Zen (TV series)

Zen
Series title with a picture of the character Zen
GenrePolice drama
Based onAurelio Zen
by Michael Dibdin
Written bySimon Burke
Peter Berry
Directed byJohn Alexander (Vendetta)
Christopher Menaul (Cabal)
Jon Jones (Ratking)
StarringRufus Sewell
Caterina Murino
Ben Miles
Catherine Spaak
Stanley Townsend
Ed Stoppard
Francesco Quinn
Anthony Higgins
Opening themeAdrian Johnston
ComposerAdrian Johnston
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Italy
Germany
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producersAndy Harries, Francis Hopkinson, Raffaella Bonivento, Rebecca Eaton, Anne Mensah
ProducerMichael Casey
Production locationRome
CinematographyTony Miller
Running time90 minutes
Production companiesLeft Bank Pictures, Mediaset, Masterpiece, ZDF
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release2 January (2011-01-02) –
16 January 2011 (2011-01-16)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Zen is a British television series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the BBC, co-produced with WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series, Mediaset and ZDF.[1] It stars Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino and is based on the Aurelio Zen detective novels by Michael Dibdin.[2] The series was filmed on location in Italy, but the dialogue is in English. The series, which comprises three 90-minute films, was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sunday evenings from 2 January 2011 on BBC One.[3] The three films were based on the books Vendetta (1990), Cabal (1992) and Ratking (1988).[4] The series was cancelled by BBC One in February 2011; BBC One controller Danny Cohen later said there were already enough male crime-fighters on TV.[5] Left Bank, the show's producer, tried to find other broadcasters to fund another series but were unsuccessful.[6]

  1. ^ Conlan, Tara (2 March 2011). "Zen could survive after being sold abroad". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Rufus Sewell confirmed to play Aurelio Zen for BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  3. ^ Vine, Richard (1 January 2011). "Zen and the art of Sunday night television scheduling". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Zen". Left Bank Pictures. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  5. ^ "BBC One controller to cull male crime-fighters". BBC. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  6. ^ Conlan, Tara (22 February 2011). "BBC1 axes Rufus Sewell detective drama Zen". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2011.