CHANNEL 5 AND AMC NETWORKS’ ACORN TV CRACK MORE CASES AS THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES RETURNS FOR SERIES 4 

Channel 5 and AMC Networks’ Acorn TV today announce the recommission of The Madame Blanc Mysteries, the much-loved crime drama created by and starring Sally Lindsay. Clapperboard (Love Rat, The Good Ship Murder, The Teacher) and Saffron Cherry Productions (The World According to Grandpa) will co-produce with Acorn Media Enterprises on board as international distributor, holding exclusive rights worldwide except for the UK and Northern Ireland. The series was ordered by Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor for Channel 5.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Series 4 (7 x 60’) will return to the wonderful world of Sainte Victoire, packed with unusual antiques and objéts d’art, murder, mystery, sunshine and laughter for a 7-episode series including a Christmas special. Creator Sally Lindsay (Cold Call, Love Rat) will return as Jean White, who is navigating a fledgling romance with her sidekick Dom Hayes, played by Steve Edge (Starlings, Benidorm, Maxine). Co-writer Sue Vincent (Mount Pleasant, Shameless) stars as mechanic Gloria Beaushaw, Robin Askwith (Strike, Benidorm) and Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses, Still Open All Hours, The Green Green Grass) reprise their roles as eccentric married couple Jeremy and Judith Lloyd James and Alex Gaumond (Derry Girls, My Dinner With Hervé, Death In Paradise) is back as Chief of Police André Caron. Tony Robinson and Paul Chuckle (Elliott) complete the cast as Dom’s Uncle Patrick, a petty thief turned pub landlord and as Trevor, Gloria’s dad. Viewers can also expect additional surprise guest appearances which will be revealed in due course! 

Series 3 of The Madame Blanc Mysteries returned to Channel 5 and My5 in December 2023 with the Christmas Special and the series continued in January 2024. It continues to be one of the channel’s most successful returning series, with series 3 averaging 2.3 million viewers and a 10.3% audience share**.   

 The fourth series will be directed by Dermot Boyd, produced by Jake Rollins, while Mike Benson and Andy Morgan will serve as Executive Producers for Clapperboard alongside Sally Lindsay and Caroline Roberts-Cherry for Saffron Cherry. 

Sally Lindsay commented: “I think if you had told me five years ago when I came up with the idea of Madame Blanc that in the not too distant future our show would be not only a hit in the United Kingdom but America, Australia, Canada (to name but a few), I would have been astounded. But, amazingly, it is! And our team could not be more thrilled to bring you a brand new season of sunshine, laughs and antiques. All the gang are back with some more fantastic surprise guests visiting St. Victoire and we can’t wait for you all to enjoy soon.”

Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor for Channel 5 said: “The Madame Blanc Mysteries has won over the hearts of our audience, and we can’t wait to say ‘Bonjour’ to our Sainte Victoire favourites once again. The crime rates may be sky-high in this village, but we’re in great hands with the brilliant Jean White, and trusty sidekicks, to crack every case.”    

Catherine Mackin, Managing Director, Acorn Media Enterprises adds: “This series continues to delight from start to finish, and we’re elated by the Acorn TV audiences’ warm and highly committed embrace of Jean White and her community of clever, self-made investigators. We are all in for a treat as we return to the stunning Sainte Victoire for a slew of intriguing new cases in need of solving.”

Andy Morgan, Executive Producer, Clapperboard added: "The return of ‘Madame Blanc’ for season four proves just how hugely popular a show it is. The new series will deliver even more gripping mysteries and unexpected twists from our amazing cast, alongside a host of fantastic guest stars. The show is as much fun to make as it is to watch, so we’re delighted to welcome viewers back to the charming world of Sainte Victoire.” 

The Christmas special is set to air on Channel 5 and Acorn TV in 2024, with the rest of the series continuing in 2025.  

For further enquiries please contact:

Hannah Allan (Channel 5) | hannah.allan@paramount.com 

Notes to Editors

** These figures are based off 28 day BARB viewing figures. 

About Channel 5

Channel 5 is a multi-award-winning public service broadcaster and the UK’s third largest commercial TV station. Launched in March 1997, Channel 5 has been part of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) since its acquisition in September 2014. Its portfolio includes digital channels 5STAR, 5USA, 5SELECT, 5ACTION.   

Channel 5 and on-demand platform My5 offer a diverse range of critically acclaimed, original programmes featuring well-known faces and fresh new talent – from issue-led documentaries, popular factual series and accessible history shows to premium drama and agenda-setting news & current affairs. Channel 5 is the only PSB to air children’s content daily through its much-loved programming strand Milkshake!, home to some of the world’s favourite pre-school characters. The free to air channel’s distinctive British programming aims to tell the story of modern Britain by reflecting the lives of people across the UK.   

 This year Channel 5 has continued to attract industry acclaim for documentary White Nanny Black Child, winning both a BAFTA Television Award (Specialist Factual) and an RTS Award, whilst Endurance Race to the Pole received a BAFTA nomination in the Factual Entertainment category. In 2023, Who Killed Billie Jo? won best documentary series at the inaugural True Crime Awards and home-grown drama All Creatures Great and Small took home the Stress Buster Award at the Radio Times’ Screen Test Awards.

About Acorn TV   

AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is North America’s largest streaming service specializing in premium British and international television. Acorn TV adds exclusive programming every week to a deep library of revered mysteries, dramas, and comedies – all commercial-free. Acorn TV’s recent slate is comprised of critically acclaimed commissioned and original series including popular New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder (Lucy Lawless), acclaimed Irish crime thriller Bloodlands (James Nesbitt, co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio), British crime drama Whitstable Pearl (Kerry Godliman), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines and British detective drama Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel), to name a few. Current and upcoming Acorn TV Original Series include UK detective drama Harry Wild (Jane Seymour), Signora Volpe (Emilia Fox), The Chelsea Detective (Adrian Scarborough) and many more. The above add to a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas including Jack Irish (Guy Pearce), Doc Martin (Martin Clunes), Deadwater Fell (David Tennant, Cush Jumbo), all 24 seasons of fan-favorite Midsomer Murders and highly-rated drama The Nest, among others. 

About Clapperboard Studios   

Clapperboard Studios is a drama production company established in 2020 by executive producer and managing director Mike Benson.   

Since launch, Clapperboard has delivered 17 series and 80 hours of television, including critically acclaimed ratings winners The Teacher, The Holiday, The Good Ship Murder and Maxine for Channel 5 and The Ex Wife, The Castaways and The Serial Killer's Wife for Paramount+. It was shortlisted for Best Production Company in the Edinburgh TV Awards 2022 and Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards 2024. The studio also co-produces hit comedy drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries, created and co-written by Sally Lindsay.  

Clapperboard along with its partner companies, Chalkboard and Storyboard Studios, are part of iZen, the producer-led content group comprising a network of independent production companies in Spain, the Middle East and the UK.     

About Saffron Cherry Productions    

Saffron Cherry Productions is an award-winning company based in Manchester. It makes Kids, Factual and Drama focusing on female skewing pieces and diverse storytelling. In Kids, Saffron Cherry produces The World According to Grandpa starring Don Warrington for Milkshake! which recently won the Broadcast Award for best pre-school show and the VLV Award for Excellence in Broadcasting for best children’s programme. Other shows include The Wonton Warrior for CBBC which received four international nominations.  Sally Lindsay became Saffron Cherry Productions Creative Director after presenting the award-wining documentary Emmeline Pankhurst; The Making of a Militant with SCP. The Madame Blanc Mysteries is created, co-written and stars Saffron Cherry’s creative director Sally Lindsay. National Treasure Don Warrington (Death in Paradise, Rising Damp) has recently joined the company as Executive Producer. Saffron Cherry is headed up by Caroline Roberts-Cherry, a Grierson award winning director and BAFTA winning producer.