A MODEL DAUGHTER: THE KILLING OF CAROLINE BYRNE
In the early hours of June 8, 1995, model Caroline Byrne’s body was recovered from the rocky shore below the sheer cliffs of the notorious Gap, the preferred suicide location in Sydney. Did she jump or was she pushed? Caroline’s boyfriend Gordon Wood (David Lyons, Seven Seconds, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams), a chauffeur and personal assistant to a stockbroker, claims she took her own life because of depression. The truth is only revealed through the strong belief of her father Tony Byrne (Garry McDonald, Mother and Son) that she wouldn’t commit suicide and his dogged battle for justice. Caroline Byrne is played by Cariba Heine (Designated Survivor, Hiding, Adopted). McDonald was nominated for Australian Film Institute and Silver Logie awards for his role in this film. (TV Movie, 2009)
Monday, November 23, 2020
Réunions (Acorn TV Exclusive Series, Foreign language, French), Monday, November 16
In this heartwarming, contemporary French drama, two half-brothers who learn about each other’s existence after the death of their father inherit a hotel on the paradise island of Réunion. Since the hotel is on the verge of bankruptcy, Jérémy (Loup-Denis Elion) and Antoine (Nicolas Bridet) and their respective families make huge sacrifices in working together to turn things around. Chloe (Laëtitia Milot), Jeremy’s companion, is immensely excited by the prospect of moving to the island with its stunning white sandy beaches and sees it as the ideal opportunity to start a new life, where the couple can leave behind their massive debts. She plunges herself enthusiastically into management with Jérémy and Antoine, who are from different races and economic classes. But things are not as rosy as they seem. This series explores the importance of family, parenthood and the class divide. (6 EPS, 2020, with English subtitles)
Thursday, November 26, 2020
B & B
After getting fired from his job in a local architectural firm, single dad Steve Shepherd (Kevin Whately, Inspector Morse) turns his large home into a B&B for financial support. Shepherd’s former boss, Horace Gilbert (Ian McNeice, Doc Martin), becomes aware that Shepherd’s house lies right in the middle of his proposed development site for vacation homes, so its removal is needed to move forward with construction. Meanwhile, Shepherd’s B&B is doing well and street busker (Katy Murphy, Donovan Quick) takes an unpaid working position at the B & B for room and board. (Movie, 1992)
THE YORKSHIRE VET COUNTRYSIDE SPECIALS
Get a glimpse of the true story behind All Creatures Great and Small, the classic BBC TV series by British veterinary surgeon and author Alf Wight, known worldwide as James Herriot. This documentary series profiles the dedicated team of staff at Skeldale Veterinary Centre, Wight’s original practice in Thirsk, North Yorkshire founded in 1940. With exclusive access to Julian Norton, The Yorkshire Vet, as well as his partner and Alf’s former trainee, Peter Wright and their staff, viewers get to follow the day-to-day comings and goings and meet their clientele – both two-legged and four-legged! This center may have moved from the original premises to a purpose-built facility, but the heart and soul of this historic veterinary practice are very much alive and beating. Series 1-9 also streaming. (4 EPS, 2020)
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Monday, November 30, 2020
LAW & ORDER: UK, Series 2
In the city of London, where crime never sleeps, the team are faced with their toughest challenges yet as this acclaimed courtroom drama returns for Series 2. The Crown Prosecution Service are still reeling in the aftermath of the previous series’ heart-wrenching finale, but there’s little time for contemplation as a raft of new cases quickly pile up. Bradley Walsh (Coronation Street), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica) and Harriet Walter (Atonement) battle at keeping the streets free of crime, delivering criminals into the capable hands of CPS stalwarts Ben Daniels (The State Within), Freema Agyeman (Dr. Who) and Bill Paterson (Little Dorit). (10 EPS, 2011)
FINGERSMITH
This acclaimed BBC adaptation of the Sarah Waters novel stars Oscar-nominee and BAFTA-winner Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter) and BAFTA-nominee Charles Dance (Game of Thrones). The lives of two young women collide in an engrossing Victorian thriller that alternates between the twisting back alleyways of Dickensian London and the cloistered gloom of a Gothic mansion. Raised in a den of pretty thieves, or “fingersmiths,” plucky orphan Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water) agrees to help a con man known as Gentleman (Rupert Evans, Charmed) defraud and betray wealthy heiress Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy, Disco Pigs). But Sue’s plans are turned upside down when she falls in love with Maud. Then the women are separated-each to her own hellish prison-just as they realize the strength of their passion for each other. (2 EPS, 2005)
