Murdoch Mysteries: A Merry Murdoch Christmas premieres
Monday, December 21 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC-TV
Ring in the holidays with the world premiere of “A Merry Murdoch Christmas,” the first-ever MURDOCH MYSTERIES holiday special, airing Monday, December 21 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC-TV.When a philanthropist is found dead before the holidays and the presents he distributes to Toronto’s orphans go missing, it’s up to Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), Ogden (Hélène Joy) and the team at Station No. 4 to solve the mystery and save Christmas. Guest stars include Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey,Spotless), Kelly Rowan (Perception,The O.C.), Peter Mansbridge (The National) and film and television legend Ed Asner (Up, Elf, The Mary Tyler Moore Show) as a man who believes he’s Santa Claus.Produced by Shaftesbury, written by MURDOCH MYSTERIES executive producer and showrunner Peter Mitchell and directed by Michael McGowan (Between, Still Mine), the special is currently being filmed on location in Ontario until early November.
On a snowy night before Christmas, Murdoch and Ogden are attending a party at the McGowan mansion with Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig), his wife Margaret (Arwen Humphreys) and Constables Crabtree (Jonny Harris) and Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch). The evening’s guests, who include orphans and patients from the Hospital for Sick Children, are being treated to a production of The Little Match Girl featuring a young Mary Pickford (Peyton Kennedy) in the title role. But for the children the real treat is when Mr. Rankin (Brendan Coyle) and hostess Mrs. Millicent McGowan (Kelly Rowan) introduce their special guest, St. Nick. Unfortunately, when the curtain lifts to reveal Alister McGowan, the philanthropist host in a Santa suit, he’s lifeless and the generously donated gifts for the needy children have been stolen.
As Murdoch investigates McGowan’s murder, he learns the local business tycoon was avowed enemies with his former partner Cyrus Lynch. The Toronto Constabulary is unable to locate their prime suspect, but has little difficulty finding the missing booty, which is being handed out on the street by a man claiming to be the real St. Nick (Ed Asner). Despite the protestations of his helper, Mary Pickford, they arrest him.
For Brackenreid, the crime brings up sour memories of childhood Christmas disappointments, leading him to admonish Constable Jackson (Kristian Bruun) for putting up holiday decorations in the stationhouse. Meanwhile, Crabtree is sullen when his own plans go awry and it appears he will be alone for the holidays. But when nefarious forces intent on tarnishing the spirit and goodwill of the season suddenly appear, Murdoch realizes that in addition to solving a terrible crime, he must also save Christmas.
One of Canada’s most successful and longest-running dramas, MURDOCH MYSTERIES (9 seasons; 132 x one-hour episodes) has become a staple for CBC and broadcasters around the world with its winning formula that brings together compelling mysteries, unique slices of turn-of-the-century history, ingenious inventions and personal moments for each character. Licensed to broadcasters in 110 countries and territories including the U.S., UK, France, Finland and China, the series continues to thrive, boasting an average audience of 1.3 million each week in Canada in Season 8 ( Source: Numeris, first-run Season 8 & 9 episodes). Season 9 premiered on CBC on October 5, and is currently in production in Ontario until December 2015.
MURDOCH MYSTERIES is developed and produced by Shaftesbury, in association with CBC, ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment and UKTV, and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the COGECO Program Development Fund. Shaftesbury Sales Company and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment hold worldwide distribution rights for the series. The series was adapted for television from Maureen Jennings’s popular Detective Murdoch series of novels.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.
A space for us all is CBC/Radio-Canada’s new strategy to modernize the public broadcaster and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians and for future generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime time television programming, and continue to create radio programs of the highest quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.
About Shaftesbury
With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television and digital platforms, sold in 120 countries worldwide. Shaftesbury’s slate includes David Shore’s new series, Houdini & Doyle, for Sony Pictures Television, Shaw Media, ITV and Fox; thriller series Slasher for Super Channel and Chiller; nine seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; and hit Kids’ CBC series The Moblees. Shaftesbury’s digital studio, Smokebomb Entertainment, produces original digital, convergent and branded entertainment projects including the hit YouTube drama series Carmilla, funded by U by Kotex®; non-traditional wedding series I Do, funded by Cotton Incorporated; and fashion comedy seriesMsLabelled, produced in partnership with Shaw Media and tea brand Tetley. Shaftesbury and Smokebomb recently launched shift2, an innovative agency that helps brands explore their millennial voice using scripted series and social media to drive measurable results. Visit us online at http://shaftesbury.ca.
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For more information including screeners, series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.
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Judy Lung
PR Manager, Television, Shaftesbury
Office: 416-363-1411 x186
Mobile: 416-993-6915
jlung@shaftesbury.ca
Cathleen Saville
Publicist, CBC Publicity
Office: 416-205-7976
Mobile: 416-986-9355
cathleen.saville@cbc.ca
