Acorn TV Boards Love, Lies & Records as Co-Producer

SILVER SPRING: Acorn Media Enterprises has signed on as the North American co-producer of the new six-part drama Love, Lies & Records, penned by the BAFTA award-winning writer Kay Mellor (The Syndicate).

Filming begins in March on the Rollem production for BBC One. The series will be distributed internationally by all3media International, and RLJ Entertainment’s Acorn brand also holds distribution rights in the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The cast is led by Ashley Jensen (Agatha Raisin, Catastrophe, Ugly Betty), alongside Adrian Bower (Grantchester, The Last Kingdom), Kenny Doughty (Vera, Stella), Rebecca Front (Doctor Thorne, War & Peace, Humans) and Mark Stanley (Dark River, Dickensian).

Love, Lies & Records follows Registrar Kate Dickenson (Jensen) as she tries to juggle her personal life with the daily dramas of births, marriages and deaths and the impact they have on her. The drama will make its U.S. debut as the newest Acorn TV original series on Acorn TV.

Jensen said: “I have admired and respected Kay’s work for a long time and I am thrilled to be playing Kate. Kay’s writing is always honest and from the heart. I think that Kay has always managed to tap into issues that are relevant to ordinary people’s everyday lives and with this new show she deals with the major dramatic milestones that affect pretty much all of us.”

Front added: “Births, marriages, deaths. We’ve all had experience of at least a couple of those. And Kay Mellor’s trademark mix of humanity, warmth, drama and intrigue runs right through these scripts. So I’m really excited to be part of it.”

Mellor commented: “When I was waiting to register the death of my mother at Leeds Town Hall, I was next to a couple who were waiting to register the birth of their much-wanted baby girl. Later on that week, I attended the wedding of some friends of ours. I realized that the register office was a microcosm of life itself—tears laughter and celebrations. As I sat watching the registrars marry my friends, I started to wonder about their lives and how they dealt with the roller coaster of emotions that they go through on a daily basis. Not long after, a series started to develop in my head. I am delighted to be working with the BBC again on my brand new drama—their support and encouragement are invaluable. I’m also excited about attracting such a talented cast who will give birth to the series.”

Shane Murphy, the managing director of Acorn Media Enterprises, said, “We’re thrilled to work with Kay Mellor, Rollem Productions and all3media International on this exciting, star-studded production. Given the popularity of our first Acorn TV original series, Agatha Raisin, with our subscribers, we’re thrilled to offer them another first-rate series starring Ashley Jensen.”