AMC Networks’ Acorn TV and ZDF are excited to announce the commissioning of UK drama The Chelsea Detective.
Created by Peter Fincham, the 4 x 90-minute series stars Adrian Scarborough (Gavin & Stacey, Killing Eve) as Detective Inspector Max Arnold, who lives on a battered houseboat at the end of Cheyne Walk. Max is the son of a local bookshop owner and was born and bred in Chelsea, but he’s a far cry from the affluent elite whose crimes he’ll help solve. Recently separated from his art dealer wife Astrid (Anamaria Marinca – 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days; Sex Traffic) Max still hopes one day to move back into their apartment in nearby Cadogan Square.
Each episode sees Max and Streatham-born D.C. Priya Shamsie played by Sonita Henry (Luther, Krypton) investigate a wide range of crimes. Storylines in the first series feature a stonemasons’ workshop at Brompton Cemetery; a fashionable school for international students; a family-owned Italian restaurant which is on the brink of expansion; and a local garden center linked to the unsavory past of Chelsea FC football hooliganism.
The feature-length episodes are written by Glen Laker (Vera, Prime Suspect), Peter Fincham, and Liz Lake (Riviera; Call the Midwife). Production will begin in April 2021.
Acorn TV will feature its world premiere in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, among others in 2022. BBC Studios is distributing the series internationally.
Catherine Mackin, Managing Director, Acorn Media Enterprises, noted: “We’re thrilled to work with ZDF, Expectation, and BBC Studios on this riveting UK mystery series set in and around picturesque Chelsea as we follow this fascinating detective both on the clock during his investigations and at home on his houseboat. Acorn TV is thrilled to have Adrian Scarborough in the lead role and we’re confident that our subscribers worldwide will be captivated by this charismatic drama.”
ZDF, Dr. Simone Emmelius, SVP International Fiction Coproduction, and Acquisition said: “As a first outcome of our joint development activities with BBC Studios, The Chelsea Detective coincidently is our first co-production with Acorn, too. This promising show perfectly expands our portfolio of high-quality international crime series, and I´m confident, it will find an enthusiastic audience in Germany.”
Peter Fincham, executive producer, commented: “Working with Acorn, ZDF, and BBC Studios to realize the vision for the series has been truly exciting. Chelsea is the perfect precinct for a long-running crime series – it’s known for its wealth and history, but there’s so much more to it than that. Our brilliant cast will be taking the viewers to unexpected places and meeting some unlikely characters.”
The series producer is Ella Kelly (Death in Paradise; Midsomer Murders). The directors are Richard Signy (Death in Paradise; Silent Witness) and Darcia Martin (Call the Midwife; Judge John Deed).
AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is the leading streaming service specializing in British and international television with subscribers worldwide in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Spain, Portugal, among other areas. Acorn TV adds exclusive new programs every week to a deep library of mysteries, dramas, and comedies with no commercials.
In 2021, Acorn TV will feature commissioned original series including British crime drama Whitstable Pearl starring Kerry Godliman (After Life), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines, British detective drama Dalgleish starring Bertie Carvel, the second season of Miss Fisher spinoff Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, as well as Irish crime thriller Bloodlands starring James Nesbitt and co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio, the return of Australian detective series My Life Is Murder starring Lucy Lawless, and a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas that include A Place to Call Home, Detectorists, Jack Irish and Foyle’s War. Recent Acorn TV Original series include Deadwater Fell starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, highly-rated BBC One drama The Nest starring Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle; and groundbreaking BBC One period drama A Suitable Boy from Mira Nair. Website: Acorn.TV
