Acorn Media Starts off 2010 With DVD Releases With Judi Dench, Life on Mars creators, Evelyn Waugh & More

British TV on DVD specialist Acorn Media starts off 2010 with several highly-entertaining, star-studded DVDs available now for review/feature consideration, including The Evelyn Waugh Collection with Kristin Scott Thomas in her breakthrough role and Judi Dench in a BAFTA-winning role. DVD debuts of G.B.H., an award-winning British political miniseries starring Michael Palin; Bonekickers, a new BBC action-adventure series from the creators of Life on Mars; Callan, Set 2 featuring the late Edward Woodward in his first major television role; as well as the first 2010 release for our new Best Documentaries on DVD label Athena, with Military Channel favorite Hitler's Bodyguard, a fascinating 13-part documentary on how Hitler survived more than 40 assassination attempts.

Additionally, Acorn Media is releasing three complete stories of bravery and betrayal set during Britain's finest hour in the Wartime Britain collection (The Heat of the Day, Housewife 49 and Island at War); a collector's set of Acorn's bestselling series, Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook, and new episodes never before seen in the U.S. with Midsomer Murders, Set 14; the first three years of hit PBS comedy The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years (1991-1993); Welsh cop drama A Mind to Kill (U.S. Debut); Martin Klunes in Doc Martin, Series 3; Richard Griffiths in Pie in the Sky, Series 2; more contemporary episodes from the world's longest continually running police drama with Taggart, Set 2; and an intimate tour of Italy with Brava Italia.

Acorn Media/Athena DVD Release Calendar

January 5
Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook (Sets 4, 6-8) - Collector's set of Acorn Media's top selling series includes 17 feature-length, stand-alone mysteries plus two bonus discs. Continually reaching new heights of popularity, Midsomer Murders counts Johnny Depp and even the Queen among its ardent fans. The series combines quirky characters and surprising mysteries with postcard-perfect English village settings and the ever-charming John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby. (19-discs, $159.99)

Brava Italia - An intimate tour and celebration of the Italian way of life from the producers of the popular Visions travel series and narrated by actor Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas). Featuring spectacular high-definition cinematography, evocative regional soundtrack, and insightful interviews with Francis Ford Coppola among others, this beautiful three-part series captures a country rich in pride, rituals, family, history and food. ($29.99)

January 26
Bonekickers (DVD Debut) - From the multi-award-winning team behind Life on Mars. Past and present collide in this 2008 BBC action-adventure series following a motley team of archaeologists. Starring Julie Graham, Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Lester (Primary Colors, Hustle), and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Doctor Who, Broadway's "Hamlet" with Jude Law). The Times (UK) calls the series, "a bit of Doctor Who fantasy, hints of a Da Vinci Code riddle, and even elements of CSI" ($39.99, 6 episodes)

Callan Set 2 (Home Video Debut) - In his first major television role, the late Edward Woodward (The Equalizer) stars as a brooding, conscience-stricken assassin for a shadowy British intelligence service during the Cold War. Akin to Smiley's People and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this highly praised British series brings a distinctly adult sensibility to the espionage thriller. BAFTA-winning performance for Woodard. Set 2 features the concluding episodes of the classic British spy series. (13 Episodes, $59.99)

Pie in the Sky Series 2 - More adventures from the much-loved, culinary cop series. Featuring equal amounts police work and culinary adventure, Richard Griffiths (Tony®-winner The History Boys, Equus, Harry Potter films) stars as cop-cum-chef Henry Crabbe with Maggie Steed (Shine on Harvey Moon) as his non-foodie and long-suffering wife. The Times (UK) said, "As much a pleasure for culinary enthusiasts as it is for crime fans" (10 episodes, $49.99).

The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years (Seasons 1991-1993, DVD Debut) - First three years of hit PBS comedy series. Going back to where the madness all began. Red and the gang are in their youth prime early middle age and full of half-baked ideas, crazy contraptions, and unintended consequences. Armed with power tools, off-kilter advice, and preposterous inventions, Red Green and his pals from Possum Lodge amassed a giant fan base during the show's 15-year run. Red Green notes,"Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone." "Remember, this fix is only temporary, unless it works." "Some men look at a problem like this and try to find a solution. I prefer to figure out whose fault it is and let them take care of it." (72 episodes, $99.99).

February 2
Hitler's Bodyguard (ATHENA, DVD Debut) - How did history's most evil tyrant survive more than 40 assassination attempts? This fascinating WWII documentary, seen on Discovery's Military Channel, reveals the secrets of the elite bodyguards who swore loyalty oaths to the Führer himself. From the producers of Churchill's Bodyguard and The Century of Warfare (13 episodes, $79.99)

The Evelyn Waugh Collection - Star-studded collection dramatizing two of Evelyn Waugh's darkly humorous novels. With a keen eye for the absurd, Waugh (Brideshead Revisited) took unerring aim at the foibles of British society. This collection brings together faithful adaptations of two of his most brilliant-and biting-satires, Oscar®-nominated A Handful of Dust and Scoop. Casts include Kristin Scott Thomas in her breakthrough role, Alec Guinness, Rupert Graves, Stephen Fry, Michael Maloney, Anjelica Huston, and Judi Dench in a BAFTA-winning role. ($39.99)

"Everything about the novel has been perfectly realized...superlative...casting throughout is impeccable...
The film's delights are everywhere" -Los Angeles Times for A Handful of Dust
"Grade: A. Exceptionally well done...Shrewd, mean, and funny" -Entertainment Weekly for Scoop

A Mind to Kill (U.S. Debut) - Riveting Welsh cop drama features intricate plots, strongly drawn characters, and gritty authenticity with acclaimed actor Philip Madoc (The Last of the Mohicans, Doctor Who) as an old-school cop tackling disturbing modern crimes. Akin to Inspector Morse and Cracker, A Mind to Kill was nominated for five Welsh BAFTA awards, including best actor, and aired for five seasons in the U.K. in the mid 1990s. (6 episodes, $59.99)

Doc Martin, Series 3 (DVD Debut) - He's surly, tactless, self-centered, and uptight-but he's the only doctor in town.
Martin Clunes (Shakespeare in Love, Men Behaving Badly, Reggie Perrin) shines in this award-winning comic drama set amid eccentric townsfolk and spectacular scenery. Akin to Northern Exposure and House, Doc Martin is a huge hit in the U.K., with 9 million viewers and a fifth series commissioned, and airs on PBS stations across the U.S. (7 episodes, $39.99)

February 23
G.B.H. (DVD Debut) - Award-winning British political miniseries starring Michael Palin (Monty Python) and Robert Lindsay in a BAFTA-winning role. A timeless satire about power, corruption and madness during the turbulent Thatcher years. Nominated for nine BAFTA awards, including Best Drama Serial, the celebrated British satire follows the epic power struggle between an unassuming schoolteacher and a corrupt, ambitious politician. BAFTA-winning soundtrack by Elvis Costello and Richard Harvey. (7 episodes, $59.99)

Wartime Britain - Three stories of bravery and betrayal set during Britain's finest hour. The collection includes three complete dramas: the DVD debut of The Heat of the Day, Elizabeth Bowen's psychological drama of love and espionage; as well as BAFTA-winner Housewife, 49, Victoria Wood's moving glimpse into one woman's life on the home front; and Island at War, a thrilling miniseries about the trials & temptations of Channel Islanders during the German occupation - co-starring James Wilby (Gosford Park) and Philip Glenister (Life on Mars). To listen to NPR Weekend Edition Saturday's interview with Victoria Wood about Housewife, 49, please visit www.NPR.org. (5-disc, $69.99)

Midsomer Murders, Set 14 (DVD Debut) - Four contemporary, stand-alone British mysteries from Acorn's top-selling series. The feature-length mysteries in Set 14 have not aired in the U.S. and are available to U.S. audiences for the first time with their DVD release. Set 14 consists of the second half of series ten. ($49.99)

Taggart, Set 2 (DVD Debut) - Contemporary episodes from the world's longest continually running police drama. Episodes available to U.S. audiences for the first time. Smash hit series follows a team of Glasgow detectives taking on the city's worst crimes. With its deadpan humor, sordid setting, and "witty scripts rich with Glasgow patter" (The Guardian), this quintessentially Scottish series has won universal appeal. Stars Alex Norton (Patriot Games), John Michie (To Walk with Lions), Blythe Duff, and Colin McCredie. Set 2 includes the complete 20th season. (8 episodes, $59.99)

Coming up in March 2010
Poldark, Series 1 (DVD DEBUT); The Beiderbecke Connection; The Road from Coorain; The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Collection; Armchair Thriller, Set 2; Wish Me Luck, Series 1; Legacy: The Origins of Civilization (ATHENA); The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, Set 1; and The Story of Math (ATHENA).

Acorn Media/Athena 2009 DVDs and NPR segments:
On the Road with Charles Kuralt, Set 1 (Interview segments on Weekend Edition Saturday and Bob Edwards Weekend, and gift recommendation on Fresh Air with Terry Gross); Foyle's War: From Dunkirk to VE Day (Gift recommendation on Fresh Air with Terry Gross); Life on Mars UK Series 1 & 2 (Philip Glenister interview on Weekend Edition Saturday); and Playing Shakespeare (Athena, Reviews on All Things Considered and Fresh Air with Terry Gross). To listen to these segments, visit www.NPR.org