Silver Spring, MD — Brimming with wit and Roaring Twenties flair, The Bretts: The Complete Collection arrives on DVD from Acorn Media on July 26, 2011, featuring all 19 episodes from Series 1 and 2 of this Masterpiece Theatre hit. Broadcast on PBS and ITV in the late 1980s, this classic series co-created by Upstairs, Downstairs writer Rosemary Anne Sisson follows Britain’s leading theatrical family as they navigate their complicated personal and professional lives. Hilarity, tragedy, and slapstick comedy ensue as the family attempts to adapt to their rapidly changing world. Norman Rodway (Reilly: Ace of Spies), Barbara Murray (The Pallisers), and David Yelland (David Copperfield) provide pitch-perfect performances, collected in this value-priced 6-disc collection ($59.99, 16 ¼ hours, www.AcornOnline.com).

The Bretts have ruled the London stage since the 1880s. Patriarch Charles (Norman Rodway) is a matinee idol and a womanizer. His wife, Lydia (Barbara Murray) is a glamorous star of musical comedies. Their five children include actors and a radical playwright, and their dramatic household is further enlivened by loyal but gossipy servants.

But now it’s the late 1920s, and times are changing. As talking pictures loom and Hollywood calls, the family buys a West End theatre to manage. The Bretts is a glimpse into the lives of a theatrical family whose most dramatic moments often occur at home.

Street Date: July 26, 2011
SRP: $59.99 DVD 6-Disc Set: 19 episodes – Approx. 16 ¼ hrs. – British drama – SDH subtitles

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

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 must-see new series Garrow’s Law, Reggie Perrin, Wired, Identity, and Single-Handed; more episodes from Doc Martin, Murphy’s Law, Marple, 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. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.