An unjustly accused hero, a feisty heroine, a mysterious code, a cross-country pursuit—all have become clichés of film and fiction. And all were popularized by John Buchan’s archetypal spy novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, published in 1915. They’re brought to vibrant life in this adaptation, which is more faithful to the novel than to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film adaptation. Rupert Penry-Jones (Persuasion) brings James Bond–style charm to the role of a young man plunged into a German plot to invade England. Sunday, Feb. 28, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
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