The Premier British TV Streaming Service in North America Will EXCLUSIVELY Premiere the New Season With Three Feature-Length Mysteries of the Universally Acclaimed Hit Series
Starring Michael Kitchen and Honeysuckle Weeks With Guest Star John Mahoney (Frasier)
SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hailed "a gift from the gods" (The New York Times) and "A triumph from start to finish" (The Wall Street Journal), FOYLE'S WAR has been among the upper echelon of the most critically acclaimed and popular British television series for more than a decade. In February 2015, the new season will make its U.S. debut EXCLUSIVELY on Acorn TV, the premier British TV streaming service in North America from RLJ Entertainment (Nasdaq:RLJE). Michael Kitchen returns in his universally beloved role as Christopher Foyle, a Senior Intelligence Officer for the secret service, MI5, ably assisted by Sam Wainwright (Honeysuckle Weeks). Two-time Emmy®-nominee John Mahoney (Frasier) guest stars in the first episode. Foyle's War is created and written by renowned novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz OBE, who wrote the new Sherlock Holmes novel, Moriarty, and is currently writing a new James Bond novel. Inspired by real events in the early Cold War, the three new feature-length mysteries in Season 8 (known as Series 9 in the U.K.) will be added on Monday, February 2nd, Monday, February 9th, and Monday, February 16th. After February 16th, all eight seasons will be available on Acorn TV to watch anytime.
Miguel Penella, Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Entertainment, Inc., said, "Foyle's War continues to be one of the best written and acted series in all of television, and Anthony Horowitz's thrilling new episodes, with Michael Kitchen's Emmy-worthy portrayal of Foyle, build on that tradition." Penella added, "Following the success of Acorn TV's exclusive premiere of Agatha Christie's Poirot's finale, we are excited to offer another hugely popular British series to our rapidly growing fan base of British mystery and drama."
As with previous episodes, the three new mysteries—High Castle, Trespass, and Elise—are inspired by real events. They explore the world of the American and German businesses that were accused of fuelling Hitler's War Machine, the tangled history of the creation of the state of Israel in British Palestine, and a shocking scandal within the Special Operations Executive.
RLJ Entertainment's Acorn brand will also release Season 8/Series 9 as Set 8 on DVD and Blu-ray, and syndicate the episodes to public television stations nationwide in May 2015. The UK broadcaster, ITV, has not announced the UK broadcast dates for the new season.
RLJ Entertainment acquired all rights to Foyle's War in November 2010. The three television movies in Season 8 are being produced for Acorn Productions and ITV by Eleventh Hour Films, the production company founded by executive producer Jill Green. Several actors from the previous season are returning including Daniel Weyman as Adam Wainwright, Ellie Haddington as Hilda Pierce, Tim McMullan as Valentine and Rupert Vansittart as Sir Alec Myerson. The new season is being produced by John Chapman (Cracker) with directors Stuart Orme (Jack Taylor) and Andy Hay (New Tricks).
Available at www.Acorn.TV, via the iTunes App store, and its popular Roku channel, Acorn TV 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. and Canadian audiences. Acorn TV features a growing catalog of mysteries, dramas, documentaries, and comedies for catch-up viewing and discovery of new series, with no set end dates. 2014 U.S. premieres included Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Series 2, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Curtain, Poirot's Last Case, BBC drama The Field of Blood, and new episodes from Jack Irish, Midsomer Murders,and George Gently, among many others. Acorn TV offers a free 30-day trial and thereafter is just $4.99/month or $49.99/year.
Called the "chief curators of the best Brit TV" by TIME magazine, RLJ Entertainment's Acorn brand holds exclusive North American distribution rights to many of the top British programs, which are available for broadcast television, digital streaming, and in lavishly packaged DVDs/Blu-rays. RLJ Entertainment also owns a majority share in Agatha Christie Ltd, which manages Agatha Christie's extensive literary works including characters Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and Miss Marple.
Full access to Acorn TV's current programs, including all previous episodes of Foyle's War (Sets/Seasons 1-7), are available to press upon request.
To add the Acorn TV channel on your Roku: https://owner.roku.com/add/acorntv
To download the iTunes App for iPhone and iPad: http://bit.ly/1o1dSqo
To watch Acorn TV via computers: www.Acorn.TV
Consumers have a 30-day free trial as well.
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: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 via its owned and distributed brands such as Acorn (British TV), Image (feature films, stand-up comedy), UMC (urban), 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.
Via its relationship with Agatha Christie Limited, a company that RLJE owns 64% of, RLJE 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 also owns all rights to the hit UK mystery series Foyle's War.
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, Acacia TV, and UMC, 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.