Silver Spring, Md —Agatha Christie’s much-loved heroine is back on the case in Agatha Christie’s Marple: The Pale Horse, debuting on DVD from Acorn Media on June 21, 2011. Premiering on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! on July 10th, ITV Studios’ new adaptation finds Julia McKenzie (Cranford) as the beloved spinster sleuth, taking on a spooky murder case at an inn run by three modern-day witches. Based on Christie’s 1961 novel, The Pale Horse also stars Oscar® nominee Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine, Upstairs, Downstairs), Sarah Alexander (Coupling), JJ Feild (Northanger Abbey), and Bill Paterson (Traffik). Rich with authentic period atmosphere and pitch-perfect performances, the DVD 2-Disc set includes a bonus disc with a 1996 adaptation of the novel without Miss Marple ($29.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

BLU-RAY AVAILABLE: June 21st also marks the first Blu-ray Marple with the release of Marple: Complete Series 5 with four mysteries including The Pale Horse (4-vol. boxed set, $69.99).

Miss Marple (Julia McKenzie) receives a mysterious list of names from her friend Father Gorman, who sent it moments before he was brutally murdered on a London street. She soon discovers that people on the list are dying. A clue leads her to the Pale Horse Inn in Hampshire, a spooky establishment run by three modern-day witches. As she closes in on the truth, one of the guests is found dead in his bed, and Miss Marple learns that her own life may be in danger.

BONUS DISC: The Pale Horse (101 min.), a 1996 adaptation of the classic mystery starring Colin Buchanan (Dalziel & Pascoe), Jean Marsh (Upstairs, Downstairs), and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings)

Street Date: June 21, 2011
SRP: $29.99
DVD 2-Disc Set: Approx. 89 min., plus 110 min. bonus - British mystery - SDH subtitles (main program)

Acorn Media previously released Agatha Christie’s Marple: Series 1-5 as DVD 4-Vol. Boxed Sets ($59.99). The Pale Horse is part of Series 5; however Acorn Media couldn’t release it until near its U.S. broadcast.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media U.S. distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. 2011 releases include Upstairs, Downstairs: 40th Anniversary Edition; BBC’s smash hit series New Tricks; U.S. debuts of great new series Garrow’s Law, Reggie Perrin, Wired, Identity, and Single-Handed; more episodes from Doc Martin, Murphy’s Law, Poirot, George Gently, Murdoch Mysteries, Midsomer Murders; as well as the Blu-ray of Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Edition; and acclaimed documentaries from our Athena line with Discovering Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi, The Making of the President: The 1960s; and more from Mike Wallace and Bill Moyers. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.

Agatha Christie’s Marple is distributed by ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; one of the world’s leading international TV distribution, home-entertainment and merchandising & licensing businesses.