'Madame Blanc' Gets a Feature Length Special for Christmas

Since its debut in 2021, The Madame Blanc Mysteries production team tends to drop renewal announcements at the end of the summer, along with first images from filming the series' yearly holiday special. Like other highly popular British TV series, Madame Blanc has been awarded a "Festive Special" (as they're technically known in the U.K.) since its initial debut; Channel 5 has always treated the holiday-themed episode as an early season premiere for the wintertime series, much the same as the BBC does with Call the Midwife. However, it seems changes are afoot as the newly announced 2025 edition is bumper-sized... and does not arrive with a Season 5 to follow.

The announcement of The Madame Blanc Mysteries feature-length holiday episode is not surprising, considering that Call the Midwife transitioned to two-episode specials in 2024 and was rewarded handsomely in the ratings. (We should expect more holiday specials to start getting longer as the trend gets picked up across the British TV landscape.) But the lack of a Season 5 renewal is curious. There are several possible explanations, including that Channel 5 plans to release the announcement on a later date or a desire to make the specials completely separate from the regular season. 

If this had occurred last year, it wouldn't have been remarkable for the special to be announced separately from the season, as Acorn TV and Channel 5 had always released the holiday episodes in tandem in late December. However, Acorn TV only recently decided to go its own way in 2025, holding off airing it to create a Christmas-themed Season 4 premiere in July. With the new holiday special announced without a guaranteed season to follow, it seems Acorn may wind up airing two Christmas-themed Madame Blanc episodes for 2025, six months apart.

There's no synopsis for the special as yet, but Channel 5 did release a statement along with the behind-the-scenes images: 

Some extra special news this morning, as we can reveal that this Christmas we’ll be heading to Sainte Victoire for the first ever feature-length episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries. Jean White is back to what she does best – and let’s just say, she’s as excited as we are.

Sally Lindsey, who stars as Jean White, also had her own caption on Insta:

This year’s Christmas special has been a true labour of love from our lot. Sue and I wanted all the brilliant elements of what makes a Christmas film but it to remain very Madame Blanc. We are all thrilled with the results. Merry Christmas!

Lindsay (Cold Call) will once again lead the holiday special as the titular Jean White, aka "Madame Blanc," with Steve Edge (Murder They Hope) as her love interest/boyfriend, Dom Hayes, and Tony Robinson (Black Adder) as Dom’s Uncle Patrick. Co-writer Sue Vincent (Shameless) also returns as mechanic Gloria Beaushaw with Paul Chuckle (Elliott) as her dad, Trevor Beaushaw. The ensemble is rounded out by Robin Askwith (Strike) and Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses) as hoteliers Jeremy and Judith Lloyd James, and Alex Gaumond (Derry Girls) as Chief of Police André Caron. Guest stars for the special are expected to be revealed in due course.

As always, Lindsay and Vincent co-wrote the episode, with director Dermot Boyd helming, and Jake Rollins producing.  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 continues with new episodes every Monday through August 4, 2025, on Acorn TV. Whether the "Festive Special" will air on Acorn TV simultaneously with Channel 5 in December 2025 or be held until summer again remains to be seen. Season 5 is not yet confirmed to be greenlit. 

Seasons 1 through 3 are available to stream on Acorn TV. You can also watch Seasons 1 and 2 on select PBS Passports. As always, check your local streaming services.