Michael Weston and Stephen Mangan Headline the Cast of Global's New Original Supernatural Adventure Drama Houdini & Doyle

British/Canadian Co-Production from Big Talk Productions (U.K.) and Shaftesbury (Canada) to
Premiere on Global in Canada, ITV Encore in the UK and Fox in the US in 2016

Series Hails From Executive Producers David Titcher, David Hoselton,
And House Creator and Executive Producer David Shore;
Stephen Hopkins Joins as Series Director

TORONTO, June 24, 2015 /CNW/ - Michael Weston (Six Feet Under, House) and Stephen Mangan (Episodes) have been cast in the lead roles of Houdini & Doyle, a mystery adventure drama series scheduled to debut on Global in 2016. Inspired by true events, the series will draw heavily on the rich history of the period. Two great men of the 20th Century – Harry Houdini (Weston), master magician, escape artist and paranormal debunker; and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Mangan), prolific writer, creator of "Sherlock Holmes" and paranormal aficionado – grudgingly join forces to investigate unsolved and inexplicable crimes with a supernatural slant in collaboration with New Scotland Yard.

The 10-episode drama was ordered straight to series for ITV Encore in the UK and Global in Canada and licensed in the US on FOX. Award-winning director, Stephen Hopkins (24, Californication), will be directing the series.

Also joining the cast is breakout Canadian actress Rebecca Liddiard (Between, MsLabelled) as Constable Adelaide Stratton, whose character is the first female constable ever to work for the London Metropolitan Police Force.

"I've long been intrigued by both Houdini and Doyle; men who were ahead of their time, each fascinating in their own right. But the idea that these two, seemingly so different, could have been friends is almost too perfect." says David Shore, Executive Producer. "In Michael and Stephen, we have found two incredible actors that embody the intelligence, humor and mystique of these men, who even when viewed through the lens of history, are larger than life."

American television and film actor Michael Weston will play the role of Harry Houdini. Weston is best known for his roles on House and Six Feet Under. He has also appeared on Elementary, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Office and Burn Notice among others.  His feature film credits include Garden State, Wish I Was Here, The Dukes of Hazard and Coyote Ugly.

Stephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his television roles on Episodes, Green Wing and I'm Alan Partridge. He is an acclaimed stage actor, having been Tony-nominated for his portrayal of Norman in The Norman Conquests on Broadway. Mangan made his feature film debut in the hit movie Billy Elliot, appearing most recently on the big screen in Ron Howard's Rush.

Produced in association with Shaw Media, Houdini & Doyle is a UK/Canada treaty co-production from Big Talk Productions (U.K.) and Shaftesbury (Canada) in association with Shore Z Productions. The series is executive produced by David Shore, David Titcher (The Librarians) and David Hoselton along with Kenton Allen, Matthew Justice, Luke Alkin for Big Talk and Christina Jennings, Maggie Murphy, and Scott Garvie for Shaftesbury. The series is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@Global_TV
@ShawMediaTV_PR
@GlobalTV_PR

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/globaltelevision

Global Television is a Shaw Media Network.

About Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company. Shaw serves 3.2 million consumers and businesses through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw provides consumers with broadband Internet, WiFi, Digital Phone and Video services. Shaw Business provides businesses with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, Video and fleet tracking services, and ViaWest provides collocation, cloud and managed services. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging programming content through one of Canada's largest conventional television networks, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks, including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

About Shaftesbury
With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television and digital platforms, sold in 120 countries worldwide. Shaftesbury's slate includes David Shore's new series, Houdini & Doyle, for Sony Pictures Television, Shaw Media, ITV and Fox; horror anthology series Slasher for Chiller and Super Channel; nine seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; and hidden camera comedy series Fool Canada for CBC, starring Will Sasso. Shaftesbury's digital studio, Smokebomb Entertainment, produces convergent experiences for television and branded entertainment projects including the hit YouTube series Carmilla, funded by the U by Kotex^® brand; and fashion-focused series MsLabelled for Shaw Media and Schick^® Quattro for Women. Shaftesbury/Smokebomb recently launched shift2, an innovative brand agency that targets millennials on YouTube. Visit us online at http://shaftesbury.ca.

SOURCE Global Television

For media inquiries, please contact: Anne Vranic, Senior Publicist, Global Television, 416-934-6999, [email protected]; Ashley Applebaum, Publicity Manager, Global Television, 416-934-8481, [email protected]