Virgin Media Television reunites with all3media international and Channel 5 for more BLOOD, with Acorn TV’s Acorn Media Enterprises returning as co-producer
Virgin Media Television reunites with all3media international and Channel 5 for more BLOOD, with Acorn TV’s Acorn Media Enterprises returning as co-producer
Adrian Dunbar to reprise lead role in new second season
August 19, 2019 –Family-centred psychological thriller Blood will return for a second season. Six new one-hour episodes have been commissioned by Virgin Media Television in Ireland – with Adrian Dunbar (Line of Duty) confirmed to reprise his lead role in the drama.
The new season, written once again by Sophie Petzal (The Last Kingdom, Riviera), will be produced by West Road Pictures, helmed by Jonathan Fisher, in association with Element Pictures and all3media international. Channel 5 is also onboard as UK broadcaster with streaming service Acorn TV and its development arm Acorn Media Enterprises returning as co producer for English language territories ANZ/ UK, Eire, US and Canada.
Blood’s first outing proved popular around the world with all3 media international securing licenses with various European platforms including NRK (Norway), Cirkus (Norway/Denmark block), HRT (Croatia), RUV (Iceland) and VRT (Belgium) as well as the Middle East via BBC World.
Blood premiered in October 2018 on Virgin Media Television in Ireland, outperforming the channel’s slot average share by 43%.
Jonathan Fisher, Managing Director of West Road Pictures, said, “We are delighted to be returning to Blood following its terrific reception last year. The second series has a compelling new mystery at its heart, which we feel sure will keep viewers hooked once again. We’re excited to see familiar faces returning, whilst also welcoming some wonderfully talented new additions to the team.”
David Swetman, VP Acquisitions at all3media international, commented, “We’re very pleased to confirm that Blood’s incredibly talented cast and crew will be returning to delve deeper into the intriguing secrets of the Hogan family. The gripping first season was one of our stand-out dramas for 2018 – winning impressive ratings and acclaim around the world and second instalment can only add to its global appeal, with broadcasters keen to secure scripted drama that has the potential to build a strong following across multiple seasons.”
Catherine Mackin, Managing Director of Acorn Media Enterprises, noted, “We’re excited to partner again with all3media international on the return of this fantastic psychological drama. Acorn TV subscribers thoroughly enjoyed the first series of Blood with its stellar lead performance by Adrian Dunbar.”
Adrian Dunbar returns as patriarch Jim Hogan in the new season, alongside Grainne Keenan (The Foreigner) as Fiona Hogan. Amongst other cast returning from season one, Ian Lloyd Anderson (Love/Hate), Fiona Bell (Shetland) and Denis Conway (The Bailout) are confirmed to join the cast and further on-screen talent will be announced soon.
Sophie Petzal returns as writer/executive producer, alongside Jonathan Fisher (Midsomer Murders) as executive producer and Ingrid Goodwin (Penny Dreadful) as producer. Maurice Sweeney (I, Dolours) will direct episodes 1-3 and Laura Way (EastEnders, Red Rock) will direct episodes 4-6.
Season two opens with catastrophe as Jim, stripped of his medical license, returns from abroad to find his family in conflict. Tensions are rife and trouble is brewing, leading to a horrendous tragedy, the cause and origins of which will be pieced together as the series progresses. As in season one, however, Blood is more than a thrilling mystery, it’s a story about truth and perspective, how our understanding of events and people can colour our beliefs, and how love – and grief – can so often blind us to reality.
About all3media international
all3media international is one of the UK’s leading distribution companies.all3media international is the distribution arm of the all3media group. We promote and license a catalogue of award-winning TV programmes and formats to broadcasters and media platforms across the globe. Over 1,000 broadcast, DVD and digital platform clients from over 200 countries entertain their audiences with the content we supply.
Our rich catalogue contains over 11,000 hours of content across all genres, with a focus on drama, comedy, factual, entertainment and formats. We are proud to work with the best programme makers in the world, including our own production studios based in the UK, Europe, USA and Australasia.
We represent the best in compelling drama such as Informer, Cheat, The Missing and Liar, as well as Midsomer Murders, Britain’s top drama export, and leading detective drama brands such as The Brokenwood Mysteries and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, alongside ground-breaking comedies including Fleabag and The Bisexual. Our factual entertainment slate includes Gogglebox and Celebrity Undercover as well as s featuring Gordon Ramsay, Guy Martin and Grayson Perry, and our entertainment brands include The Circle, Flirty Dancing and Beat the Internet.
About RLJ Entertainment
A privately owned subsidiary of AMC Networks, RLJ Entertainment, Inc. is a premium digital channel company serving distinct audiences primarily through its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and UMC (Urban Movie Channel), which have rapidly grown through development, acquisition, and distribution of its exclusive rights to a large library of international and British dramas, independent feature films and urban content. RLJE’s titles are also distributed in multiple formats including broadcast and pay television, theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, UHD, and a variety of digital distribution models (including EST, VOD, SVOD and AVOD) in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE commissions and co-produces new programs and owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited. For more information, please visit RLJENTERTAINMENT.COM, ACORN.TV, and UMC.TV