KARIN PIRIE, Season 2 news

Great news! ITV has commissioned series 2 of Karen Pirie, starring Lauren Lyle and adapted by Emer Kenny. The second series is based on Val McDermid’s A Darker Domain, and produced by World Productions. In the second season, Karen reopens the investigation into the unsolved kidnap of a wealthy young heiress and her baby son back in 1985.

I loved Season One. Go, Val! So happy to see there will be a second series, and hopefully more!
 
Emer Kenny will return to write and executive produce the episodes along with Scottish writer Gillian Roger Park. Karen Pirie will premiere on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK. Season One is available on Britbox in the US, so probably Season 2 will air there, as well.

Filming will begin in Scotland in early 2024 and details of further casting and key production personnel will be advised in the coming months. Oh my. That's a long way off, but still....Of course, you can always read the novel by Val McDermid and the others in the series now.

GRANTCHESTER to return for Eighth Season!

Grantchester will return for an eighth season on MASTERPIECE PBS in the US and ITV in the UK.

Filming has started, with Robson Green returning as DI Geordie Keating and Tom Brittney as Reverend Will Davenport.

The eighth season of Grantchester will range from Speedway to spies, exploring the lives of invisible women and the very visible problems caused by Leonard’s new vocation which may, once again, find him battling the law.

Exploring faith, forgiveness, and redemption – this explosive series tests Will and Geordie to the limit.

Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts) returns as Bonnie, alongside Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs C, Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe and Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman.

Special guest actors for this series include Shaun Dingwall (Top Boy, Noughts & Crosses), Jeff Rawle (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Doc Martin) and Jemima Rooper (Gold Digger, The Girlfriend Experience).

Kudos Executive Producer Emma Kingsman-Lloyd says:
“We are delighted to be returning to our beloved Grantchester. It’s a testament to the fantastic creative work of our cast and crew that the audience want us back series after series.”

MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Susanne Simpson says:
“We are thrilled to bring MASTERPIECE viewers back to Grantchester for an eighth season. The talented ensemble cast and captivating storylines have made Grantchester one of our most beloved series. We can’t wait for fans to see it!”

Robson Green added:
“It’s so good to be back on Grantchester. A series that just gets better with age. Everyone involved is at the top of their game and this incredibly charming, likeable, dark and edgy show is an absolute privilege to be part of.”

Tom Brittney said:
“I’m absolutely chuffed that we’re going ahead with another series of Grantchester and that I get to continue playing a character I adore so much. To be part of a show as well loved as this one, that is now in its eighth series, is an absolute honour.”

Chloe Tucker said:
“We are delighted to be returning to Grantchester for an eighth series. With an incredibly talented cast and crew, and storylines that always deliver, Grantchester is a real treat for the audience.”

Adapted from The Grantchester Mysteries novels by James Runcie, the series was developed for television by Daisy Coulam. Writers this series include Richard Cookson (episode one), Helen Black (episode three), Anita Vettesse (episode four) and Richard Cookson and Karla Williams (episode five).

The series is directed by Rob Evans, Al Weaver (who makes his directing debut) and Martin Smith.

Georges Simenon's Maigret on BritBox

BritBox releases the first two of four Simenon episodes today with Rowan Atkinson as Maigret. Rowan Atkinson is, of course, known for his comedic character Mr Bean. In this production, Rowan plays the moody French detective and does a good job. As Jules Maigret, Atkinson’s principal asset is stillness. Playing the iconic 1950s French detective in ITV’s adaptation of the best-selling crime novels by Georges Simenon, the actor succeeds in conveying as many emotions when he is silent as lesser performers manage in an entire speech.

BritBox profiled comedic actor Rowan Atkinson in February before airing the exclusive U.S. premiere of his first dramatic role in the detective drama Maigret.

The subscription streaming service from BBC Worldwide and ITV looks back at some of Atkinson’s most popular roles. The service already streams “Blackadder,” and in February adds “Not the Nine O’Clock News” and “Canned Laughter.”

Atkinson gets serious today in “Maigret,” a new series based on author Georges Simenon’s iconic, pipe-smoking policeman who has become one of this century’s classic fictional sleuths.

From The Independent - Rowan Atkinson as Maigret:
The actor, who has also starred in such globally popular comedies as Johnny English and Blackadder, says: “The thing I thought I could do was Maigret’s thoughtfulness. It’s his ruminative and quite compassionate side, I suppose, which is interesting. Because he is definitely not an egotist, he is not a performer, he is not an eccentric, he is not a weirdo.

Read a great article about Maigret's Paris and Simenon at CrimeFictionLover
https://crimefictionlover.com/2017/02/maigrets-paris/

Maigret starring Rowan Atkinson

If you're lucky enough to get ITV1 (U.K.), you'll be able to watch the new Maigret starring Rowan Atkinson. This is, of course, Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret. There will be two Maigret specials in 2016, each 2 hours long. The first to air will be Maigret Sets a Trap (March 28).

Here are some great articles about the new productions. Be sure to scroll down to see the trailer.

Rowan Atkinson on Inspector Maigret, the artistic value of comedy, and playing an ordinary Man. (From the Independent) 

Inspecting Maigret: Rowan Atkinson puts on his thinking hat (from The Guardian)

Rowan Atkinson on ITV's Maigret: "I really wasn't sure I could do it."  (from The Guardian)

Hope these will migrate across the pond.

Christie News: 5 more Hercule Poirot films

Hat Tip to GM Maillet for this news. ITV has commissioned Five new Poirot films for production in 2012!

David Suchet will return to his role as Hercule Poirot, the fastidious and brilliant Belgian detective.

The films, based on the Agatha Christie Poirot novels and short stories yet to be filmed, have been commissioned from ITV Studios and Agatha Christie Ltd.

The Poirot films which will go into production during 2012 are:
Labours of Hercules; Dead Man's Folly; The Big Four; Elephants Can Remember; Curtain.