Upcoming Things of Interest

A familiar British face will be the leading man in an upcoming American drama this summer. Miranda star Tom Ellis is taking on the lead role in USA Network’s new series Rush, playing a once-successful ER doctor whose addiction to pills and other drugs leads him to set up his own shingle as a professional “fixer” who handles awkward cases and procures off-the-record medial goods for L.A’s elite.

Ellis is probably best known to British television fans for his role as Miranda Hart’s dishy love interest on her sitcom Miranda, but he’s also had roles on EastEnders and appeared for a short time on US series Once Upon a Time as the drama’s original Robin Hood. He’ll be playing main character William Rush who, on the surface, sounds more than a bit like a male (and medically focused) version of Scandal’s Olivia Pope.

Attention British mystery fans! ITV has released the official trailer for the critically acclaimed four season of Vera, which is set to premiere later this month in the UK and (hopefully) very soon thereafter in the US!

Based on author Ann Cleeves’ series of popular novels, the drama follows the obsessive and driven Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope as she tries to crack some of the toughest cases in Northumberland alongside her trusted right-hand man and surrogate son Joe Ashworth. Stars Brenda Blethyn and David Leon are both back as the series’ leads.

Series 4 will be comprised of four stand-alone episodes, though titles for the full set have not yet been announced. In the opening episode, called On Harbour Street, Vera investigates the mysterious death of pensioner Margaret Kraszewski, who is found stabbed on a busy Newcastle train at the height of rush hour.

Good news for fans of former Doctor Who star David Tennant! The Tenth Doctor’s recent BBC mini-series The Escape Artist is finally coming to America and will premiere on PBS stations nationwide beginning Sunday, June 15 as part of the new season of Masterpiece Mystery.

Created and written by David Wolstencroft, the three-part drama originally aired in the UK last Fall. It stars Tennant alongside a great cast that includes Sophie Okonedo, Tony Kebbell and Ashley Jensen. It follows the story of talented barrister (that’s British for lawyer) Will Burton, who is known for never losing a case and for his ability to get obvious criminals out of tight legal corners. (That’s why he’s called “The Escape Artist”, after all!)

But when Burton agrees to defend a notorious murder suspect and manages to get him off on a technicality, the decision comes back to haunt him. Dun dun dunnnn!

Believe or not, the twenty-first series of modern classic automotive show, Top Gear, is airing this month. (It started this week in the UK and will make its way Stateside beginning February 10 on BBC America. And, yes,Top Gear is really that old.)

According to the 2013 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records,the series is “the most widely watched factual TV programme”; however; the Top Gear of today is a far cry from its regional motoring magazine beginnings. Did you know, for example, that the show originally began in 1977? And that it used to look quite a bit different from it current incarnation?

In fact, you might be surprised by just how much has changed

Read on for a bit of a history lesson - and a look at some of the show's best moments!

Happy New Year, Telly Visions readers! From our family here to yours – we hope you all have a wonderful 2014: a year full of love and laughter and, of course, as much great British television as you can possibly cram in to 365 days.

Luckily, there’s apparently going to be quite a bit in the way of quality options to pick from in the next twelve months. We take a look at a few of the most exciting options below.

The BBC has released the first trailer for upcoming drama adventure The Musketeers, a ten-part drama series that attempts to capture the epic feel of Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel.

The adaptation stars several familiar British faces in the lead roles and looks like it’s going to be well worth our time next year. Skins star Luke Pasqualino (who played fan favorite Freddie) leads the cast as D’Artagnan, and is joined by Merlin’s Santiago Cabrera as Aramis, The Hour’s Tom Burke as Athos and theater actor Howard Charles as Porthos. And, in what’s probably the most intriguing bit of casting – Doctor Who’s brand new Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi will be playing the villainous Cardinal Richelieu. How fun is that going to be.

Get more details and watch the first trailer for this new series below.

Britain’s National Theatre celebrates its 50th anniversary this year – much like several other well-known British institutions, including the Rolling Stones and, of course, Doctor Who. For those that don’t know, the NT is one of the UK’s two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company. It presents a varied program, staging everything from Shakespeare and international classic dramas to new and modern works by contemporary playwrights.

Many of the British actors we all love have done stints at the NT, performing a wide variety of roles in various productions. And by many, we really mean pretty much everyone ever who works in British entertainment. Familiar faces like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren and many, many more are all alumni of the National Theatre and clearly remain very fond of it.

Earlier this Fall, the BBC held an all-star gala event in honor of the 50th birthday of this cultural institution and the stars turned out in force to celebrate. The program was basically a dream for anyone who loves theater or has been any sort of fan of British television or film over the past couple of decades and we all were basically green with envy that we had to miss out on seeing this once-in-a-lifetime line-up for ourselves. Well, we can all turn a little less green – because the special is going to be aired in America.

Read on for more.

Mr. Stink, a feature-length drama adapted from the popular children’s novel written by David Walliams, will premiere this December as part of PBS’s special line-up of holiday programming.

Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville stars as the titular Mr. Stink - a role that seems quite a bit removed from the uber-posh Lord Robert Grantham. A particularly odiferous homeless man with more than a few secrets of his own, Mr. Stink is befriended by a lonely twelve-year-old girl named Chloe, who lets him stay in her garden shed. Sheridan Smith, Isabella Blake-Thomas and Johnny Vegas also star in this heartwarming holiday tale.

Watch the first trailer from PBS below to get a better feel for the show. It looks wonderfully ridiculous.

The new trailer for the new three-part series Death Comes to Pemberley has arrived, and it’s well stocked with familiar faces, lavish costumes, beautiful scenery and, well, murder. That last bit is taking us a bit far afield from the world of author Jane Austen, it’s true, but, here we are.

The new adaptation is based on the 2011 P.D. James novel of the same name, which picks up the story of famous Austen couple Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy six years into their marriage and combines a look at their life together with a murder mystery.

It’s official: The first season of gay sitcom Vicious –starring acting legends Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi – will be making its American debut next year. According to Deadline, Shine International has closed a deal with PBS to bring the comedy to local stations nationwide in 2014.

The comedy, which follows the adventures of an elderly gay couple who have been living together in the same Covent Garden flat for nearly fifty years. An incredibly co-dependent duo, they spend most of their time bickering and walking the dog, but the couple finds their lives turned upside down with the arrival of their new young upstairs neighbor. Harry Potter’s Frances de la Tour and Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon also star.

Vicious bowed in the UK to mixed reviews but strong ratings, premiering as the highest-rated comedy launch of any UK channel in 2013 at the time of its airing. It went on to average around 3.4 million viewers an episode, which isn’t exactly Downton Abbey numbers, but is certainly nothing to sniff at either.

Watch the UK trailer below.