As we sit through the first day of some outstanding BBC program offers at the 2013 BBC Syndication Showcase in New Orleans, the big news wasn’t only the brilliant comedy, drama, natural history and documentary programming that will be available to public television stations in 2014. There was news for fans of a current police procedural that has to represent some of the best television on television.

A fourth series of the brilliant detective show SCOTT AND BAILEY has now been commissioned. While no information has been released about storylines, we do know that series 4 will consist of 6 episodes (as opposed to earlier series which had 8 episodes). In addition, filming is tentatively set to begin in Spring 2014 with a potential delivery date of Autumn 2014 with all the main cast returning.
 

Besides reprising her role as the no-nonsense DCI Gill Murray who keeps the team under control in spite of the pressures she faces at work and in her home life, Amelia Bullmore will write four of the scripts for the new series.

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In the comedy genre, the offerings were both laugh-out-loud funny and plenty. Fans of British comedy on public television can look for the possibility of Twenty Twelve, Spy and Moone Boy coming your way in 2014. From a drama standpoint, the standout offering already running on a number of stations is the quintessentially English mystery/drama series, Father Brown, starring Mark Williams of Harry Potter fame. Also in the drama pipeline, new seasons of Scott and Bailey, DCI Banks, Death in Paradise and newcomer, Frankie, starring Eve Myles from Torchwood.

If you are a fan of British telly, 2014 is looking good on both sides of the pond.