New to Stream: Acorn TV's August 2020 Lineup

Acorn TV has announced its upcoming lineup for the month of August, including the exclusive premiere of BBC One’s warmhearted estranged family sitcom The Other One along with the quirky French legal drama Family Business and the finale of Acorn TV’s original The Nest.

Monday, August 3

The Nest – Series Finale

Martin Compston (Line of Duty) and Sophie Rundle (Bodyguard) star in this suspenseful Scottish psychological thriller about a wealthy couple who would do anything to have a baby. After a chance encounter, they recruit a down-on-her-luck 18-year-old whom they hardly know (Mirren Mack, Sex Education), to be a surrogate, but secrets emerge about the girl’s past that make them regret their deal. Can the dreams of the couple and the teen be fulfilled, or have all three embarked on a relationship of mutually assured destruction? What is the real cost of getting what they want? As one of BBC’s highest-rated new dramas of 2020, this powerful psychological thriller also stars Harry Potter’s Katie Leung and Shirley Henderson, Game of Thrones’ Kate Dickie and Samuel Small, and more. (1 EP, 2020)

Party Tricks

Kate Ballard (Asher Keddie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is facing her first election for State Premier. Committed and rigorous, her victory seems assured until the opposition announces a shock new candidate: David McLeod (Rodger Corser, The Heart Guy), a popular media identity… and a man Kate had a secret, tumultuous affair with several years ago. To the world at large, David and Kate present as compelling, evenly matched adversaries… But a paranoid Kate fears that their complicated history is a trump card waiting to be played. Told in six parts, building to an election-night finale, this is a cat-and-mouse game, played out on a grand scale. (6 EPS, 2014)

Civil War

Before 1517, Europe was religiously united, with all states and virtually all subjects acknowledging the Pope as their spiritual leader. Hosted by Dr. Tristram Hunt, this drama-documentary series charts the start of the English Civil War, the execution of the King and the birth of parliamentary democracy. Reformation and Counter-Reformation Europe provide the backdrop against which the civil wars of the 1640s were played out. The series details the arrogant religious policies of Charles I, the division of the country into Roundheads and Cavaliers after the relationships between the Parliament and king collapsed, Cromwell’s victory at Marston Moor and his rise to power, and ultimately Charles I’s tragic death. (4 EPS, 2002)

Monday, August 10

The Other One – Exclusive U.S. Premiere

This BBC One comedy is about what happens when you discover your recently-deceased father had a secret family living 13 miles away and you now have a brand-new sister with the same name and is only five days younger. Both of the twentysomething women have always wanted a sister, but the only thing these two have in common are their name, Catherine Walcott (a smart move by dad if you’ve got a secret daughter). Their mothers also couldn’t be more opposite. Created and written by Holly Walsh (Motherland, Dead Boss) and Pippa Brown (Psychobitches, Bad Education). Starring Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey, Happy Valley), Rebecca Front (The Thick of It, Avenue 5), Ellie White (Inside No 9, The Windsors), Lauren Socha (Misfits, Catastrophe) and Amit Shah (Hospital People, Stag, W1A), as well as multi-episode guest stars Caroline Quentin and Stephen Tompkinson. (7 EPS, 2020)

Mount Pleasant – Series 6 and Finale Special (Exclusive U.S. Premiere)

This heartwarming UK dramedy hit about the lives of a tightly-knit family in suburban Manchester, which originally aired on Sky, winds down with this final season and surprise-packed finale special that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the main couple, Lisa (Sally Lindsay, Coronation Street, Scott & Bailey) and Dan Johnson (Daniel Ryan, Black Sea). Pauline (Paula Wilcox, Girlfriends) and Barry (Bobby Ball, Cannon and Ball) are planning a few surprises. Also starring Ainsley Howard (Mum & Dad, The Village) and Neil Fitzmaurice (Going Off Big Time). Seasons 1-5 also streaming. (Series 6- 10 EPS, 2016; Finale Special, 2017)

The Yorkshire Vet, Series 7

Get a glimpse of the true story behind All Creatures Great and Small, the classic BBC TV series by British veterinary surgeon and author Alf Wight, known worldwide as James Herriot. This documentary series profiles the dedicated team of staff at Skeldale Veterinary Centre, Wight’s original practice in Thirsk, North Yorkshire founded in 1940. With exclusive access to Julian Norton, The Yorkshire Vet, as well as his partner and Alf’s former trainee, Peter Wright and their staff, viewers get to follow the day-to-day comings and goings and meet their clientele – both two-legged and four-legged! This center may have moved from the original premises to a purpose-built facility, but the heart and soul of this historic veterinary practice are very much alive and beating. Series 1-6 also streaming. (14 EPS, 2018)

Monday, August 17

Churchill: Blood, Sweat & Oil Paint

This insightful BBC special chronicles the fascinating untold story of Winston Churchill’s lifelong love for painting, investigated by renowned presenter Andrew Marr. He meets Churchill’s descendants and explores the connections between his private passion for painting and his public career as politician and statesman. (1 EP, 2015)

The Genius of Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is one of the most successful children’s authors of all time. His words weave magical worlds of incomparable sparkle; his characters continue to charm and terrify generations. Comedian and bestselling author David Walliams delves into Dahl’s world, meeting along the way those who knew him best. David meets Dahl’s widow at the family home, and chats with longtime illustrator Quentin Blake as he draws a Dahl villain. David also discovers Dahl’s teenage letters and early drafts of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which reveal clues to how Dahl created his fantastical worlds. With contributions from celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Michael Rosen, and Tim Minchin, this special guides you through the magical yet largely unknown world of one of the greatest children’s storytellers of the 20th century. (1 EP, 2012)

The Brilliant Bronte Sisters

The Brontës’ works emerged out of the brutal Yorkshire moors to change English Literature forever. Today, their groundbreaking masterpieces remain a compulsive feature of school curriculums the world over. Actress Sheila Hancock, CBE paints vivid portraits of these exceptional women writers and examines the impact of their legacy. Sheila’s journey starts in the Yorkshire village of Haworth and the brutal moors that inspired Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, moves on to Brussels, where Charlotte Brontë developed the writing style that made Jane Eyre an enduring masterpiece, and ends in Scarborough, the last resting place of Anne Brontë. Sheila meets leading authorities on the Brontës, as well as modern artists who have been inspired by their work. Delving through priceless artifacts and manuscripts, Sheila sheds new light on these remarkable and world-famous women. (1 EP, 2013)

Narnia’s Lost Poet: The Secret Lives & Loves of C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis’s biographer, A.N. Wilson, goes in search of the man behind Narnia – the bestselling author who died on the same day as JFK’s assassination, and whose private life was very secretive. Even his best friend J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t know of his marriage to an American divorcée late in life. (1 EP, 2013)

Monday, August 24

Family Business, Series 1 – Exclusive U.S. Premiere

A mother-daughter lawyer pair juggle the ins and outs of running a family law practice, while balancing and navigating their own issues away from the office. From the bulldog being fought over by his divorcing owners to a fight over shady fertility trade dealings, every case presents a new challenge for mother Astrid Lartigues (Catherine Marchal, 36th Precinct) and daughter Audrey (Ophélia Kolb, The Days that Made History). (8 EPS, 2017)

A Difficult Woman

This thriller stars Caroline Goodall (Schindler’s List, The Sculptress) as a woman who risks everything to avenge the death of her best friend. Anne Harriman (Goodall) has a brilliant career in research pathology working for an international drug company – there is strong talk of a United Nations position and she plans to move in with her lover of five years. But everything changes when a series of revelations, clues, and scraps of information, both true and false, leads Anne out of her comfort zone and into a bizarre, shadowy landscape of political and criminal intrigue as she relentlessly pursues her friend’s killer. (4 EPS, 1998)

Monday, August 31

Ballroom Boys

In the world of competitive ballroom, there’s a serious shortage of young male dancers, and hundreds of girls lining up for every boy. This one-off observational documentary from first-time director Carla Wright follows four of these rare boys from a small part of the South Wales’ Valleys, as they prepare for the biggest competition of their dancing lives so far… the UK Championships in Bournemouth. The ballroom boys train six days a week and compete most Sundays, but these boys don’t just have the pressure of the competition to contend with. In an area where rugby is an obsession, it isn’t easy to go against the grain – even more so when dance competitions require the boys to wear make-up and fake tan, which doesn’t wash off before school. The boys face disapproval from peers, friends, and even fathers. When the competition is over, will any of them decide that the pressure isn’t worth it? (1 EP, 2016)

The Yorkshire Vet, Series 8 and Countryside Specials