51-478: The Crime Thriller Awards is a British awards ceremony dedicated to crime thriller fiction. The inaugural event was held on 3 October 2008 at the Grosvenor Hotel, hosted by comedian and Jonathan Creek actor Alan Davies . It was televised on ITV3 on 6 October, produced by Cactus TV . The ceremony was preceded by seven weeks of crime-thriller-related programming on ITV3. In 2009, the awards were merged with
102-495: A Christmas special of the series). Hugh Laurie showed a great deal of interest and agreed to take the part, but later turned it down as he could not figure out Creek's motivations for investigating the cases Maddy involves him in, especially when he shows so much reluctance in some of the episodes. Others who were tried for the part included Nigel Planer (who would later guest star) and Angus Deayton (who had already worked with Renwick and director Susan Belbin on One Foot in
153-512: A Washington-based correspondent. On February 18, 2011, network management announced that BBC World News America would be dropped from BBC America and would instead be broadcasting only on the BBC World News channel and PBS member stations in the United States. The network was in discussions to unveil a weekly news program fronted by Newsnight host Jeremy Paxman , who was to introduce
204-493: A dead man vanishing from a locked room. During the fifth series, he and his wife move into her family's old village house, with Polly attempting to encourage Jonathan to become part of the local lifestyle, but Jonathan is distracted by various minor mysteries, as well as enthusiastic fans asking for his assistance. The Christmas 2016 special sees a similar format to past specials as an old secret – in this case, an apparently demonic ritual where women witness their lovers thrown through
255-521: A deal with the BBC on the first of that month to buy it out of its 50.1% stake in BBC America for $ 42 million in cash, clarifying that the transaction would be the final time AMC was increasing a non-controlling interest by paying in cash. The report further stated, "Assuming the transaction had closed on September 30, 2024, $ 132.9 million of redeemable noncontrolling interest related to BBC America, and reflected on
306-847: A different character, Colin Baker , Sheila Gish , Alistair McGowan , John Bluthal , Lysette Anthony , Simon Day , Selina Cadell , Peter Davison , Pippa Haywood , Dermot Crowley , Deborah Grant , Amanda Holden , Nicola Walker , Francis Matthews , Griff Rhys Jones , Maxine Peake , Rebecca Front , Terrence Hardiman , Michael Brandon , Jim Bowen , Dinah Sheridan , Hattie Hayridge , Steven Berkoff , Mary Tamm , Benjamin Whitrow , Bill Bailey , Sophie Thompson , Maureen Lipman , Celia Imrie , Judy Parfitt , Katherine Parkinson , Paul McGann , Ian McNeice , Joanna Lumley , Paula Wilcox , Raquel Cassidy , Kieran Hodgson , June Whitfield , Josie Lawrence and Warwick Davis . Adrian Edmondson appeared in
357-669: A distribution agreement with Washington PBS member station WETA-TV . BBC America has carried coverage of the PDC World Darts Championship in simulcast with Sky Sports , with preliminary rounds streaming, and the finals airing on television. BBC America is available in Caribbean countries, such as: It is also available in the Pacific in the US territory of Guam on DoCoMo Pacific and GTA Teleguam 's IPTV service; as well as in
408-423: A few first-run drama programs are broadcast in a longer block that allows them to run to their original broadcast length. Additional series that has been previously broadcast may periodically return to the schedule as part of the network's rotation of daytime programming. In the mid-2000s, BBC America produced a few of its own original shows, along with some joint productions; including Sharpe's Challenge , part of
459-409: A gang member who was only just disarmed thanks to a card trick Jonathan had picked up recently. The 2009 special contained a hybrid of elements from earlier and later series, with the lethal engineering element, somewhat reminiscent of " Mother Redcap ", and the torture and murder of a young woman as she is held dangling by a rope in the middle of a room. This theme continued on in "The Judas Tree" with
510-506: A leading role in Renwick's 1993 miniseries If You See God, Tell Him . Doreen Mantle has appeared in eighteen episodes of One Foot in the Grave , one episode of Love Soup , as well as one episode of Jonathan Creek . Renwick himself made appearances in two episodes, something which he also did in two of his other notable productions. The series follows the exploits of Jonathan Creek and (in
561-403: A more significant reputation and was independently recruited by such varied contacts as a chief of police or even the United States military. Over time, the show became noticeably darker, with Jonathan investigating psychopaths , pimps, gangsters and corrupt policemen, who stood in stark contrast to the duplicitous suburbanites of earlier series; one story even saw Maddy being held at gunpoint by
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#1732852783657612-506: A murderer being killed and her accomplice then being framed for the crime. In the 2013 episode "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb", Jonathan Creek had left the world of theatre and magic and is now a high-powered businessman with a wife, Polly. Despite this, and his disillusionment with his old work due to the lack of real awe received when he made his announcements, he has still returned to his roots when faced with particularly baffling cases, such as
663-478: A one-hour bulletin called World News Today . Most of these were removed from the schedule without any announcement on April 6, 2009. The weekend morning (6:00–6:30 am ET) simulcast was also abruptly dropped on April 4, 2009. According to BBC America, the simulcast was dropped because of disappointing ratings. From 2007 to 2011, BBC America broadcast BBC World News America , a live Washington, D.C. –based program anchored by Matt Frei . Katty Kay served as
714-400: A script. But if he did write one, I would do it, out of loyalty to him. I can’t see it happening, but who knows." In a 2021 interview David Renwick discussed his retirement from television and referred to "Daemon's Roost" as "the final Jonathan Creek", suggesting an end to the series. Alan Davies and Caroline Quentin , among other former cast members have made clear that they would return to
765-418: A sealed environment from which no criminal could have escaped (a " locked room mystery "), paranormal thefts and murders. Creek solves these cases using his knowledge of misdirection and illusion. No matter how fantastic the crime appears to be at first, he always finds a rational explanation, giving the character a passing resemblance to stage magician turned paranormal investigator James Randi . Some aspects of
816-452: A synopsis of Newsnight items with an international aspect and was expected to bring his interviewing style to bear on American politicians. An international edition of Newsnight debuted on February 29, 2008, in the 10 pm time slot. This program was cancelled in November 2008, but the announcement of the program's cancellation was not made until April 2009. During major breaking news events,
867-572: A way quite banal compared to the trick itself. The series would also focus on the relationship between Creek and his collaborator Maddy Magellan, a writer who often uses dishonest means in order to expose miscarriages of justice . The relationship would be a mainly platonic one, though they do at some stage consummate their relationship only to agree that it must never happen again. (In his early planning, Renwick had thought that Maddy should be Creek's stepmother and that they would investigate crime in memory of his murdered father. However, he decided that
918-643: Is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick . It stars Alan Davies as the title character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solving seemingly supernatural mysteries through his talent for logical deduction and his understanding of illusions . The series ran semi-regularly from 1997 to 2004, broadcasting for four series and two Christmas specials, initially co-starring Caroline Quentin as Creek's collaborator, writer Maddy Magellan. After Quentin's departure in 2001, Julia Sawalha joined
969-413: Is a plausible liar who never seems to have trouble sneaking into closed crime scenes (though she is frequently unceremoniously ejected), and Klaus is a flamboyant performer with a sinister stage persona who is really a dull-witted, insensitive womaniser. In some instances, his magic tricks go comically wrong. The programme usually features 'impossible crimes', for example an offence having been committed in
1020-496: Is also funded by television subscription fees. As of November 2023 , BBC America is available to approximately 60,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2017 peak of 82,000,000 households. BBC America was launched on March 29, 1998, presenting a mixture of comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters including ITV and Channel 4 . In
1071-531: The Sharpe series of made-for-television movies and co-produced with ITV; and The State Within and Jekyll , which were co-productions with the BBC. The first original series produced solely by the channel was Copper , which premiered in the summer of 2012. BBC America has also branched into co-producing British series, including Robin Hood , The Musketeers , Killing Eve , Mood and from its fourth series,
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#17328527836571122-629: The BBC (such as its nature documentary series ). Unlike the BBC's domestic channels in the United Kingdom, BBC America does not receive funding from the British licence fee (which is the principal funding for the BBC's channels within the United Kingdom), as the BBC cannot fund any of its channels that are available outside the United Kingdom. Consequently, BBC America operates as a commercial -supported channel and accepts traditional advertising. It
1173-601: The Daggers, the awards presented by the Crime Writers' Association . A second "crime thriller season" was broadcast over six weeks on ITV3 before the awards were presented on 21 October. The 2009 ceremony was sponsored by the high street optician chain Specsavers . The 2010 and 2011 awards ceremonies were presented by Marcus Brigstocke . Since 2012, Bradley Walsh has hosted the awards. Jonathan Creek Jonathan Creek
1224-465: The Grave ). Almost a dozen actors were considered before Susan Belbin saw Alan Davies during a rehearsal for a sitcom. Davies was invited round to talk to Renwick and "turned up in his duffle coat with straggly hair and a broad grin [and] was self-evidently the closest match yet to Creek as we had always seen him". The role of Adam Klaus was originally cast to Anthony Head in 1997 in the pilot episode ("The Wrestler's Tomb"). However, after accepting
1275-437: The Savant's Thumb", was shown at Easter 2013. Smith had previously worked with Renwick on his sitcom Love Soup . Sheridan Smith reprised her role as Joey in both specials. Series 5 comprised three episodes and featured Sarah Alexander as Jonathan's wife Polly. These episodes were shown at 9 pm on Friday 28 February, 7 and 14 March 2014 respectively. In 2014, conflicting reports surfaced regarding Alan Davies's view of
1326-425: The U.S. on a number of PBS stations, while the remainder aired on BBC America . David Renwick wanted to write a detective series that dealt with the actual work of detection rather than action, which most crime dramas appeared to focus on at the time. Also, whereas most of these were about who did it ( Inspector Morse or Taggart ) and why it was done ( Cracker ), this new series would be about how it
1377-431: The air into a fire – plays a key role in the death of a man Jonathan once cleared of murder (although the subsequent investigation prompts Jonathan to realise that the man actually did commit the crime of which he was accused). The distinctive theme tune is an arrangement by Julian Stewart Lindsay of Camille Saint-Saëns 's Danse Macabre . Lindsay wrote the incidental music for the first three series, after which it
1428-486: The cast as new character Carla Borrego, a theatrical agent turned television presenter. Following a five-year hiatus, the series returned for a one-off special on 1 January 2009, " The Grinning Man ", which featured Sheridan Smith as another paranormal investigator with whom Creek joins forces. A further 90-minute special, " The Judas Tree ", was filmed in October 2009 and broadcast on 4 April 2010. A third special, "The Clue of
1479-489: The channel's early days, it focused on repeats of popular lifestyle shows such as Changing Rooms and Ground Force . BBC America's head of television programming later stated that the channel needed to establish a niche, since non-British viewers found the lifestyle shows appealing. Most of the newer programs appeared as part of BBC America's evening schedule. The network removed the British soap opera EastEnders from its schedule in 2003 due to low ratings; however,
1530-404: The character married TV producer Brendan Baxter ( Adrian Edmondson ), and she became a TV presenter. A third supporting role was introduced when the show returned in 2009 after a five-year hiatus. From "The Grinning Man" onwards, Creek was assisted by online paranormal investigator Joey Ross, played by Sheridan Smith . As Smith was unable to appear in the fifth series due to other commitments, she
1581-428: The character were inspired by Ali Bongo . As the series progresses, Creek gradually changes from an asocial anorak to a man with a great deal of wit and charm. This helps to fuel the romantic thread between him and Maddy. Jonathan's trademark duffle coat worn in the first series was actually Alan Davies' own coat that he wore to the auditions; it helped him win the role, as the writer and producers thought it suited
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1632-406: The character. After the first series, Jonathan's coat was supplied by the wardrobe department. Davies kept the original at his home, and wore it again for the 2009 New Year special. For the 2001 Christmas special and thereafter, Caroline Quentin declined to appear, and so a second supporting role was introduced, theatrical agent Carla Borrego, played by Julia Sawalha . After her first appearance,
1683-433: The concept of the avenging son was far too " Batman " and in the series Creek's parents are mentioned as having moved to America.) Caroline Quentin was Renwick's first choice for Maddy Magellan, but the casting of Creek proved something of a problem. Renwick had wanted Nicholas Lyndhurst , but he turned it down. Rik Mayall was also offered the part, but was, at the time, busy with stage work (he would later guest-star in
1734-490: The condensed consolidated balance sheet, would have been eliminated. Additionally, the Company’s future contractual programming commitments to BBC Studios would have been significantly reduced." BBC continues to maintain commercial ties with the channel. Some of the programs on the channel are edited either for adult content or to allow for commercials. Occasionally, comedy shows are run in specially formatted 40-minute blocks and
1785-451: The creative quality and ambition from an already high base." AMC Networks would become a founding partner in the US launch of BritBox , a streaming service operated by BBC Studios and ITV plc . On Sunday, April 25, 2021, BBC America unveiled a redesigned logo and tagline – "Brit-ish". In AMC Networks' Q3 earnings report released November 8, 2024, the company announced that it had closed
1836-476: The deal, AMC Networks also took on the responsibility of negotiating U.S. broadcast and advertising sales for the regional variant BBC News (International) . AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan stated that the deal gave his company "a powerful collection of networks that are among the most critically acclaimed, with distinct dramas and other potent content that creates a deep connection with viewers", while BBC Worldwide CEO Tim Davie considered it "an opportunity to grow
1887-463: The first three series) Maddy Magellan, a pushy investigative journalist , as they work together to solve crimes where others have failed. Creek is a somewhat cynical designer of illusions for stage magician Adam Klaus. He originally lived in a windmill in West Sussex . His ingenuity and lateral thinking usually, if not immediately, lead to an unveiling of the intricacies of the crime. Magellan
1938-761: The fourth series in a recurring role. Jonathan Ross , Michael Grade and Bamber Gascoigne have all appeared as themselves. Actors Annette Crosbie , Peter Copley , Jonathan Kydd , Brian Murphy , John Bluthal , Hannah Gordon , Nick Maloney and John Bird made appearances, (Bird as two different characters, one of which a recurring role) and all worked with Renwick on One Foot in The Grave . Additionally Bird worked with Renwick again on his BBC Radio 4 miniseries Desolation Jests in late 2016. Tamsin Greig , Georgie Glen , Sheridan Smith and Sara Markland worked with Renwick on his sitcom Love Soup . Adrian Edmondson had
1989-757: The network sometimes replaces scheduled programs with coverage from BBC News; the London bombings in July 2005 was one example. BBC News's American coverage started out sparse, but has expanded within the last decade on several providers throughout the United States, generally alongside BBC America as part of AMC Networks' retransmission consent negotiations (one previous example is New York City-based Cablevision , which did not carry BBC America until August 2011) or BBC World News America , an American-focused news program presented by Katty Kay and usually from Washington, D.C., mainly carried by American public television stations through
2040-504: The production company behind series such as Seinfeld , but the initial scripts were not felt to be good enough, and David Renwick's scripts were rejected by CBS . The second attempt, also by Renwick, was for Whoopi Goldberg and would have included Alan Davies. A third attempt by Renwick, in which Alan Davies would reprise his role and where his character would be gay, was rejected by Netflix in 2022. In 2021 Alan Davies commented that David Renwick "wouldn’t tell me if he had written
2091-511: The program's removal from BBC America provoked complaints from viewers, which caught media attention. After CEO Paul Lee was appointed president of ABC Family in 2009, the network appointed Bill Hilary from Comedy Central to serve as its chief executive officer. Hilary appointed Kathryn Mitchell to the new position of general manager. Under Hilary's tenure, BBC America was restructured; it moved its main offices to New York City and had its programming budget increase substantially. The channel
Crime Thriller Awards - Misplaced Pages Continue
2142-670: The revival of Doctor Who (until 2022). They also co-produced the Canadian series Orphan Black with Bell Media 's Space channel. BBC America used to broadcast BBC World News each Monday through Friday morning from 6:00 to 8:00 am Eastern and Pacific Time . All news programs now air exclusively on the BBC News Channel, also distributed by AMC Networks in the United States. The weekday morning (6:00–9:00 am Eastern) simulcast used to include BBC World News bulletins, World Business Report , Sport Today , Asia Today , and
2193-546: The role of Rupert Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Head was unable to play Adam Klaus in later episodes, leaving the way clear for Stuart Milligan to take over the role. Many well-known actors have appeared in the series, including Bob Monkhouse , Rik Mayall (who had been considered to play Jonathan) and Jack Dee who are better known for their comedy roles. Other guest stars, both comedy and straight, have included: Rob Jarvis who made two appearances, each time as
2244-775: The series won it the BAFTA for Best Drama Series in 1998. It was notable for featuring comic characters and sub-plots that lent a lot of humour to the series. Unusually, it was produced by the BBC's in-house Entertainment department rather than the Drama department – this was because Renwick preferred working with people he knew rather than the people at Drama who might not share his vision. It has included guest-stars such as Bob Monkhouse , Griff Rhys Jones , Rik Mayall , Jack Dee , Bill Bailey , John Bird , Nigel Planer and Ade Edmondson , who are mainly associated with comedy, but who gave straight performances. The first two series were broadcast in
2295-541: The show if invited. In September 2022 it was reported that David Renwick had written stage adaptations of the show and that Alan Davies and Caroline Quentin had shown interest in reprising their roles. The project however has been on hold since the Covid-19 pandemic. BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is currently owned by AMC Networks . The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from
2346-510: The show. In one article published online he was said to be "happy to do Jonathan Creek for another ten years" and praised Renwick's talent as a writer. On 4 March 2016, it was reported that the series would be returning for another 90-minute one-off special, with filming to begin in summer 2016. The episode, "Daemons' Roost", aired on 28 December 2016. Alexander returned as Jonathan Creek's wife Polly, alongside guest stars Warwick Davis , Emun Elliott and Rosalind March . The cult success of
2397-479: Was done , with such tropes as murders committed in locked rooms , a person being in two places at once, or impossible thefts. Finding a culprit would still be part of the detective's job, but the emphasis would be on discovering how the crime was committed. Magic would play an important part of the series, but it would be in the form of tricks and sleight-of-hand used by stage magicians to audiences. The programme often exposed how such tricks are actually done, but in
2448-402: Was done. Initially, Jonathan was only brought in to investigate because he was asked by Maddy due to her having a professional connection to the crime in her role as a journalist, or because it involved an old friend of theirs (such as one case featuring Jonathan being contacted by an old friend of his mother's after her husband was impaled by a sword in a sealed room). As time went on, he acquired
2499-403: Was led by Garth Ancier , who served as the president of BBC Worldwide Americas from February 2007 until 2010, when he was succeeded by former MTV Networks executive Herb Scannell . Meanwhile, Perry Simon serves as general manager. In 2014, AMC Networks acquired a 49.9% equity stake in BBC America for $ 200 million, and replaced Discovery Communications as its managing partner. As part of
2550-447: Was replaced by Sarah Alexander as Creek's wife and newest sidekick. Part of the humour comes from the fact that Jonathan often does not want to get involved in other people's problems, and has to be pressured into it by Maddy, Carla or Joey. In "The Scented Room", which centred around a theft from a critic who had lambasted Adam's act, he took great delight in announcing that he had solved the crime but wasn't going to tell anybody how it
2601-416: Was written by Rick Wentworth . Other television programmes have utilised the formula of a magician helping police to solve crimes, such as the U.S.-made programmes The Magician , starring Bill Bixby , which aired in 1973–74, and 1986's short-lived Blacke's Magic , starring Hal Linden . There have been three attempts to make a U.S. version of Jonathan Creek . The first involved Castle Rock ,
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