UKTV Picks Up Dark Winds, Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Darby and Joan & More For Alibi, Drama & UKTV Play
UKTV has secured the UK rights to a pile of shows from AMC Network’s Acorn TV brand, including ‘Mrs Sidhu Investigates‘, ‘Signora Volpe‘, ‘Whitstable Pearl‘, ‘Darby and Joan‘, and ‘The South Westerlies‘. They have also picked up the AMC US show ‘Dark Winds‘. The shows will premiere in the UK later this year and early 2024 on Drama, Alibi, and UKTV Play. Here is some more info and trailers for each show.
Mrs Sidhu Investigates – Drama/UKTV Play – Autumn 2023
Based on the popular BBC Radio 4 series of the same name, the four-episode series is created and written by Suk Pannu (The Kumars at No. 42). ‘Mrs Sidhu Investigates’ finds Mrs Sidhu (Meera Syal CBE FRSL – The Kumars at No. 42), a recently widowed, high-end caterer with a taste for crime, solving murders and other investigations amongst the affluent residents of Berkshire. She uses a lifetime as an ‘Indian Auntie’ to sharpen her skills as an investigator, whilst juggling her new catering business and wrangling with her wayward son Tez (Gurjeet Singh – Ackley Bridge). She forms an unofficial partnership with world-weary police officer, DCI Burton (Craig Parkinson – Line of Duty), much to the amusement of his official partner DS Mint (Naana Agyei-Ampadu – Death in Paradise).
Signora Volpe – Drama/UKTV Play – Autumn 2023
Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) leads the cast in ‘Signora Volpe’ and plays Sylvia Fox, a disillusioned British spy-turned-detective who starts a new life in the beautiful heart of Italy, but soon finds out trouble follows her wherever she goes. Series 1 sees Sylvia in Italy for her niece’s wedding when the groom goes missing. Sylvia solves the mystery and, longing to reconnect with her sister (Tara Fitzgerald – Game of Thrones), decides to start anew in Umbria. Soon she’s tackling other cases and winning over a handsome local cop (Giovanni Cirfiera – Ford vs Ferrari), even as her ex-husband/ex-colleague (Jamie Bamber – Beyond Paradise) tries to lure her back.
Whitstable Pearl – Drama/UKTV Play – Early 2024
Based on a series of novels by Julie Wassmer, Kerry Godliman (After Life) leads detective drama ‘Whitstable Pearl’ where single mum Pearl (Godliman) pursues her lifelong dream of starting a private detective agency, which she runs from her family restaurant in the coastal town of Whitstable. Drawn by her caring nature, locals soon flock to her with all kinds of cases. But, when a friend dies suspiciously, Pearl finds herself in conflict with gruff new cop in town, DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles – Top Boy).
Darby and Joan – Drama/UKTV Play – Early 2024
‘Darby and Joan’ is an Australian murder mystery and crime dramedy series starring Bryan Brown (Cocktail) and Greta Scacchi (The Player), created by Philip Gwynne and Glenys Rowe. Widowed English nurse Joan Kirkhope (Scacchi) is on a quest to find answers about her husband’s mysterious death, while ex-detective Jack Darby (Brown) has taken to the open road; the two meet in the outback and form an unlikely investigative team.
The South Westerlies – UKTV Play – October 2023
Little lies lead to bigger truths in charming Irish dramedy, ‘The South Westerlies’. Environmental consultant Kate Ryan (Orla Brady – Fringe) goes undercover in a small town to quell objections to a wind farm. But Kate has a complicated history with Carrigeen. Soon after arriving with her son, she runs into an ex-friend and an old flame, soon realising her task won’t be a breeze. Co-stars Patrick Bergin (Patriot Games).
Dark Winds, Season 1 – Alibi – October 2023
‘Dark Winds’ is an American psychological, noir thriller created by Graham Roland, based on the Leaphorn & Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman. Set in the 1970s Southwest, the series follows the FBI investigation of a bank robbery in Gallup, N.M., and the Navajo Tribal inquiry into the local murder of two Native residents. Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon – Fargo) and his new deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon – The Twilight Saga) do the heavy lifting around the reservation, which is near Monument Valley. The strange behaviours of some of the residents and the newcomers intertwine with their personal stories as the two men battle the forces of evil and their own personal demons on the path to salvation. Co-stars Jessica Matten (Tribal), Noah Emmerich (The Americans), Deanna Allison and features Rainn Wilson (The Office).
“We are pleased to be adding Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Signora Volpe, Whitstable Pearl, Darby and Joan and The South Westerlies to our ever-growing catalogue of quality drama on UKTV Play,” said Andrea Amey, UKTV’s general manager for digital. “We’re dedicated to making our platform one that provides an array of premium content that all viewers can watch and enjoy freely, and these are sure to be a hit with our audience to binge on across the Autumn.”
Should be noted that none of these are technically UK premieres, as they have all aired somewhere here before, either on Acorn TV or on AMC Global. However, given that access to those services is… somewhat limited… we are tracking them on the main broadcast channels instead.
‘Mrs Sidhu Investigates‘, ‘Signora Volpe‘, ‘Whitstable Pearl‘, ‘Darby and Joan‘, ‘The South Westerlies‘ and ‘Dark Winds‘ do not have exact UK air dates yet, but you can add them via our “Never Miss” system and you’ll get an email when they are given a date.
