If an American needs any further excuse to sit down and watch a British drama, Mobile is it. Mobile will convince you.

A seeming madman starts blowing up cellphone towers all over England and shooting people in cold blood simply because they were talking on their mobile phones — messages graffitied nearby proclaim the phones to be the work of the devil.

The four-part series brings together three main interlocking plots. A former telecom engineer with a terminal brain tumor comes under suspicion for the bombings. The plot then turns to two executives, Sir James Corson (Keith Allen) and David West (Michael Kitchen) who take turns trying to ruin each other’s careers. Enter Maurice Stoan (Jamie Draven) a former army sharpshooter who misses out on his chance to become a third generation warrior (the 2003 invasion of Iraq — perfect parallel to modern history) when his wife and child are killed by a hit-and-run driver, sending him home on bereavement leave.

The three plots culminate in the fourth and final episode. It’s explosive. It’s dramatic. It’s got guns, sex and betrayal. You just know some American film company is going to steal the plot and make an awful Hollywood movie out of it.

Before that happens, you need to watch Mobile.

Mobile’s stars — British veterans Kitchen (Foyle’s War) and Allen (BBC America’s Robin Hood) and a younger up and coming Jamie Draven — perform their roles with typical British dramatic perfection. Two female costars may be familiar to Americans — Samantha Bond (Moneypenny in the Pierce Brosnan Bond films), as the wife of the telecom executive and Julie Graham (Bonekickers, At Home with the Braithwaites) as the wife of the engineer.

The 2007 series was a big TV hit in the U.K. but has never been seen publicly in the United States yet. Mobile won a Silver World Medal at the 2008 New York Festivals International Television Broadcasting Awards.

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 2 of the popular television series based on the fiction of bestselling British crime-writer Ruth Rendell was released on DVD Oct. 23.

From Acorn Media: “One of the most honored, prolific, and critically acclaimed modern crime writers, Rendell has been called this era’s "Queen of Crime." In these six tales of suspense, Rendell examines the jealousies, betrayals, and resentments that lead to tragedy. A stellar cast brings each story off the page and onto the screen with all of the author’s delicious irony and intrigue intact. Featured actors in Set 2 include James D’Arcy (Master and Commander), Honeysuckle Weeks (Foyle’s War), and Alexis Denisof (TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The mysteries aired in syndication on public television in the 1990s.”

Episodes::

Bribery & Corruption—Young Nicholas Hawthorne (James D’Arcy) has a crush on a married woman with whom his widowed father has begun a secret affair. Then she winds up murdered.

Front Seat—Cecily Branksome (Janet Suzman) opens old wounds by nosing into a long-resolved murder in her childhood hometown—to the growing annoyance of her husband Hugh (Edward Hardwicke).

A Case of Coincidence—When a surgeon’s wife turns up murdered, Inspector Masters (Keith Barron) and Chief Inspector Moore (Ronald Pickup) face increased pressure to bring a serial killer to justice.

A Dark Blue Perfume—Newly widowed Liz (Susannah York) rediscovers life and love with a troubled man who has a mysterious past.

May & June—Since childhood, May Thrace (Phoebe Nicholls) has resented her sister June (Christine Kavanagh)—especially when they compete for the same man’s affections.

The Orchard Walls—Sent to the country to escape war-ravaged London, a young girl (Honeysuckle Weeks) discovers the adult world’s dark secrets. Co-starring Alexis Denisof.

Released: October 23
MSRP: $49.99
DVD 3-Vol. Boxed Set: 6 episodes — Ranging from 50 to 105 minutes each
SPECIAL FEATURES: Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies.