Channel 5 and AMC Networks’ Acorn TV have ordered a second series of the Sally Lindsay/Sue Vincent-penned crime drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries, including a Christmas special.
Clapperboard (Cold Call, The Teacher, The Holiday) and Manchester’s Saffron Cherry Productions (The World According to Grandpa), where Lindsay is creative director, will co-produce with Acorn Media Enterprises on board as international distributor.
The Madame Blanc Mysteries S2 (7 x 60’) sees renowned and respected antiques dealer, Jean White (Lindsay), return fresh from surviving an attempt on her life by the duplicitous Barbara (Olivia Caffrey). Across the series, Jean’s expertise in the world of antiquities proves once again key to solving a series of murders and mysteries against the backdrop of the beautiful French village of Sainte Victoire.
The second series will kick off with The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special, and Vincent will also be returning alongside Lindsay to co-write and reprise her role as Gloria Beaushaw. The festive special sees Jean coming to the aid of Chief of Police Caron, played by Alex Gaumond (The Syndicate, Death in Paradise, Two and a Half Minutes), who finds himself on the other side of the interview table accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
The second series will be directed by Dermot Boyd (Mount Pleasant). Mike Benson (Cold Call) will serve as EP for Clapperboard alongside Lindsay and Caroline Roberts Cherry (The World According to Grandpa) for Saffron Cherry.
Paul Testar, commissioning executive, drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+, said: “The first series of The Madame Blanc Mysteries proved very popular with our viewers and I’m delighted that we are working again with Sally Lindsay and Saffron Cherry, along with our long-standing production partners Clapperboard and Acorn TV, to delve deeper into more mysteries and murders in the beautiful Sainte Victoire.”
Lindsay added: “The team and I were overwhelmed with the amazing response to The Madame Blanc Mysteries last year and Sue and I were thrilled to get the go ahead to create seven more mysteries in the beautiful sunshine of Sainte Victoire. We were even more delighted to create a Christmas special as Christmas television has always been a highlight of the television year for me and we can’t wait to inject some much-needed sunshine right in the middle of winter.”
Filming will begin on location this year, with the Christmas special set to air on Channel 5 in 2022, while the rest of S2 will transmit in 2023.
