THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES: FIRST LOOK AND CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR FEATURE-LENGTH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ON 5

Much-loved crime drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries created by and starring Sally Lindsay returns for a feature length Christmas special this year. In this extra-special 1 x 120” Christmas episode, Jean, Dom, Judith and Jeremy attend an exclusive Christmas Eve event at the Musée de Sainte Victoire.

Jean is invited to authenticate a newly acquired treasure - a rare Ormolu box once owned by Marie Antoinette. But the festive mood turns dark when Jean discovers a ticking bomb hidden inside. With just 90 minutes until detonation, the museum is sealed shut, the security guard is dead, and the race is on. Jean and the gang must crack the code and defuse the bomb before time runs out. This is Jean’s most perilous challenge yet - can she save the day?

Sally Lindsay returns as Jean White, joined once again by Steve Edge as Dom Hayes, Sue Holderness and Robin Askwith as Judith and Jeremy Lloyd-James, Alex Gaumond as Chief of Police André Caron, Sue Vincent as Gloria Beaushaw, and Tony Robinson as Uncle Patrick - all reprising their beloved roles in this festive feature-length special.

Joining the ensemble cast for this special will be John Thomson (Cold Feet, Coronation Street), Kacey Ainsworth (Grantchester, EastEnders), Raji James (Hollyoaks, The Man Who Fell To Earth) and Manjinder Virk (Trigger Point, Midsomer Murders).

Sally Lindsay, Creator, Co-Writer and Executive Producer said: “This is our homage to the classic Christmas film. It stands alone as a plot but has all your favourite characters in a very extraordinary situation. It is a very ambitious concept, but we are beyond thrilled with how it has come out. In fact, I actually cannot wait for all our wonderful fans to watch it. A very Merry Christmas from all of us in Ste. Victoire.”

The Christmas special will be directed by Dermot Boyd (The Worst Witch). Myf Hopkins (Little Disasters, The Castaways) is Producer while Mike Benson, Andy Morgan and Dermot Boyd will serve as Executive Producers for Clapperboard alongside Sally Lindsay and Caroline Roberts-Cherry for Saffron Cherry. Sue Vincent will also co-write the episode alongside Sally Lindsay.

Clapperboard (The Game, The Good Ship Murder) and Saffron Cherry Productions (The World According to Grandpa) co-produce with Acorn Media Enterprises (Acorn TV) on board as international distributor, holding exclusive rights worldwide except for the UK and Northern Ireland. The special was ordered by Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor, 5.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries will air on 5 in December with TX to be announced in due course.