– New Murder Mystery to Join Sunday Night Drama Lineup on PBS –
PASADENA, CA; JANUARY 14, 2013 -- THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE, a three-part murder mystery series, will premiere Sundays, April 21-May 5, 2013, 10:00-11:00 p.m. on PBS. A production of World Productions (United, “Line of Duty”) and distributed worldwide by Content Television, the series aired in the UK in September 2012 on ITV to critical acclaim. The show will top off an evening of destination drama on Sunday nights on PBS, beginning with CALL THE MIDWIFE, Season 2, at 8:00 p.m. and MASTERPIECE CLASSIC “Mr. Selfridge” at 9:00 p.m.
THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE follows Susan, Millie, Lucy and Jean, ordinary women with extraordinary ability to break codes, a skill honed during World War II when they worked undercover at Bletchley Park, site of the United Kingdom’s main decryption establishment. Now, in 1952, the four have returned to civilian life, keeping their intelligence work secret from all, including family and friends. A series of ghastly murders targeting women, however, reunites the team as they set out to decode the pattern behind the crimes.
Two-time BAFTA award-winner Anna Maxwell Martin (“South Riding,” “Bleak House”) stars as Susan, now a housewife with two children, who has collected data on a series of murders and tried, unsuccessfully, to convince the police that another is imminent. Rachael Stirling (“Women in Love,” “Boy Meets Girl”) is Millie, the feistiest of the bunch, conversant in 14 languages, worldly and street smart. RADA graduate Sophie Rundle plays Lucy, a young woman equipped with a photographic memory. Julie Graham (“Lapland,” “Doc Martin”), oldest of the four, is the former head of the Bletchley Park unit.
Initially unaware of the Bletchley background, the police don’t take Susan’s theory about the crimes seriously. She quickly realizes she can crack the murders and bring the culprit to justice only with the help of her former colleagues. “He’s making a pattern and he doesn’t realize he’s doing it,” Susan tells her friends. “If we can crack it, we’ll be able to see what his next move will be. Just like knowing where the German army will be in three days’ time. We can get ahead of him and stop him before he kills again.”
“THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE combines a vivid portrait of post-war Britain with a taut and original code-breaking mystery that is equal parts thriller and whodunit,” said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. “We think American audiences are going to love the story and the characters. The production is exceptionally vivid, capturing London of the 1950s fully. In addition, the journey home for these women, from war intelligence to 1950s domesticity, is highly complicated, further emphasizing the importance of their bond and friendship.”
“THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE is a dramatic celebration of a remarkable generation of British women. Together these formidable code-breakers find a new way to crack a serial murder case using their unused potential and extraordinary skills,” said Jake Lushington, Producer, World Productions.
Distributed worldwide by Content Television and produced by Jake Lushington (“The Devil’s Whore,” “Mysterious Creatures”), THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE was created and written by Guy Burt (“Kingdom,” “The Borgias”). Simon Heath (“Hancock and Joan,” “Party Animals”) is the executive producer. Andy De Emmony (“Cutting It,” “Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!”) directed the series.
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– PBS –
CONTACTS: Press: Izzy Forman, Alyssa Winters, Brittany Hershkowitz, DKC Public Relations, 212-685-4300; bletchleycircle@dkcnews.com
PBS Stations: Jessie Yuhaniak and Lara Davidson, PBS, 703-739-5000
For images and additional up-to-date information on this and other PBS programs, visit PBS PressRoom at pbs.org/pressroom.
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