Welcome to the September issue of The Acorn TV Dispatch – and welcome to autumn.

In this month’s newsletter, we’re featuring Britain as the last stop in our Summer Destination series. We’ll start by taking a look at the police dramedy No Offence and its distinctive setting of Manchester in the north of England. The series characters are distinctive, too, and we’ve got a quiz so you can find out “Which No Offence character are you?”

You’ll also learn about the strange names UK city dwellers call themselves, celebrate the birthdays of two famous Brits, and much more. So, keep calm and carry on streaming!

In this issue:

Welcome to Manchester – and a cop comedy-drama with grit
This month’s quiz: Which No Offence character are you?
What the UK’s city-dwellers call themselves
Toasting the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie
Acorn TV Watchlist: Discover Toby Jones
Updates from the Acorn TV fan community
Answers to this month’s Ask Acorn TV question
Upcoming premieres on Acorn TV

No Offence Intended

Welcome to Manchester – and a cop comedy-drama with grit

The popular new Acorn TV series No Offence is irreverent, funny, and, at times, exhilaratingly anarchic. Those qualities (and more) make Manchester the ideal setting for the unique procedural dramedy – and according to The Guardian, “…each episode feels like a love-letter to the city and its people.” Read on for more on the so-called Rainy City and its rich TV heritage.

This Is Manchester

With its industrial past and working-class roots, “England’s second city” provides an edgy alternative to posh London. Fans of British TV are sure to be familiar with the dust and grit of Manchester as the backdrop to many TV programs and films, including Shameless, Supply & Demand, Crimson Petal and the White, No Offence, and more.

From the moment you see the old police station where much of the No Offence action unfolds, you know this is a different setting for a police show. It’s not New Scotland Yard in shiny London, but “a crumbling cop shop on the wrong side of Manchester.”

And like the characters in No Offence, Manchester can be a little rough around the edges. But that should come as no surprise – the Industrial Revolution began in this corner of Northwest England. Called the world’s first industrial city, Manchester grew at a phenomenal rate throughout the 1800s, thanks to textiles and coal. It also became one of Britain’s busiest ports, despite being about 40 miles inland, with the Manchester Ship Canal providing access to the Irish Sea.

Home turf

“No Offence is proud to be a Manchester drama,” says series producer Simon Meyers, who scouted many of the locations. “So we try to show the place as much as we can. We make it part of the identity of the show.” The acclaimed police drama was shot in and around the city, with many iconic locations appearing throughout the series.

Paul Abbott, creator of No Offence, is also no stranger to Manchester. The multi-award-winning writer, creator, and producer, who put the grey-skied city on the map nearly fifteen years ago with his long-running series Shameless, grew up in a housing estate just 28 miles from Manchester. Housing estates are where many of the locals live – but in Britain there’s a world of difference between a country estate (think a weekend getaway for Hercule Poirot) and a council estate (think U.S. housing project).

Manchester estates can be violent places, so when the motley crew of coppers from the Manchester Metropolitan Police – No Offence’s fictionalized version of Greater Manchester Police – are called out to the elegant-sounding “Charlbuty Estate” in Series 2, they brace themselves for trouble. And trouble is what they get.

Learning the local lingo

Elaine Cassidy (Acceptable Risk), who plays DC Dinah Kowalska in No Offence, is Irish but is married to Stephen Lord (Shameless, Penny Dreadful), who is from Manchester. Cassidy was intimidated by the prospect of putting on a Manchester accent for the role; as she told Express.co.uk, “…it was a bit daunting because my husband and all his family are from Salford, and I’ve been going up to Manchester for 11 years. So, if I butchered the accent, I’d have all his family going ‘yeah, well done, thanks a million’…”

In the series, you’ll hear a few words that might need explaining. One is the use of “pet” as a term of endearment. Another is “scran,” which is slang for food.

Eye of the beholder

One of the bright spots in this dreary city is Manchester United – one of the biggest, richest, and most famous soccer clubs in the world. Players from many other countries come to gray Manchester to play for United. One of them is the team’s Spanish goalkeeper. Unfortunately, his girlfriend was less than impressed with the city. She is said to have agreed it was “uglier than the back of a fridge.”

Mancunians did not react well to the remarks. Proud of his city’s history, nightlife, and cultural attractions, one city councilor hit back: “The only thing Manchester has in common with a fridge is that it’s really cool.”

So perhaps Manchester (last year voted the UK’s best city to live in – ahead of London) deserves another look. There must be something glittering beneath all that grime.

Manchester on screen

Top off your No Offence binge-watch with these episodes and series, each set or filmed in Manchester.

Crimson Petal & the White, a four-part BBC miniseries based on Michel Faber’s bestselling novel, is set in 1870s London and follows the fortunes of an ambitious and clever prostitute who longs for a better life. To capture the atmosphere of Victorian London, much of the miniseries was filmed in Manchester (look for the stunning Victorian gothic Manchester Town Hall courtyard).

In Episode 2 of Series 1 of The Hairy Bikers’ Pubs That Built Britain, professional cooks and travel buddies Si King and Dave Myers embark on a pub crawl through the heart of Manchester’s industrial revolution. Starting in Middleton, they learn about the political plotting that fomented in back rooms in the 1800s, then they visit a local brewery to discover why beer became popular in Britain.

Time Team follows a band of archaeologists, historians, surveyors, geophysicists, and other assorted experts determined to unearth mysteries concealed by topsoil and time. In Episode 3 of Series 9, Tony Robinson and the Time Team set to work uncovering Manchester’s first cotton mill, built by one of the fathers of the Industrial Revolution, Richard Arkwright.

**Which No Offence Character Are You?**

From the creator of Shameless, British cop drama No Offence is filled with some of Manchester’s toughest no-nonsense coppers. Who in this crack-team of cops do you relate to most? Click below to take the quiz, then share your results in the Acorn TV Fans Facebook Group!

TAKE THE QUIZ →

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Urban Britain

What the UK’s city dwellers call themselves

You know that residents of the UK’s capital city are called Londoners. That’s an easy one. But the residents of Britain’s other major cities have their own distinct names, too. These are less well known – and if you haven’t heard them before, some might sound a little odd.

Most people in the UK live in urban areas – more than 90 percent of them. Many have a strong association with their hometown or city. So it’s not surprising that the British have developed names for the inhabitants of particular urban centers across the country.

The locals in No Offence, for example, are known as Mancunians. This can be shortened to Mancs. A “plastic Manc” is a term of abuse for someone who supports the Manchester United soccer team but doesn’t live in the city and knows little about it.

At the other end of the Manchester Ship Canal you’ll find Scousers. That’s the name for residents of the port city of Liverpool. One theory is that the name comes from a type of stew called lobscouse (possibly of Norwegian origin) that was eaten by sailors. An alternative to “Scouser” is “Liverpudlian.”

People from the Newcastle area are known as Geordies. (DCI Vera Stanhope is a Geordie.) The name applies to those from a particular part of Northeast England. But it doesn’t extend as far as Sunderland, less than 50 miles away. The inhabitants of Sunderland are quick to point out that they are not Geordies, but Mackems.

Brummies are from Birmingham, which is the UK’s second-biggest urban center. This term comes from an informal and earlier name for the Midlands city: Brummagem. The biggest urban center north of the Scottish border is Glasgow. It’s filled with Glaswegians. This is sometimes shortened to “Weegies.”

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Toasting the Queen of Crime

Happy 128th Birthday!

This month also marks the birthday of another Acorn TV favorite – perhaps the greatest mystery writer of all time. She was christened Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller, sometimes went by the name of Mary Westmacott, and eventually became Lady Mallowan. But the world knows her as Agatha Christie, the “Queen of Crime.” September 15 is the 128th anniversary of her birth.

We’ve got two Christie collections to help you get acquainted with her. One contains some of her best-known titles – the other, titles that deserve to be! And for those of you who are already familiar with Christie, consider these a chance to reconnect with an old friend.

THE BEST OF AGATHA CHRISTIE COLLECTION

World-renowned as the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time, perennially winning new fans since the 1920s. In these television adaptations of her finest mysteries, star-studded casts and lavish period detail bring Christie’s work to life.

EXPLORE COLLECTION →

THE AGATHA CHRISTIE HOUR COLLECTION

From renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie come these tales of intrigue and romance set in Art Deco-era England. “An engrossing, mystery-lover’s treasure from beginning to end” (Library Bookwatch), these classic adaptations feature star-studded casts, including John Nettles (Midsomer Murders), Amanda Redman (The Good Karma Hospital, Honest), Stephanie Cole (Doc Martin), and Rupert Everett (The Far Pavilions, My Best Friend’s Wedding).

EXPLORE COLLECTION →

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Acorn TV Watchlist: Discover Toby Jones

You likely know him from the universally adored and critically acclaimed British comedy Detectorists, but the versatile Toby Jones has done it all. Celebrate the multifaceted actor’s birthday this month with the following Acorn TV picks.

Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Feature Film

Agatha Christie’s iconic mystery is brought to vivid life in this sumptuous adaptation featuring Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Barbara Hershey (Black Swan), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, The Commander), and more. David Suchet delivers another pitch-perfect performance as the iconic Belgian detective who solves a shocking murder on the luxurious train.

WATCH NOW →

CAPITAL, Miniseries

Based on John Lanchester’s bestselling novel, this complex and resonant drama starring Toby Jones and Rachael Stirling is a “beguiling” (The Daily Telegraph, UK) and “alarmingly recognizable” (The Times, UK) depiction of contemporary life in England’s capital city.

WATCH NOW →

THE SECRET AGENT, Miniseries

In this thrilling BBC adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s timeless novel, Golden Globe® nominee Toby Jones stars as Anton Verloc, an unassuming Soho shopkeeper. Unbeknownst to even his loyal wife, Winnie (Vicky McClure, Line of Duty), Verloc also works for the Russian embassy as a spy.

WATCH NOW →

Agatha Christie’s WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, Feature Film

An all-star cast including Kim Cattrall, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, and David Haig feature in this acclaimed TV movie based on Agatha Christie’s timeless murder mystery. Set in 1920s London, this sumptuous adaptation was praised for its “period flair” (Variety) and “surprisingly dark and twisty—and satisfying—ending” (The Hollywood Reporter).

WATCH NOW →

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Acorn TV Fan Community

Acorn TV Instagram Takeover

Sara Wiseman and Craig Hall of A Place to Call Home

Acorn TV recently invited A Place to Call Home cast members Sara Wiseman, who plays Carolyn Bligh, and Craig Hall, who plays Jack Duncan, to take over our Instagram Stories and answer questions from fans like you!

Be sure to follow Acorn TV on Instagram and watch our Stories for a closer look at the production and cast of your favorite shows. Go behind the scenes of Acorn TV — with #nofilter.

SEE THE INSTAGRAM STORY →

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Ask Acorn TV

Answers to common questions from Acorn TV fans

💭 I watched the first few episodes of A Place to Call Home Season 6 and can’t wait for more! When will the rest of the episodes be available?

The “instantly irresistible saga” (The Wall Street Journal) is back and exclusively streaming on Acorn TV. Episodes 1-3 are available now, and a new episode will be available Mondays, concluding with the series finale on Oct. 29.
And to celebrate the return of the addictive Aussie period drama, we’re giving fans the chance to share A Place to Call Home with family and friends by giving them 30 FREE days of access to world-class TV from Britain and beyond! Offer is limited to new members and promo code must be applied by Oct. 29.