PRESS RELEASE:

The year is 1817 and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sharpe, fresh from the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, has accepted a perilous new mission in British India - to rescue a missing British agent who had been investigating a rebellious maharaja. Unbeknownst to the English, the uprising is being instigated by the beautiful but treacherous Madhuvanthi, who toys with Sharpe and his comrades in a secluded fortress where the rebellion is afoot.

In the latest adaptation of the best-selling novel series by Bernard Cornwell, KUED presents Masterpiece Classic Sharpe's Challenge, beginning Sunday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m. "Sharpe was the hero of my first novel back in 1980, and he's still going strong," says Cornwell, who has written 24 historical books based on the adventures of Colonel Sharpe. "I'm delighted that he has made it through the Napoleonic Wars and is still behaving badly - except now in India!"

Colonel Richard Sharpe, played by Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings), is a free spirit and a born fighter who was an elite member of the 95th Rifles, a special unit of advanced-guards in the British Army. Daragh O'Malley joins Bean as Sharpe's best friend, Sergeant Major Patrick Harper. Padma Lakshmi (Emmy-nominated host of "Top Chef") guest stars as the beautiful Madhuvanthi.

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