Channel 5 Rebrands as 'Madame Blanc Mysteries' Readies Return

One of the most challenging parts of the rise of streaming for already established broadcast channels was ensuring viewers could identify the streaming service from the linear network — or in the case of most U.K. channels, the multiple networks already fighting for cohesion under a single moniker. Not everyone has rolled out an easy-to-identify service like Disney+, like HBO Max, which was rebranded to Max two years ago. These brand refreshes (as one might term them) usually arrive when a hit show arrives, so it gets the most attention, which is exactly what Channel 5 is doing for its refresh to just "5" and The Madame Blanc Mysteries.

A pandemic-era sleeper hit when it first debuted, Madame Blanc, so named because its English lead character, Jean White, gets called that after moving to France to collect antiques and solve crimes, is what one might term a "blue sky" series. It's lightweight cozy crime, set in the sun-drenched southern coast of France, worth watching as much to ooh over the antiques and the on-location filming areas as to find out whodunit. The show is popular on Acorn TV, but not to the level of Harry Wild or My Life is Murder, but it is a significant ratings draw for 5, which aired a Christmas special in 2024 (Acorn TV did not carry it) and will debut the new season before it comes to the States.

Channel 5's streaming service, formerly called "My5," has been a success story in the U.K., and a beneficiary of the collapse of parent company Paramount. As Paramount+ scales back into oblivion, Channel 5 has benefitted, picking up several homeless shows left for dead when Paramount pulled the plug on its ambitious international slate in early 2024, including Flatshare, The Castaways, and The Serial Killer's Wife. And that's not counting its homegrown hits like All Creatures Great & Small and Peppa Pig, or the deal announced today that 5 will air Masterpiece's The Forsytes (formerly The Forsyte Saga), which will apparently cross the pond in 2026.  The new rebrand comes with a new influx of titles to the service, as both 5 (the streaming service) and 5 (the broadcast network) will carry all the same programming and share a name.

Here's the Madame Blanc Season 4 logline from producer Clapperboard:

Season 4 returns to the wonderful world of Sainte Victoire, packed with unusual antiques and objéts d’art, murder, mystery, sunshine, and laughter. Jean White is navigating a fledgling romance with her sidekick, Dom Hayes. Get ready for a brand-new season packed with sun-drenched murder mysteries, a budding romance, and… two 75-year-old hotties on jet skis!

As always, series creator Sally Lindsay stars Jean White, and co-writer Sue Vincent (Shameless) returns as her BFF, mechanic Gloria Beaushaw. Steve Edge (Murder They Hope) co-stars as Jean's sidekick/love interest, Dom Hayes. 

Robin Askwith (Strike) and Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses) return as Jeremy and Judith Lloyd James (the 75-year-old hotties we assume we'll see on jet skis) and Alex Gaumond (Derry Girls) is back as Chief of Police André Caron. Tony Robinson (Black Adder), Paul Chuckle (Elliott), and Stephen Bailey (Would I Lie to You?) round out the ensemble. Guest stars for Season 4 include Danny Hatchard (Ridley Road), Graeme Hawley (Ridley), Edward MacLiam (Endeavour), Samantha Power (Ackley Bridge), Charlie Condou (Unforgotten), Lorraine Burroughs (Sweetpea) and Richard Blackwood (Typical).

As always, Lindsay and Vincent co-wrote all seven episodes, with director Dermot Boyd helming all installments, which Jake Rollins produced. Lindsay and Caroline Roberts-Cherry serve as executive producers for Saffron Cherry, with Mike Benson and Andy Morgan for Clapperboard.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Season 4 debuts on 5 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in the U.K. It is expected to follow on Acorn TV before summer.