“ …DI Ray, cop and show, that is, deserves to be a success….”
– The Independent
Arlington, VA – January 24, 2023 – Fresh, relevant and thought-provoking, “DI Ray,” executive produced by Jed Mercurio (“Line of Duty”) and starring Parminder Nagra (“The Blacklist,” “Bend it Like Beckham”) introduces viewers to Leicester-born Rachita Ray, a police officer who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage. The gripping four-part series, set in Birmingham, England, will premiere on the PBS app for viewers with PBS Passport, an added member benefit which provides extended access to a digital, on-demand library of PBS programs, and the PBS MASTERPIECE Prime Video Channel, on February 20, 2023.
The subscription rate for the PBS MASTERPIECE Prime Video Channel is $5.99/month with an Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription. The series will also have its broadcast premiere on Sunday, July 9, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app.
During its UK broadcast, “DI Ray” received critical praise for its updated take on the formulaic crime thriller, “A police procedural with a fresh perspective…” cheered The Guardian, and National World commended “…a clever blend of thoughtful character study with an engaging police procedural, worth watching for its lead alone.”
Nagra is joined by a highly-talented cast including Gemma Whelan (“Game of Thrones”), as her boss DCI Kerry Henderson, Jamie Bamber (“Battlestar Galactica”) as DI Martyn Hunter who is also Ray’s fiancé, and Maanuv Thiara (“Landscapers”) as PS Tony Khatri, Rachita’s partner.
DI Ray
Rachita receives the promotion she’s been waiting for when she’s asked to join a homicide investigation. However, on her first day she’s told the murder to which she’s been assigned is a ‘Culturally Specific Homicide.’ Rachita’s heart sinks – she suspects she’s a ‘token appointment’, chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Rachita sticks to the case, determined to both find the killer and call out the obvious biases her colleagues are bringing to the investigation. And it’s far from easy. The case isn’t a run-of-the-mill murder; it involves delving deep into the dangerous world of organized crime. Rachita is more than up for the task, but what she didn’t count on is what this case stirs up inside her; the realization that she’s been burying a personal identity crisis her whole life.
Episode One
DI Rachita Ray is promoted to homicide but realizes instantly she is a token hire and that the so called ‘culturally specific homicide’ she is assigned to, is anything but.
Episode Two
Rachita and the team race to track down Anjuli Kapoor making more than one grim discovery in the process. This is no honor crime.
Episode Three
The body count continues to rise as Rachita and the team uncover more evidence leading them to believe they are dealing with highly dangerous organized criminals.
Episode Four
Rachita makes a shocking discovery which has a huge impact on both her investigation and her personal life.
About PBS Passport
PBS Passport is a member benefit available from participating PBS stations that gives eligible donors and supporters extended access to an on-demand library of quality public television programming online or within the PBS app. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
About PBS MASTERPIECE Prime Video Channel
MASTERPIECE has been setting the standard for exceptional British drama in the US for 50 years and the PBS MASTERPIECE Prime Video Channel continues this legacy and has expanded to include award-winning TV series from around the world.
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About MASTERPIECE
Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys® and 18 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans since 1971. Susanne Simpson is the executive producer and Rebecca Eaton is the executive producer-at-large for the series. Series funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking Cruises, Raymond James, The MASTERPIECE Trust, and public television viewers. Produced for PBS by GBH Boston, MASTERPIECE is known for hits such as All Creatures Great and Small, Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Victoria, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark.
About WALTER PRESENTS
Walter Presents launched January 2016 in the U.K. as a video-on-demand service, founded by Jason Thorp, Walter Iuzzolino and Jo McGrath. Dedicated to showcasing award winning foreign language drama, the service is named after its curator, Walter Iuzzolino, a passionate drama fan. In March 2017, Walter Presents launched as an SVOD platform in the U.S., with the New York Times hailing it as a “chic TV boutique with a foreign accent.” Walter Presents launched in Italy September 2018, its first roll-out in mainland Europe, on Discovery’s Nove, Giallo and Dplay channels. In October 2018 Walter Presents partnered with PBS Distribution in the US, to make premium foreign language drama available on PBS Masterpiece on the Amazon Prime Video channel. Additionally, select top-tier titles chosen by PBS are also broadcast on PBS stations and streaming on PBS Passport, a digital member benefit available through local stations. In February 2019 Walter Presents increased its US distribution further launching on Comcast Xfinity X1 and later in June Walter Presents launched on the Roku Channel. In 2019 Walter Presents teamed up with Medialaan to make the service available to Flemish audiences on their newly launched digital channel StreamZ, and also joined forces with S4C to make its dramas available in Welsh. In 2020 we partnered with TVNZ on their VOD service, launched Walter Presents in Russia exclusively on Start, Russia’s fastest growing SVOD platform, and launched our channel on PBS Masterpiece in Canada. In 2021 Walter Presents partnered with Australia’s largest streaming service, Stan, and launched in Latin America with market leader DMD’s streaming service Cindie. From 2022 we will be available on C More in Scandinavia with over 500 hours of content.
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About PBS DISTRIBUTION
PBS Distribution is a leading distributor of public media content around the world, entertaining audiences across platforms and formats. The company, a joint venture of PBS and GBH Boston, provides premium content through multiple digital channels and video services. PBS Distribution operates six subscription streaming channels — PBS Masterpiece (US and CA), PBS KIDS, PBS Living, PBS Documentaries and PBS America (U.K.) as well as numerous Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) Channels in the U.S and U.K. In addition, the company reaches viewers through Transactional Video-on-Demand (TVOD), Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) licensing, Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD), DVD and Blu-ray, theatrical releasing, educational platforms, non-theatrical and inflight sales, and serves broadcasters and producers providing program sales and co-production financing.
PBS Distribution offers consumers and educators the highest quality factual, scripted, and children’s programming including films from Ken Burns, hit series from MASTERPIECE and foreign language dramas from Walter Presents, entertaining and educational PBS KIDS series, and award-winning documentaries from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and many independent producers. For over 10 years, the company has extended the reach of programming beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system, stations, and producers.