Vienna Blood: (Vienna Blood 2)

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I suppose to some extent, my own personal experience of coming from essentially an immigrant family seeped into the writing, although that’s something I only realised on reflection. It wasn't something I was necessarily conscious of at the time of writing. My real name is Francesco de Nato Napolitano which doesn't really fit on the side of a book, so I changed it and anglicised it. I don't have an English drop of blood in my body. I’m 100% Southern Italian. Vienna Blood is set in 1900s Vienna: a hotbed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas play out in the city’s grand cafes and opera houses. All we know up to Season Two is that Oskar had a sad past with his wife and his late daughter. In Season Three, we’ll experience Oskar from another side. I think he's a straightforward, protective man who just wants to be with somebody he can love, adore and protect. He wouldn't go and search for a date, but if it falls into his lap, as we say, I think he would take it. And there might be someone showing up in Season Three which is very exciting for me! The first is that Max and Oskar have both moved on in their personal lives. Max has started his own private practice - emulating Freud very much, he’s now taking private clients for psychoanalysis sessions. When we met him in the first series he was just working in the hospital, now he has his own private practice. And that gives us some really good drama because in the first episode of the new series he has his first private patient and it’s his patient who’s involved in the murder. So you can see Max’s world expanding.

Max Liebermann is the star of this series, which is from the crime, history, and psychology genres of fiction. Frank Tallis, who writes the series, is a clinical psychologist, uses his expertise in the psychology field to write the books. He is a psychoanalytic detective in Vienna, Austria, at the turn of the twentieth century. I'm trying to bring in the cultural situation in which our stories take place, the politics and the art of the day and the interrelation between the characters. Because without that, I think it would be just another police drama. When a famous film star dies during the premiere of her new film, Max and Oskar's investigation gets them embroiled in the dark underbelly of stardom and far-right politics. [5] We have three more compelling stories written by the incredible Steve Thompson and once again inspired by the world Frank Tallis created in his Liebermann novels. With Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer heading our fantastic international cast and Robert Dornhelm weaving his directorial vision we have been spoiled. We look forward to revisiting the love and warmth of the Liebermann family and new adventures with our duo Max and Oskar." Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, VP Scripted Acquisitions & Co-Productions at Red Arrow Studios International says: “It’s such a pleasure working with MR Film, Endor Productions and the entire creative Vienna Blood team, who continue to outdo themselves each season with gripping new crime cases and more sumptuous locations that fans of the show have come to expect. We can’t wait to bring this much- anticipated new season to viewers around the world.”

Juergen Maurer (Oskar Rheinhardt)

The series is set between the years of 1902 and 1914. This was a busy time of unprecedented activity in at least three areas. These areas are the arts, philosophy, and science. Filmed in English and on location in Vienna and Budapest, season three is directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) and stars Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game, Dracula, Avenue 5) as Max Liebermann, and Juergen Maurer (Vorstadtweiber, Tatort) as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt. I think the most wonderful thing about Vienna Blood is returning to work with the same colleagues again. So, for example, the relationship I have with Juergen who plays Oskar, I've never had with any actor, ever in my life. Because I've never worked with someone for that long. We've known each other for four years and that allows you to build both an off-screen relationship and an on-screen relationship that you can't really get other than through spending so much time together. We work together so in sync now. It's that classic ‘finish each other’s sentences off’ thing. Vienna Blood season 3 begins on BBC2 on Wednesday 14 December at 9 pm. It will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Meanwhile, Max and Clara shared a moment in the final scenes of the previous series so it will be interesting to see if that goes anywhere.

Deadly Communion: (Liebermann Papers 5), Arrow Books, ISBN 978-0099519720; U.S. title: Vienna Twilight, Random House, ISBN 978-0812981001 Hilary Bevan Jones, Managing Director of Endor Productions, comments: “To have had the pleasure of filming in the magical city of Vienna for a second series was such a treat, a real feast for the eyes, not only for us as programme makers but - we hope - for our viewers too. The clothes that Rachel Lieberman wears, because of her social class, are clothes you need help to get into. You couldn’t corset yourself or button yourself up so it’s a whole window into that kind of life; a life with servants and that hierarchical structure.And Leah is making her voice heard. It was great putting Leah at the centre of the Liebermann business. The dynamic between her and her father is so beautifully played by the two actors. It's really nice to see it. And Max is enormously relieved that Leah has taken over his role in the family business and his father isn't going to nag him anymore!” It’s a whole different side of life. And I think any father would worry about his son in this situation. But funnily enough, in these three films, Mendel gets involved a little more in Max and Oskar's work. It's a bit of a departure for him.

Any film that I do which is a period movie has to have relevance for today’s problems. If that’s not the case we wasted an opportunity. Yes, it’s nice to see beautiful costumes and Vienna at the turn of the century and recreate all that stuff. But without learning something for today’s problems it’s a pointless journey. During the shoot my composer works parallel to me. He gets the dailies, I talk to him and he delivers, rough thematic pieces and we cut to his music often to his surprise, because my editor, Klaus Hundsbichler is also a composer and a musician himself. So, we're in good hands in that department. I always need music before I start shooting. It is absolutely essential for me. We whistle along as we cut and play. It was good because I had someone else’s work to refer to, and used it to inform what I was doing which I liked. Jess played Amelia as quite a reserved character. She held her cards close to her chest. At the same time she was quite independent and confident. My on-screen family consists of Conleth Hill, who plays my papa; Amelia Bullmore plays mamma and Matthew Beard plays the ‘one and only’ Max Liebermann.

I think psychoanalysis is a bit of a burden in the sense that Max has the tools but there are still certain places he doesn't want to explore about himself psychologically. But a gift in that it's a skill that Oskar and the police department at that time don't have so he's able to make himself useful. Each book in the series takes us to a different side of Vienna. In this second series we get monastic life, a high-class hotel and the world of imperial politics. What elements are you looking for when you decide on the settings of your books?

As we leave Max and Oskar in the first season Max asks what the next case will be - so Max is hoping that he’ll still be able to be involved in criminal investigations. He then goes off to form his own private practice and starts seeing patients. But I think is quite relieved when Oskar appears and asks for some help because he secretly misses the thrill of the crime scenes. That’s an interesting question, because Rachel, Mendel and Leah Liebermann are slightly pretending that something dark and difficult isn’t coming, which is this rising wave of anti-semitism. But it is. Max is the one in the family who says, "Look, look this is coming and you need to pay attention to it".

Luise Von Finckh (Clara Weiss)

Max (20s) lean, attractive, is a middle-class English Jew who moved to Austria in his teens. As a junior doctor Max fell under the spell of the new science of the day and studied neurology. Fixated by the idea of analysing psychopaths at close hand, Max convinced the Viennese police to let him observe their work, and paired up with Oskar Rheinhardt. The whole British acting department is like being able to play on a Stradivarius. You cannot make a wrong tone. The instrument (the actors) is always perfect. You can just touch on it and you change the tune - but they’re always in sync with what we are trying to do and that’s wonderful. Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm, co-managing directors of MR Film, say: “The thrilling journey of Max Liebermann and Oscar Reinhardt is ready to continue. In three fantastic new episodes we will watch Max getting more and more involved in his love life alongside his strong friendship with Oscar, who is finally ready to be confronted with his past." That’s at the same time easy and hard to answer. It has everything good entertainment should have. It has brilliant texts. Steve Thompson is an amazing writer. It has the vision of the old Vienna, which is overwhelming I think. And it has crime and a comic relief also. I think it’s entertainment in the best meaning of the word. Vienna Blood was my first production during the pandemic. The production team and cast were already into it by the time I got there. It felt like a well-oiled machine for something that was a very new experience for all of us. I’ve nothing to compare it to but it felt like the very best experience you could have during a bad experience, if that makes sense. It was so well handled. The Covid team was great and the producers were all great so you didn’t feel unsafe. I felt very safe and taken care of.