-- Stars Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer to Revive Popular Characters --
New York, NY -- April 11, 2005 -- PBS and DLT Entertainment announced today that two new specials based on the hit series AS TIME GOES BY, starring Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, will be broadcast this fall on PBS. The shows were produced in London last month by DLT Entertainment and its sister company, The Theatre of Comedy. The series, on which these specials are based, has been popular on Britain's BBC and PBS stations since it originated in 1992.
"We were so pleased to be able to reunite Judi, Geoffrey and the rest of the cast to produce these specials and now the fans will be able to enjoy the shows on PBS," said Don Taffner, Jr., Vice President, DLT Entertainment.
The new specials, written by Bob Larbey (A Fine Romance) and produced and directed by Syd Lotterby, pick up some time after the original series left off and reveal Jean Pargetter's (Dench) great anticipation for grandchildren much to husband Lionel's (Palmer) dismay. With son-in-law Alistair and daughter Judy having problems things don't look too promising especially when it's left to Lionel to convince Alistair to visit the doctor for some tests. But will Jean's dream of becoming a grandmother come true when Sandy and her husband Harry return from Canada?
"The combination of great new storylines, the return of a stellar cast and more smart fun is bound to be a hit with the PBS audience," said John F. Wilson, Sr. Vice President, PBS Programming.
The deal also gives PBS the North American home video/DVD rights to the two programs.
DLT Entertainment Ltd. is a New York and London based company engaged in every aspect of television distribution and production in US, the UK and around the world, as well as stage production in the US and in the UK.
PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 349 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet, averaging more than 30 million unique visits and 380 million page views per month in 2004. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
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CONTACT:
For DLT:
Henri Bollinger, Bollinger Associates, 818-784-0534; henri@bollingerpr.com
Carrie Johnson, PBS, 703/739-5129; cjohnson@pbs.org