Speaking with Ashley Jensen from her home in London she was like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Jensen could hardly wait till Monday when Acorn TV will debut season two of Agatha Raisin with the first of three exclusive world premier films “The Wizard of Evesham.”
It will be followed by Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam on Christmas Eve, and Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate, which will air in late January 2019.
Jensen plays the title role in the show that has quickly become one of Acorn’s most popular programs. The streaming service aired the first series of eight shows and they loved the program so much they solely commissioned three 90-minute films showcasing the talented Jensen as the erstwhile detective.
Jensen is a tour de force as Agatha Raisin, using her vast comedic talents, to bring the character to life, taking viewers on a wonderfully entertaining and madcap ride. Add to Jensen a brilliant cast, outstanding writing, plus a storybook style setting and you have a must see show that the entire family can watch together.
For those unfamiliar Agatha Raisin, she is a high powered former London public relations maven who has decided to leave life in the fast lane to find some peace and quiet in the lovely village of Cotswolds. Jensen quickly finds out that she has a hidden talent as a very effective amateur sleuth, who becomes entangled in mischief, mayhem, and murder.
Agatha Raisin is the creation of author Marion Chesney, who uses the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. There are 25 books, so there are plenty of juicy stories left to be told.
Here are a few quick quotes from our conversation that you can hear on the latest edition of Stream On powered by Eero – “Where life is too short for bad Wifi.”
“Ashley Jensen is back as Agatha Raisin and we talk about series two on Acorn TV” on Spreaker.
Jensen on Acorn TV – Well we loved doing the first series and then it did not look like we’re coming back for a season two and we were like no, we can’t stop now. Then Acorn stepped up and presented us with the chance to do three movies and we were so pleased. The 90-minute format seems to be a good fit because we can take more time to develop the stories and that will make for more fun.
Jensen on the location – We had such a warm and lovely summer as were filing and the village could not have looked better. It is a very chocolate box type English village, plus with the sun shone, so it looks even more amazing.
Jensen on wearing high heels in almost every scene. I really wasn’t a high heel kind of a girl. Actually, I didn’t wear heels until Ugly Betty, I have two different size feet. One is a size three and the other is a four so we have to have two set of shoes for each scene. Honestly, when I go home I find myself on my tip toes cooking stir-fry.
Jensen on her castmates – We are blessed with such a wonderful cast and we call ourselves the “Scooby crew.” It is like a family we really enjoy being around each other and hopefully, it shows in our performances together.
By the way, December is a big month for Acorn showcasing six exclusive U.S. Premieres including three Acorn TV Originals, three returning favorites, and a new acclaimed foreign-language drama.
The premieres include new psychological crime thriller BLOOD, starring Adrian Dunbar (Line of Duty); RTE’s highest-rated new comedy of the year FINDING JOY from creator/star Amy Huberman; and lavish Portuguese period love story VIDAGO PALACE as well as new seasons of the hit period mystery series, MURDOCH MYSTERIES and hit New Zealand detective series THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES.
