![]() ![]() The Trust gives donors the opportunity to support their local PBS station and also "secure the future of superb British drama.invest upfront in the development of new scripts and programs, and grow the series both on-air and online". In 2011 Eaton launched the Masterpiece Trust as a fundraising initiative, in collaboration with WGBH Boston. The current series producer, Rebecca Eaton, took over in 1985 after Wilson's death from cancer. From 2004 to 2008, it was broadcast without a host. Cooke appeared for two decades until 1992 native Baltimorean, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and longtime columnist for The New York Times, Russell Baker (1925–2019), was next and hosted for over a decade from 1992 to 2004. The series was hosted by British-American broadcaster and author / journalist Alistair Cooke (1908–2004), who initially had been reluctant to take the role. The working title for the series had been The Best of the BBC, which was changed to Masterpiece Theatre before the first broadcast, with Sarson insisting upon the British spelling for Theatre. ĭecisions on the format of the show were finalized and the series premiered on January 10, 1971, with the first episode of The First Churchills. He and several other men, including Frank Marshall, met in London and made a selection of programs to be broadcast. Schmertz was able to gain funding for the show, and with Joan Wilson of WGBH-TV bought the US distribution rights for fifty hours of British dramas for about $1 million per year. In looking for an underwriter for the series, Calderwood eventually met with Herb Schmertz of Mobil Corporation. ![]() Suggestions for the series format came from, among others, Frank Gillard in the UK and Christopher Sarson in the US. The success of the broadcast of the 1967 version of The Forsyte Saga on NET (the precursor of PBS) led Stanford Calderwood, then serving as president of WGBH, to investigate whether the BBC would sell programs to the station. In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #3 in its list of the 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time and #16 in its list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time. One of television's most honored series, the various shows aired on Masterpiece have won numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards. In 2000, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the show, it presented Masterpiece: The American Collection, nine works by American writers, including Thornton Wilder's Our Town, starring Paul Newman. In 1980, Masterpiece gained a sister series, Mystery!, featuring a mix of contemporary and classic British detective and crime series, such as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, and Touching Evil. In the late 1970s, the opening video switched to views of antique books and other literary artifacts, many of which titles had been dramatized on the program. It was recorded in 1954 by Vogue Records in Paris, France, and was later remastered in stereo and re-released by Nonesuch Records in the 1960s.ĭuring the first seasons in the 1970s, the theme music accompanied varying closeup shots of a waving British flag, which panned out into a still image of a British flag on a staff serving as the P in "Masterpiece". The theme was performed by Collegium Musicum de Paris. ![]() The theme music played during the opening credits is the Fanfare-Rondeau from Suite of Symphonies for brass, strings and timpani No. More recent popular titles include Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga, Sherlock, and Downton Abbey. Other programs presented on the series include The Six Wives of Henry VIII Elizabeth R I, Claudius Upstairs, Downstairs The Duchess of Duke Street The Citadel The Jewel in the Crown Reckless House of Cards Traffik, and Jeeves and Wooster. The first title to air was The First Churchills, starring Susan Hampshire as Sarah Churchill. Masterpiece is known for presenting adaptations of novels and biographies, but it also shows original television dramas. Many of these are produced by the BBC, but the line-up has also included programs shown on the UK commercial channels ITV and Channel 4. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. Masterpiece (formerly known as Masterpiece Theatre) is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. David Tennant ( Masterpiece Contemporary, 2009).Laura Linney ( Masterpiece Classic, 2009).Matthew Goode ( Masterpiece Contemporary, 2008).Gillian Anderson ( Masterpiece Classic, 2008). ![]()
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