Acorn TV February highlights

Acorn TV announces the perfect TV lineup to fill the freezing February days with hours of viewing pleasure.

This month brings mysteries in many forms… Acorn TV heads to West London for the premiere of The Chelsea Detective, a brand-new Acorn TV original crime drama starring Adrian Scarborough as the wry and witty detective who must investigate a spate of murders in the beautiful borough with a dark underbelly. Another brilliant detective, the critically acclaimed Dalgliesh starring Bertie Carvel as the eponymous lead, arrives for its streaming exclusive.

There’s Canadian crime with Cardinal Series 1 and more from the trés bien French detective Candice Renoir and, not to mention the arrival of Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries Series 3.

On the subject of vineyards, the streaming offering has more of the wine-based travelogue as The Wine Show continues with Series 2 and 3, James Purefoy is joined by Dominic West and many more famous faces on his grape adventures. There are kitchen nightmares aplenty in Australian comedy-drama Aftertaste starring Erik Thomson and Rachel Griffiths and there’s drama too with The A Word Series 2 and more The Good Karma Hospital.

Highlights

Monday, 7th February 2022

THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE

One episode per week on subsequent Mondays. The complete Box set and bonus features available from 28th February.

Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, Gavin & Stacey, The King’s Speech, 1917) takes the lead in this brand-new Acorn TV Original drama created and co-written by Peter Fincham. This four-part series makes its UK TV debut exclusively on Acorn TV.

Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Scarborough) lives on a houseboat on the Thames, in Chelsea, after separating from his art dealer wife Astrid (Anamaria Marinca – 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days; Sex Traffic), just yards from some of the most valuable real estate in Europe. The beautiful borough is full of beautiful people, but it has a dark underside of deprivation, violence, greed – and murder. Bodies have a way of showing up, and things are rarely what they seem, but Max’s determination and acuity mean he’ll find a way to root out the truth and bring those responsible to justice – regardless of their wealth or status.

DC Arnold and his trusty colleague Streatham-born D.C. Priya Shamsie, played by Sonita Henry (Luther, Krypton), investigate a slew of enthralling cases from the strange to the complex, including the death of a lonely stonemason on the London Underground which , at first, seems like a real life haunting to Max. Might a more down-to-earth explanation be found as they uncover the truth about his life?

Monday, 14th February 2022

DALGLIESH

“Classy with grit and emotional heft… a compelling watch” ★★★★ –TV Times

Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) plays the eponymous lead in this critically acclaimed detective drama based on the bestselling Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries novels by renowned author P.D. James. The enigmatic detective and poet take on extraordinary murder cases in the gripping six-part series which will be available to stream exclusively on Acorn TV.

It’s 1970s England, and Dalgliesh is brought in to investigate a series of strange mysteries including a student nurse poisoned during training, a homeless man and a retired Tory politician found dead with their throats slashed in a London church and a very suspicious death at a care home. Also starring Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), Natasha Little (War of the Worlds) and Mirren Mack (Sex Education).

Monday, 14th February 2022

AFTERTASTE

“A sharp satire [that’s] smart, dynamic and laugh-out-loud funny” ★★★★ –The Guardian

Erik Thomson (The Luminaries, 800 Words) plays the internationally renowned, volatile celebrity chef Easton West who has a spectacular fall from grace and returns to his hometown in the Adelaide Hills, Australia, in this comedy drama. He endeavours to rebuild his career and restore his reputation with the help of his talented, young, pastry-chef niece Diana (Natalie Abbott). Starring Rachel Griffiths (Total Control, Brothers & Sisters), and Wayne Blair (Mystery Road).

Monday, 21st February 2022

THE A WORD – SERIES 2

“Peter Bowker’s deft writing, is all about the complexities of family life — the shared jokes and the sacrifices, the deep love, deep breaths and held tongues” ★★★★ – Telegraph

“Originally revolving around young Joe and his autism, has broadened into a warm, earthy, almost soapy study of family life” – The Guardian

When Joe says the “A word” for the first time, his parents Paul (Lee Ingleby – Inspector George Gently) and Alison (Morven Christie, The Bay) know they must talk to him about his autism; Maurice (Christopher Eccleston, Doctor Who) is catapulted back into Louise’s (Pooky Quesnel, Doctors) life and Eddie (Greg McHugh, Fresh Meat) and Nicola (Molly Wright, Our Girl) have a secret to keep. Life for Joe’s family turns upside down as he starts at a specialist school in Manchester which puts a strain on Alison and Paul. Rebecca halts her plans with James and Louise

Monday, 21st February 2022

MARTHA’S VINEYARD MYSTERIES

Forced into early retirement, former detective Jeff Jackson (Jesse Metcalf, Desperate Housewives) returns to a quiet life on Martha’s Vineyard. When a body washes ashore near the docks, Jeff finds himself drawn into the investigation – and drawn back into the orbit of old flame Dr. Zee Madieras (Sarah Lind, Cold Blood).

The two soon become formidable partners in crime solving. The first two episodes are available now on Acorn TV and the third feature length mystery Ships in the Night arrives this month. When a robbery at an art gallery that leads to the death of the contemptible venue manager, Jeff Jackson and Dr. Zee Madeiras are brought in to catch the killer.

Monday, 28th February 2022

THE WINE SHOW – COMPLETE 1 – 3 BOX SET

“An Ideal food-and-travel TV adventure — and a welcome escape…this is vineyard-based exploration that leaves a delightful aftertaste” – IndieWire

“An utter delight” – Vulture

The Wine Show series one is available now on Acorn and the second and third series arrive this month for tasty triple of our favourite tipple. The series takes us on a wonderful escapade to the world’s best wine regions, with famous faces galore.

The second series of the ‘delightful travelogue’ (Entertainment Weekly) takes us to the glorious South of France. Host Matthew Goode (The Imitation Game) is joined by James Purefoy (Rome, The Following) in a beautiful new villa in France. Together they are tasked with putting together a case of wine to match a six-course lunch made by Michelin starred French chef Stéphane Reynaud. Series 3 sees Dominic West joins James Purefoy to taste wines at the beautiful headquarters in the Douro Valley of Portugal; Matthew Goode and James learn about the Portuguese Age of Discoveries; Matthew Rhys explores New York with Joe Fattorini and new star sommelier Charlotte Wilde takes us to the Azores to discover the origins of sparkling wine.

Monday, 28th February 2022

CANDICE RENOIR – SERIES 3 (1 – 3 Box set available)

“Crime drama with a difference… Candice Renoir stands out from the crowd” – Drama Quarterly

The award-winning, much-loved French police drama returns for series three, following Officer Commandant Candice Renoir played with elan by Cécile Bois, who juggles being a single mother of four with her job as a leading police detective.

Candice takes a rare few days off to move into a beautiful new beachfront house… but it’s far from relaxing. When Victor Alonso is murdered, she jumps at the chance to return to work to get a brief respite from unpacking and arguing with children. It’s all systems go as she embarks on the new investigation with her now much smaller team of just Chrystelle and Mehdi, after Antoine is transferred to the Montpellier force.