-- MORE MASTERPIECE COMING TO PBS IN 2015
20 Additional Hours of MASTERPIECE To Air Including Wolf Hall and Grantchester
Viking River Cruises is Exclusive Corporate Sponsor
[Boston, MA November 3, 2014] MASTERPIECE and PBS today announced exciting news for fans of British drama: more hours of MASTERPIECE are coming to PBS stations nationwide. In 2015, viewers can continue to tune in to the series during its longstanding Sunday at 9pm time slot, and also enjoy at least 20 additional hours of new programming with some shows at 8pm, others at 10pm throughout the year.
Guaranteed to satisfy the US audience's ever-increasing appetite for great British drama, MASTERPIECE's expanded schedule is funded by an exclusive corporate sponsorship with Viking River Cruises. Viking has been a sponsor of the series at 9pm on Sunday evenings since 2011.
The generosity and vision of all our funders creates the potential for a fantastic 50 percent increase in the number of new hours in 2015, said executive producer Rebecca Eaton. This is truly a golden age of British drama and we're very proud of this affirmation of the MASTERPIECE brand.
MASTERPIECE, which is produced by WGBH/Boston and has aired on PBS since 1971, has seen a surge in popularity in recent years. The audience for the 2014 season is up over 100 percent from 2010, and according to a 2014 public television survey, over 70 percent of members cited MASTERPIECE as their favorite show.
PBS and MASTERPIECE are at the forefront of a global resurgence of quality drama, said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. MASTERPIECE has been the place for quality costume drama and intriguing mysteries for more than 40 years, so we are glad to bring viewers more of what they love to our schedule.
Our partnership with MASTERPIECE is successful in large part because of the similarities between our audiences. Many of our guests are MASTERPIECE viewers, and we often hear that they discovered the Viking way of travel from watching MASTERPIECE, said Richard Marnell, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Viking River Cruises. Our guests and MASTERPIECE viewers enrich their lives through history, culture and exploration, so we are proud to offer them additional opportunities to do so through an expanded partnership.
The enlarged MASTERPIECE footprint kicks off with Grantchester, a six-part mystery premiering Sunday, January 18, at 10pm, following new episodes of Downton Abbey. Already a hit in the UK, Grantchester stars James Norton (Happy Valley) as a charismatic young clergyman and Robson Green (Wire in the Blood) as a down-to-earth cop who team up to fight crime in the beautiful hamlet of Grantchester in 1953. Based on the acclaimed mystery novels by James Runcie, the young vicar is styled after Runcie's late father, who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1980s.
On April 5, three-time Tony Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night) and Emmy Award-winner Damian Lewis (Homeland) star as Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII in Wolf Hall, a highly anticipated adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. The six-part series charts the shrewd and brilliant rise of Cromwell in the Tudor court from a blacksmiths son to Henry VIIIs closest advisor.
Other MASTERPIECE programming scheduled for 2015 includes: The Manners of Downton Abbey, a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Edwardian manners with Alastair Bruce, historical advisor to Downton Abbey; a third series of the popular Mr. Selfridge starring Jeremy Piven; a stunning new adaptation of the 1970s blockbuster Poldark, starring Aidan Turner (The Hobbit, Being Human); and the sumptuous drama Indian Summers, set in the waning years of British colonial rule in 1930s India. Funding for these programs is provided by Ralph Lauren Corporation and Viking River Cruises.
Grantchester is a Lovely Day and MASTERPIECE co-Production for ITV. Diederick Santer is executive producer. Wolf Hall is a Company Pictures and Playground co-production for BBC Two and MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide. Colin Callender is executive producer. Mr. Selfridge is a co-production of ITV Studios and MASTERPIECE, based on Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge by Lindy Woodhead. The Manners of Downton Abbey is a Carnival Films, Chocolate Media, and Masterpiece Co-Production. Downton Abbey, Season 5 is a Carnival Films/Masterpiece Co-Production. Indian Summers is a Channel 4 and Masterpiece co-production.
Additional funding for the expanded MASTERPIECE schedule is provided by PBS and WGBH.
About MASTERPIECE
MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is Executive Producer for MASTERPIECE. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking River Cruises and Ralph Lauren Corporation with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust, created to help ensure the series' future. Exclusive corporate funding for Grantchester and Wolf Hall is provided by Viking River Cruises. More information about MASTERPIECE, including limited online streaming beginning the day after broadcast, at pbs.org/masterpiece. Follow MASTERPIECE on Twitter and Facebook.
About PBS
PBS, with its over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 109 million people through television and over 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre
