MASTERPIECE TO CO-PRODUCE MAGPIE MURDERS WITH ELEVENTH HOUR FILMS

DRAMA IS BASED ON ANTHONY HOROWITZ'S BEST-SELLING NOVEL

PBS' MASTERPIECE announced today that it will co-produce and broadcast Magpie Murders, a new drama based on the bestselling novel written by Anthony Horowitz OBE. The six-part series is produced by Jill Green and Eleventh Hour Films.

Lauded as "a magnificent piece of crime fiction" and "an ingenious novel within a novel" by the Sunday Times (London), Magpie Murders topped multiple best-seller lists including the New York Times and Los Angeles Times and appeared on the year-end Best Books lists of NPR, USA Today and others. Its international awards include the prestigious Macavity Award for Best Novel.

A beguiling murder mystery with a solution that will both astonish and shock viewers, the plot of Magpie Murders revolves around the character Susan Ryeland, an editor who is given an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway's latest novel, but has little idea it will change her life.

The television adaptation is scripted by Horowitz, who is known to MASTERPIECE fans for the popular World War II mystery Foyle's War.

MASTERPIECE executive producer Susanne Simpson said, "Anthony Horowitz is a master mystery writer, and Magpie Murders is a beautiful and complex work. Our MASTERPIECE audience will truly enjoy this intriguing story of a mystery within a mystery." MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston.

Anthony Horowitz said, "Magpie Murders is my most successful novel and it wasn't easy to adapt. But I think the result is a completely original drama that will delight and beguile audiences in equal measure."

Jill Green said, "This is an extraordinary and distinctive drama. I don't think there's ever been a crime show like it with a strong female lead treading the line between reality and fiction as she fights to uncover the truth."

Magpie Murders is streaming in the U.K. exclusively on BritBox UK.

Magpie Murders is an Eleventh Hour Films production for MASTERPIECE and BritBox UK and distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Television.

pbs.org/masterpiece

About Eleventh Hour Films

Established in 2010, Eleventh Hour Films is an ideas driven independent production company with a breadth of experience producing drama of the highest quality, both in the UK and internationally. EHF is currently enjoying critical acclaim with the globally successful Alex Rider series, a thrilling 8-part adaptation of the best-selling coming-of-age spy novels from Anthony Horowitz. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video in the UK in June 2020, has sold in over 100 territories worldwide, and is launching on IMDb TV in the USA on November 13. The series stars Otto Farrant as Alex Rider, alongside Stephen Dillane, Vicky McClure and Andrew Buchan. The company's other productions include Safe House (ITV), New Blood (BBC One), Foyle's War (ITV), and Collision (ITV).

About MASTERPIECE

Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys(R) and 16 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans since 1971. Susanne Simpson is the executive producer and Rebecca Eaton is the executive-producer-at-large for the series. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking and Raymond James with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust. Presented on PBS by WGBH Boston, MASTERPIECE is known for recent hits such as Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Victoria, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark.

About BritBox

BritBox is a digital video subscription service created by the BBC and ITV. The service brings the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place for £5.99 per month in HD. British TV boxsets from All 4 and British films from Film 4 will launch on the service in 2020. The service includes high quality factual and entertainment content from Channel 5 plus original British comedies from Comedy Central UK. BritBox features the biggest collection of British content available on any streaming service, and brand new commissions for British production companies specifically created for BritBox. BritBox also offers expert curation and playlists that will enable viewers to easily find programmes they know and discover new favourites via web, mobile, tablet, connected TVs and streaming devices including Fire TV, Apple TV & Chromecast. Content on BritBox can be downloaded and viewed offline where rights allow.

About Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television ("SPT") is one of the television industry's leading content providers, producing, distributing and carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, televisionshows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving global content business, operating 25 wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies in 12 countries, as well as linear and digital channels around the world. SPT is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company.