Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen Are Back For Season 2 of the Critically Acclaimed Comedy, "VICIOUS" August 23, 2015 on PBS

Stars Named 2015 Grand Marshals of NYC Pride March on June 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, VA; May 4, 2015 - PBS announced today that the second season of ITV's acclaimed British sitcom VICIOUS is returning to PBS on Sunday, August 23, 2015, at 10:30 p.m. ET. The six-part series will round out PBS' must-see Sunday night programming.

VICIOUS returns with Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi) delivering more biting remarks, snide comments and cruel asides. Joined by friends Violet (Frances de la Tour), Ash (Iwan Rheon), Penelope (Marcia Warren), Mason (Philip Voss) and surprise guest characters, the men embark on another season of humorous mishaps, hideous break-ups and heart-warming make-ups.

"PBS is excited to bring the series back for another hilarious and snarky season said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. "Ian and Derek's undeniable chemistry and feisty wit truly make the show easy to love... even when it's 'vicious'."

Leading up to the premiere of Season 2, on June 28, 2015, McKellen and Jacobi will serve as Grand Marshals of New York City's 46th Annual Pride March, the largest gay pride parade in the United States. Joining them as Grand Marshals are J. Christopher Neal, a New York artist and leader of FluidBiDesign, and Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, co-founder of the first Uganda Pride celebration. McKellen and Jacobi will also be speaking at the NYC Pride Rally on June 26 to kick off the weekend's festivities. See the two talk about their participation in a special video message.

Gary Janetti ("Will & Grace," "Family Guy") is the creator, showrunner and executive producer of VICIOUS, which is also produced by Gary Reich ("How Not to Live Your Life," "Three Non Blondes") and directed by Ed Bye ("Absolutely Fabulous," "Home Again"). VICIOUS is a production of Brown Eyed Boy in association with Kudos and Nickelby Inc.

Shine International represents VICIOUS, holding the international distribution rights.

VICIOUS, Season 2 full episodes will be available for online streaming on PBS Video for 30 days after each national broadcast.

About PBS

PBS, with its over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 103 million people through television and over 33million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices.

About Shine International

Shine international, the international sales and distribution division of Shine Group, is one of the world's leading independent distributors of content with a catalogue of over 4,500 hours of high-quality scripted and unscripted programming from both third party producers and Shine Group's collection of production companies. These include the award-winning UK based Kudos (scripted), Dragonfly (factual), Princess Productions (entertainment and multi-genre), Shine TV (factual and factual entertainment) and Lovely Day and Brown Eyed Boy (scripted); eponymous established production businesses Shine America, Shine Australia, Shine France, Shine Germany and Shine Iberia alongside Shine Nordics (formerly Metronome Film & Television), the Nordic region's largest production group. Shine International specializes in the distribution of both finished programming and is a leader in the licensing of format rights including MasterChef (now produced in over 50 territories), The Biggest Loser and One Born Every Minute, and has been voted number one worldwide TV distributor by its peers in the Broadcast Magazine Distributors Survey for two consecutive years, 2013 and 2014, and awarded Best International Programme Sales for Broadchurch in 2014.

About ITV

ITV, the commissioning broadcaster of VICIOUS, is the largest commercial television network in the UK. ITV's broadcasting business is made up of ITV, the largest commercial channel in the country, and the UK's leading portfolio of digital channels - ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CITV, ITV Encore and ITVBe. Annually ITV invests around �1 billion in content for its broadcast channels and ITV.com. ITV is the home of high-quality, popular television, from the biggest entertainment events to original drama and comedies, soaps, sport, factual series and independent news, both national and regional.

About Brown Eyed Boy

Brown Eyed Boy opened its doors on May 27, 2002. The company was set up by maverick producer Gary Reich after he left the BBC and Chrysalis Entertainment, where he had been a comedy executive for a number of years. Their aim is to make innovative mainstream shows that bring together surprising established and breaking talent, both on and off screen, drawn from a global playing field. They pride themselves on their sense of mischief. Brown Eyed Boy is responsible for multiple award-winning returning series for BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Reich was extremely proud when Brown Eyed Boy joined the Shine Group in June 2010 and to work closely with his friends at Kudos.