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Pine and Newton play former lovers in this watchable Le Carré-esque tale of personal and patriotic betrayals

Maybe a little unexpectedly, Amazon Studios have given us a very watchable and classily upscale espionage drama-thriller in the spirit of John le Carré. Danish film-maker Janus Metz Pedersen directs and Olen Steinhauer adapts his own much-admired spy novella, centred on two former lovers in the cloak and dagger business who meet for dinner in a chi-chi Californian restaurant. The story is in fact inspired by a BBC TV drama that had nothing to do with spies: The Song of Lunch starring Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman.

Henry Pelham (Chris Pine) is a CIA officer haunted by a disastrous event eight years earlier, when he was at the Vienna station: a plane hijacking ended in a hundred deaths because the terrorists were somehow able to anticipate the authorities’ counter-attack. And he is still...

AMC and UK’s Alibi have rounded out the the three leads of crime drama series Ragdoll, with Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Thalissa Teixeira joining previously announced Lucy Hale. The series, which begins production today in London, hails from Sid Gentle Films, the British production company behind Killing Eve. Toby MacDonald and Niall MacCormick will direct.

Ragdoll reunites Lloyd-Hughes with AMC Networks and Sid Gentle Films after he played Aaron Peel in season two of Killing Eve. The hit spy thriller originated on AMC Networks’ BBC America and has been also airing on sister network AMC.

Adapted for television by Freddy Syborn from the novel by Daniel Cole, the six-part Ragdoll is described as a modern-day Faustian thriller. It centers on the murder of six people whose bodies have been dismembered and sewn into...

Emma Thompson has seven Emmy nominations and one win. That single victory came for her guest appearance on “Ellen” in 1998, and now, 21 years later, she could win that same category again and be just the eighth person to do so.

Thompson, who missed on a bid for “King Lear,” is up in Best Comedy Guest Actress for her hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live.” No one has won this category more than twice. The seven two-time champs are Colleen Dewhurst, Tina Fey, Kathryn Joosten, Cloris Leachman, Jean Smart, Tracey Ullman and Betty White.

Should Thompson prevail, she’d join an even more exclusive club with Dewhurst, Smart and Ullman as the only people with a perfect 2-for-2 record in the category. Dewhurst won for “Murphy Brown” in 1989 and ’91; Smart for “Frasier” in 2000-01; and Ullman for “Love & War” in 1993 and “Ally McBeal” in 1999.

See Emma Thompson’s 15 greatest movies...

Initiative aimed at experienced professionals sends one participant to attend a showrunner programme in La.

London and La-based media consultancy MediaXchange has revealed details of the 2018 edition of its diversity scheme to support UK Bame (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) television workers.

Open to scriptwriters, creative and executive producers, writer-directors and broadcaster and production company executives, entrants must have substantial credits or experience at a management level.

A judging panel will select one participant who will be given the chance to attend MediaXchange’s week-long Showrunner TV Drama Exchange programme in Los Angeles, which will take place in spring 2018.

There, the participant will be able to network with Us showrunners and executives, gaining insight into how Us TV shows are developed, run and maintained.

Last year’s prize was won by Pier Wilkie [pictured], whose credits at the BBC include Don’t Take My Baby, The Song Of Lunch, Criminal Justice and Shakespeare Retold: A Midsummer Night’s Dream...

As the world mourns the death of British stage and screen star Alan Rickman, one of his closest friends and frequent collaborators is grappling with the loss. Emma Thompson, who appeared with Rickman in several films, including Love Actually, three Harry Potter films, Sense and Sensibility and 1998 crime thriller Judas Kiss said in a statement that saying goodbye to the 69-year-old Rickman was "painful." "Alan was my friend and so this is hard to write because I have just kissed him goodbye," Thompson, 56, wrote. "What I remember most in this moment of painful leave-taking is his humour, intelligence, wisdom and kindness.

Well if you hadn't really heard of Homeland prior to this weekend, you probably have by now. The Showtime series pulled off a major upset at the 64th Annual Emmy Awards last night, winning a large chunk of the major awards in the Drama category over favourites like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis both took home awards for Lead Actress and Actor in a Drama Series, while the show also broke Mad Men's four-year win streak for Outstanding Drama Series. Elsewhere, Aaron Paul won his second Emmy for his supporting performance as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus won Best Lead Actress in a Comedy for Veep. Modern Family still took the Outstanding Comedy Series, however, while the HBO movie Game Change took the Outstanding Mini-Series or TV Movie. Kevin Costner did manage to pick up some...

If you are a big fan of either Showtime's "Homeland" or ABC's "Modern Family," last night's Emmy Awards were probably a ball for you. If you're a fan of anything else, it was just another three-hour award show.

Now that all of the winners have been named, you can take a look back and see who cleaned up for television this time around.

Click past the jump for a complete winners list for the 2012 Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Drama

Winner: "Homeland"

"Boardwalk Empire"

"Breaking Bad"

"Downton Abbey"

"Game of Thrones"

"Mad Men"

Outstanding Actress In A Drama

Winner: Claire Danes, "Homeland"

Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"

Glenn Close, "Damages"

Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"

Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Outstanding Actor in a Drama

Winner: Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"

Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"

Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

Outstanding...

The 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, took place on Sunday (September 23rd). Showtime's "Homeland" won in the Best Drama category, denying "Mad Men" a record fifth consecutive win. "Modern Family" took home its third straight Best Comedy award. Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" won its 10th consecutive Emmy, which resulted in Jon Stewart being censored during his acceptance speech for saying the F-word. Julianne Moore (pictured) won for Best Actress in a Mini-Series for her portrayal of Sarah Palin in HBO's "Game Change." Moore stated: "Wow, I feel so validated because Sarah Palin gave me a big thumbs down." And Jon Cryer won Best Actor for "Two and a Half Men," something he admitted was not possible with Charlie Sheen around. "The show was really structured around [Sheen's] character, so it was silly for me to be in the lead character [category]. That's changed [with Ashton Kutcher]. It's more of a partnership...

Well, that’s it. This years Emmy race is over and there are some familiar names amongst the winners… Modern Family once again dominates the comedy categories whilst Homeland surprises everyone and walks away with Best Drama and Best Leads in a Drama for it’s two stars. It;s nice to see Louis C.K. get an award for the excellent work he does on his “sitcom” Louie.

Best Comedy

Modern Family (ABC) Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) Girls (HBO) 30 Rock (NBC) Veep (HBO) The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep Zooey Deschanel – New Girl Lena Dunham – Girls Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation Tina Fey – 30 Rock Melissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Jon Cryer – Two and a Half Men Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm Louis C.K. – Louis Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory Don Cheadle – House of Lies...

The results of the television awards ceremony of the year are always something to look forward to – the quality of the small screen has only been improving over the past decade or two, and it’s nice to see credit given where credit’s due.

Mad Men, Modern Family, Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, Sherlock, and 30 Rock led this year’s nominations, and it’s Modern Family and Homeland that have come away with the most wins, taking four awards apiece.

Homeland has been one of the most talked-about dramas over the past year, and leading stars Damian Lewis (doing a Hugh Laurie, being an English actor playing an American on Us TV) and Claire Danes came away with the Leading Actor/Actress prizes in the dramatic categories.

Modern Family continues its reign as the best comedy in recent years, and dominated the Supporting Actor/Actress awards in the comedy categories,...

"Homeland" broke "Mad Men's" Emmy streak by winning Outstanding Drama Series -- it also took home Lead Actress and Actor in a Drama Series for stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

The complete list of nominees:

Outstanding Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Game Of Thrones

Homeland

Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Glenn Close, Damages

Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Kathy Bates, Harry's Law

Claire Danes, Homeland

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey

Damian Lewis, Homeland

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey

Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Aaron Paul,...

Julianne Moore took home the Emmy for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Emmy for "Game Change."

Moore portrayed Sarah Palin in the HBO movie and beat out Connie Britton ("American Horror Story"), Nicole Kidman ("Hemingway & Gellhorn"), Ashley Judd "Missing") and Emma Thompson ("The Song of Lunch).

"I feel so validated because Sarah Palin gave me a big thumbs down," she said when accepting her Emmy.

Nicole Kidman made an entrance in Antonio Berardi at the Emmys in La tonight. She ventured onto the small screen this year to star opposite Clive Owen in the HBO movie Hemingway & Gellhorn. Nicole's portrayal of journalist Martha Gellhorn earned her a nomination in the category of outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or a movie. She's up against Julianne Moore of Game Change, Connie Britton from American Horror Story, Missing's Ashley Judd, and The Song of Lunch star Emma Thompson. Clive likewise earned a nod in his respective actor category for playing Ernest Hemingway, and the whole film is up for outstanding miniseries or movie. It's an exciting time for Nicole and her family - her husband, Keith Urban, recently commenced his duties as a judge on American Idol! View Slideshow ›...

When the stars gather on the red carpet for the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday evening in La, there’ll be more than a few British faces hoping not to leave the ceremony empty-handed.

Unsurprisingly, Downton Abbey and Sherlock are leading the charge for some home-grown honours, but they’re not the only ones. Here are all the Brits to cross your fingers for, as they face some stiff overseas competition on television’s biggest night of the year…

With seven major nominations (16 in total), Downton Abbey is our leading contender by far.

The upstairs-downstairs tale is nominated for Best Drama Series, an upgrade on last year’s victory for Best Mini-Series or Movie. Biggest competition is probably Homeland or the enduring Mad Men.

Nominations have gone to Michelle Dockery and Hugh Bonneville in the Lead Actress and Actor categories (as Lady Mary Crawley and Earl of Grantham respectively), and...

On Sunday, Jimmy Kimmel will host the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (ABC, 8 p.m. Et), and he says it’s imperative that you watch: “I am gonna do something very weird during the show. I think it could possibly be the biggest prank ever pulled, as far as number of people involved. Possibly. I haven’t researched it, but it’ll definitely be right up there,” he says. “The audience will be a participant in this. So it’s important that you watch because you’re either going to be in on it or not.”

Will he instruct at-home viewers...

The 2012 Emmy race for Lead Actress in a TV Miniseries or Movie covers a wide range of genres — horror, action, biopic, even a dramatization of a narrative poem — but the nominees all have one thing in common: They’re seriously formidable thespians with a history of impressing their peers.

Of the five actresses in contention, three — American Horror Story‘s Connie Britton, Missing‘s Ashley Judd, and The Song of Lunch‘s Emma Thompson — are prior Emmy nominees (with Thompson having snagged Best Guest Actress in a Comedy for Ellen back in 1998). Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman (Hemingway and Gellhorn) and Julianne Moore...

Chicago – You’ve surely heard the 2012 Emmy nominations by now (and probably read our choices for the biggest snubs) and maybe you’re wondering how to rent or own the chosen favorites of the Academy. Let us guide the way. Check out this list of all the 2012 Emmy nominees and their release dates on Blu-ray and/or DVD, when available. Organized alphabetically and then by release date if you just want to own them all in order.

The 2012 Emmy nominees (note that these are the release dates for the Emmy-nominated seasons, ignoring previous years that may be currently available, and not all titles will be available on Blu-ray…stay tuned for reviews of most of the titles that have not already been released):

American Horror Story

Photo credit: Fox

*-Available streaming on Netflix

Alphabetically

“30 Rock” — 9/11

“American Horror Story” — 9/25

“Boardwalk Empire” — 8/28

“Breaking Bad” — available now*

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” — available now...

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards this morning. The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air live on Sunday, September 23rd at 7pm Et on ABC. Outstanding Comedy Series * The Big Bang Theory * Curb Your Enthusiasm * Girls * Modern Family * 30 Rock * Veep Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series * Girls * Mike and Molly * New Girl * Nurse Jackie * Parks And Recreation * 30 Rock * Veep Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series * Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory * Larry David- Curb Your Enthusiasm * Don Cheadle - House Of Lies * Louis C.K. - Louie * Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock * Jon Cryer - Two And A Half Men Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series * Mayim Bialik- The Big Bang Theory * Kathryn Joosten - Desperate Housewives * Julie Bowen - Modern Family * Sofia Vergara - Modern Family * Merritt Wever - Nurse Jackie * Kristen Wiig...

The 2012 Emmy nominations have been announced and we’ve got all of the major categories listed as well as our initial, emotional reactions.

Outstanding Drama Series

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Boardwalk Empire

Homeland

Mad Men

Game of Thrones

Reaction: What’s to debate here? All deserve it to some degree. Even in a down season, Downton Abbey is still phenomenal television, even if it’s not your cup of tea. My only gripe is that last year Abbey was considered a Miniseries and now they take the place of an equally deserving show. Nothing is budging Breaking Bad or Mad Men, and there’s no one else more thrilled to see Homeland and Game of Thrones included. Boardwalk Empire belongs too, but again, Sons of Anarchy will sadly never be in the Emmy conversation for whatever reason even though this past season wasn’t its most consistent. There were series...

The 2012 Emmy nominations have been announced and American Horror Story tied Mad Men for the most categories with 17 nominations. The Walking Dead also picked up a few nominations and we have a list of the major nominations for you to check out.

As you’ll notice below, American Horror Story was submitted as a miniseries which made it easier to pick up so many nominations. This series qualifies for these categories because each season is a self-contained story with new characters and cast members.

The Walking Dead was not nominated for any of the major acting or series categories, but did pick up nominations in “Prosthetic Makeup for Series, Miniseries or Movie”, “Sound Editing, Series”, and “Special Visual Effects, Series”. We’d be very surprised if Greg Nicotero and his team did not win the makeup category for their season 2 work.

Drama Series: “Boardwalk Empire,” HBO; “Breaking Bad,” AMC; “Downton Abbey,...

This year’s nominees for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced, including nods for Modern Family, Breaking Bad and Mad Men, as well as hone grown exports such as Downton Abbey and Sherlock. The Emmy awards will take place on Sunday 23rd September, in the meantime here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Comedy

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) Girls (HBO) 30 Rock (NBC) Veep (HBO) Modern Family (ABC) The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Zooey Deschanel – New Girl Lena Dunham – Girls Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation Tina Fey – 30 Rock Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep Melissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm Jon Cryer – Two and a Half Men Louis C.K. – Louis Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory Don Cheadle – House of Lies Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik...

The nominations are out for the 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. When all of the categories are taken into account, "American Horror Story" and "Mad Men" lead the way with 17 nominations each, followed closely by "Downton Abbey" and "Hatfields & McCoys" with 16 apiece.

The complete list of nominees:

Outstanding Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Girls

Modern Family

30 Rock

Veep

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Lena Dunham, Girls

Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Louis C.K., Louie

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory

Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives

Julie Bowen,...

This morning saw the announcement of the 2012 Emmy nominations and as expected, all the usual suspects showed up in their respective categories. It’s a rather dull list as the same shows that got nominated last year seemed to have picked up the same nominations this year, though I guess that is to be expected. The best shows on television do usually remain as the best shows on television, year after year.

As for the nominees themselves, I’m still not on board the Downton Abbey train but the voters seem to love it, seeing as the show picked up a whole handful of high profile nominations.

To no surprise, Game of Thrones snagged the top nomination for outstanding drama series but I’m a bit disappointed that it failed to show up in any of the main acting categories. Yes, Peter Dinklage did get his much deserved nomination but...

Jimmy Kimmel and Kerry Washington had the fortune of announcing this year’s nominees for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, which Kimmel will be hosting this September.

Roughly speaking, for those unacquainted, the Emmys are the equivalent of the Academy Awards for television – if you were to have one of these on your mantelpiece, ‘proud’ wouldn’t begin to describe it.

We all know that the past decade or so has seen a massive improvement in the quality of small-screen programming, and this year’s nominations highlight some of the best – Modern Family (particularly in the Best Supporting Comedy Actor category), Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Girls, and a slew of nominations for programmes from our own shores in Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and Luther.

The awards ceremony itself will be held on Sunday, 23rd September, and all the programmes and casts that will be heading there are as follows:

Best Comedy...

Let the celebrating and the snub-based outrage begin!

Nominations for the 2012 Emmy Awards were announced today. Did your favorite series, actor or actress make the cut? The ceremony will air live on ABC on September 23 and TV Fanatic will provide plenty of commentary and coverage over the coming days.

For now, on to the names of the nominees...

Best Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Mad Men

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Katy Bates, Harry's Law

Glenn Close, Damages

Claire Danes, Homeland

Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey

Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Damien Lewis, Homeland

Supporting Actor in a Drama

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad

Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey

Jim Carter,...

When we planned this post, before Scandal’s Kerry Washington and a pajama-wearing Jimmy Kimmel announced the 64th Primetime Emmy nominations, we thought we’d make this list short and sweet. Traditionally, this is an awards show that ignores our faves and gives all the kudos to the shows our parents love. But then we got a very pleasant surprise and discovered we actually care about almost all of the nominees. Maybe the Emmy voters are finally getting younger and hipper. Or maybe really good TV is back in a place where everyone can agree on the shows that Can’T be ignored.

Our longtime obsession Mad Men and new addiction American Horror Story lead the pack with a whopping 17 nominations apiece. Downton Abbey’s got 16 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Brendan Coyle, Jim Carter, Maggie Smith and Joanne Froggatt. Of course,...

… your very own TV Addict for waking up extra early to report on this mornings 2012 Emmy Nominations! (What’s that? You’re here for the actual Emmy Nominees? Stay tuned! We’re posting them as fast as Scandal’s Kerry Washington and Late Night Host Jimmy Kimmel (Who is kindly filling in for Parks And Recreation’s Nick Offerman who was stranded on the east coast due to weather) can read them starting at 8:40Am (5:40Am Pacific)

Outstanding Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Game Of Thrones

Homeland

Mad Men

Outstanding Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Girls

Modern Family

30 Rock

Veep

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Don Cheadle, House Of Lies

Louis C.K., Louie

Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Zooey Deschanel,...

Nominations for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced early Thursday morning by Scandal star Kerry Washington and this year’s Emmys host, Jimmy Kimmel — in his pajamas — and FX’s American Horror Story and AMC’s Mad Men led the pack with 17 total nods each.

PBS’ Downton Abbey and History’s Hatfields & McCoys followed with 16 apiece, while Modern Family was the most-nommed scripted comedy series, with 14.

Showtime’s Homeland amassed the most nominations (nine) for a freshman series, while Jon Hamm, Melissa McCarthy, Lena Dunham (as a star, director and writer of Girls) and Amy Poehler (as Parks and Rec...

FX’s new drama American Horror Story and AMC’s perennial fave Mad Men were among the shows to receive the most Emmy nominations that were announced today in Los Angeles. PBS’ Downton Abbey and the History miniseries Hatfields & McCoys also received multiple nods, as did ABC’s Modern Family, AMC’s Breaking Bad, NBC’s Saturday Night Live and the HBO movie Game Change. And it’s a big day for breakout comedienne Lena Dunham, who scored acting and writing nods for her freshman series Girls, which also scored a nomination in the best comedy category.

Here are the...

Featuring “Like Crazy” up-and-comer Felicity Jones alongside Julia Ormond and German actor Sebastian Koch ("The Lives of Others"), the British indie film "Albatross" possesses a pretty impressive cast, especially considering the director Niall MacCormick (U.K. TV and BBC films "The Song of Lunch," "Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley" and "Wallander") is making his feature film debut. But the true shining star here, the gem to watch for in the future, is the film’s lead, Jessica Brown Findlay (the British TV series “Downton Abbey”). Unfortunately, that’s about all the movie has to offer that feels fresh, inspired and genuine. MacCormick may have directed stars like Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Andrea Riseborough and more in the past, but the cloying, unfortunately sentimental tone and predictable story beats in "Albatross" don’t do this familiar coming-of-age tale any...

Framed

D Quinnell

Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.

PBS has added the drama Framed to its 2011 winter line up. The show originally aired in the UK during 2009 and is based on the novel of the same name by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Trevor Eve appears in the show as Quentin Lester who is the curator of the National Gallery. A flood causes the gallery’s contents to be shipped to an abandoned mine in Wales. A young boy named Dylan Hughes soon begins planning a heist as a way of solving his family’s financial woes. The show will air on 27 November in most markets. This Sunday The Song of Lunch starring Alan Rickman is set to air but PBS have nothing scheduled for Masterpiece Contemporary on 20 November.

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Timothy Spall’s New Show

Downton Abbey Finale Review

Dean Andrews...

Filed under: Reality-Free, Stay Tuned

'Homeland' is certainly the year's best new show, but fans of that Showtime drama will want to make time Sunday night for a British import that explores neighboring territory.

Speaking of imports, Masterpiece's bracing British fare -- 'Downton Abbey,' 'Case Histories,' 'Page Eight' and 'The Song of Lunch,' which arrives Nov. 13 -- isn't just enjoyable on its own terms; it proves HBO doesn't have a monopoly on handsomely crafted movies and miniseries.

As for 'Page Eight' (PBS Masterpiece Sunday, check local listings), this enjoyable Bill Nighy espionage movie should also be on the radar of people who enjoyed AMC's 'Rubicon' or the previous Nighy vehicle 'State of Play' (a great 2003 miniseries that BBC America will re-air Dec. 7). Then again, you don't have to be a particular fan of spy fare or Nighy to enjoy 'Page Eight,...

Case Histories. co.PBS

By Grey Feeney

Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on twitter.

One of the best British TV shows of 2011 is coming to PBS Masterpiece Mystery Theatre this weekend as Harry Potter villian Jason Isaacs stars in Case Histories – the tale of an Edinburgh based private eye. The show consisted of three two-part stories when it aired in the UK but PBS have edited it and created three feature length episodes. If you thought Upstairs Downstairs was tough to follow after it had a run-in with the PBS Masterpiece editorial team then good luck with watching Case Histories because this show is far more complex.

The first of the three stories airs on Sunday October 16 at 9 p.m. – on most affiliates. If your local PBS provider decides to air at 1 p.m. (as happened in many areas with Inspector Lewis...

The one-off BBC drama stars Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson

Times are tough in broadcasting – it's all about the money these days. Share prices, attacks on the licence fee, takeovers and the internet. Broadcasters are scared. They will reach for safety. The last thing they would do is commission a one-off drama in verse about longing, failure and death inspired by a scene in James Joyce's Ulysses. Obviously.

And yet that is what the BBC has done with The Song Of Lunch – which drips with such mournful beauty and grace that you figure it has to have been an accident. Someone turned on a camera while no one was looking so Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson could perform Christopher Reid's bittersweet poem.

The Song of Lunch tells the story of Rickman's publisher meeting his former love, Thompson, for a nostalgic lunch at the Soho restaurant they used to frequent.