Programming highlights for 2004-2005.
NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Antiques Roadshow
(Network Premiere) Sept 8 at 8pm ET
Take a peek behind the scenes of this PBS appraisal series. Host Laura Spencer and travelling antique experts unlock the mysteries surrounding family heirlooms, yard sale bargains and trash pile plunder, revealing which treasures are actually worth a fortune.
Barbarians
(Canadian Premiere) Jan. 2005
Aided by cinematic re-creations, Barbarians recounts the astonishing sagas of the Vikings, Goths, Mongols and Huns.
Savage tribes who hurl themselves repeatedly against the bastions of civilization, barbarians are violent forces from the dark beyond. Aided by cinematic recreations, this series recounts the astonishing sagas of the Vikings, Goths, Mongols and Huns.
Crime Stories
(Broadcast Premiere) Sept. 20 at 9pm ET
Recreation of David Snow’s crimes
This History Television original series takes viewers behind the scenes of some of the most intriguing crimes in Canadian history. First-hand accounts, in addition to dramatic re-enactments, news footage, clippings and photographs paint a comprehensive picture of what really happened during some of Canada’s highest profile crimes.
Crime Team
(North American Premiere) Sept. 14 at 8pm ET
This British series sets out to solve fascinating and chilling crimes from history. In each episode, two celebrities are confronted with a murder from the past. Using only the evidence available to the police at the time, they have just three days to find out who the killer was. Beginning their investigation at the actual murder scene, the duo must immerse themselves in the history of the place and the period, consult experts, chas e leads and rule out red herrings in order to complete a thorough investigative process and name their murderer.
For King and Country
(Broadcast Premiere) Nov. 8 at 9pm ET
Join military historian Norm Christie in this original documentary series, as he travels to Canadian battlefields, monuments and cemeteries throughout the world. Christie will guide viewers through the Second World War from the point of view of ordinary soldiers, who tell their stories in their own words. For King and Country will premiere as part of History Television’s annual Week of Remembrance.
Medieval Monarchs
(Network Premiere) Jan. 2005
Outspoken historian Dr. David Starkey takes a dramatic journey through the history of the British monarchy. From the chaos of the Dark Ages to the brutal murder of Richard II, Starkey covers everyone from Alfred the Great and Shakespeare’s Kings to the reigns of three Edwards.
Royal Deaths and Diseases
(North American Premiere) Dec. 5 at 8pm ET
From madness and war wounds to the struggles to conceive an heir, this series investigates how royal doctors and medicine have changed the course of British history. The four-part Royal Deaths and Diseases investigates the fate of Richard the Lionheart and examines how clinical depression, acute schiz ophrenia and royal misbehaviour have altered the image of the monarchy.
Russia Land of the Tsars
(Canadian Premiere) Nov. 29 at 9pm ET
Examine the leaders of Russia from the Viking invasion in 862 AD to the Communist Revolution in 1918 AD. This series profiles the development of anation, the process and consequences of introducing new political ideas, and the pivotal role of opposition movements in historical change.
SAS: Are You Tough Enough?
(Canadian Premiere) Sept. 30 at 8pm ET
In this hard-hitting BBC reality series, 29 civilian volunteers are challenged to prove that they are tough enough to survive the gruelling initiation to the British Army’s legendary SAS (Special Air Services) division. Known for its relentless rigour, the SAS training regime is the ultimate physical and mental challenge designed specifically to break people down, in simulation of what SAS members might actually endure during tough missions. After each challenge, contestants are eliminated until only the toughest are left. Which volunteer will crack first?
Snipers
(Canadian Premiere) Jan. 2005
They are the most feared and hated men on the battlefield, silent assassins who can kill with a single shot from miles away. Examine how these highly skilled marksmen deliver swift death – with surgical precision and without warning – and learn why snipers are the most hunted enemies in a given conflict.
Tactical to Practical
(Canadian Premiere) Sept. 6 at 8pm ET
Setting the stage for high-action, high-tech and high-adventure with a unique fast-paced approach to military and historical storytelling, Tactical to Practical explores the innovations developed for combat that have evolved into useful tools for civilian life. Hunter Ellis, a former navy fighter pilot and tribe member in Survivor: Marquesas hosts this series.
Zero Hour
(Broadcast Premiere) Nov. 15 at 9pm ET
A re-enactment of the tragedy at Columbine High School in Zero Hour. Actors Ben Johnson and Josh Young portray Dyland Klebold and Eric Harris.
This dynamic original series dramatizes the final hour leading up to several pivotal historical events, tracking happenings as they unfold, minute by minute. Using a real-time clock and a split-screen to follow key players, the series reveals the chilling lead-up to events that changed the world including the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, 9/11 and the Columbine shooting.
DOCUMENTARIES
Diana: The Night She Died
(Network Premiere) Sept. 7 at 8pm ET
This fascinating exploration into the failings of the early investigation into the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana, Dodi Al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul examines claims that the report is fundamentally flawed. The U.K.-produced documentary argues that much of the evidence needed to establish the truth has been covered up.
Escape From Iran
(Broadcast Premiere) Oct. 30 at 8pm ET
This History Television original documentary chronicles the escape of six Americans from Tehran in 1980, after militants attacked the American Embassy.
Jack the Ripper: The Whitechapel Murders
(Canadian Premiere) Nov. 9 at 8pm ET
This investigation into the identity of London’s most famous killer chronicles how he managed to baffle Scotland Yard for decades. An American doctor, with a proven hatred of women, emerges as one of the prime suspects when a bloodsoaked shirt is found in his room and investigators conclude that the murders stopped upon his departure from England.
King of Stonehenge
(Canadian Premiere) Sept. 15 at 9pm ET
This one-hour documentary follows the investigation of a Bronze Age burial site – found within a mile of Stonehenge – containing more than 100 objects, including ancient copper knives and gold jewelry. Investigating the contents of the grave proves to be as dramatic as the excavation.
Kunuk Family Reunion
(Broadcast Premiere) Oct. 11 at 9pm ET
Zacharias Kunuk, director of the acclaimed first Inuit feature film, Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner), gathers with his family at the site of their traditional home, deep in the arctic wilderness. Here, at the birthplace of his father and grandfather, Zach and his siblings honour their family and examine the continuing connection between one Inuit family and the land.
Lonely Gypsy: True Story of Kitty Harris
(Broadcast Premiere) Oct. 4 at 9pm ET
One of the most skilled and powerful agents of the Cold War was an uneducated Jewish emigrant from Winnipeg named Kitty Harris. As one of the Soviet Union’s most successful female spies, Kitty Harris ran Soviet operatives in London, Berlin, Shanghai, Mexico and Los Alamos between 1935 and 1946. Chronicling the dangerous, high-risk nature of Kitty’s missions, this History Television original documentary also examines how she ended her days alone, impoverished and bitterly aware of how she had been used by the Stalinist system.
Sounds from the Grave
(North American Premiere) Winter 2005
Acoustic archaeology is opening up a new way of discovering the past, leading to an intriguing question: Is it possible to hear soundtracks from the past? Stonehenge, the most famous Neolithic monument in the world, has been the object of intense scrutiny for hundreds of years. Will acoustic science reveal anything more about its mysterious construction?
State of Texas
(Canadian Premiere) Oct. 25 at 9pm ET
During the week of the American presidential election, History Television presents an incisive, contrary and witty analysis of the Lone Star State. With a Texan in the White House and Texan values being exported to the rest of the world, controversial author Christopher Hitchens believes that we all better get to know Texas a lot better. His investigation reveals what Texas stands for, how that affects the rest of America and what, ultimately, t he Texas-influence means for the rest of the world.
Who Killed the Pageant Queen?
(Network Premiere) Sept. 24 at 9pm ET
The 1996 murder of six-year-old beauty queen Jon-Benet Ramsey made international headlines and captivated a nation. Although her parents were tried in the court of public opinion, one man has discovered evidence that suggests the Ramseys may be innocent. Detective Lou Smit, hired by the Boulder, Colorado District Attorney to prove the Ramseys’ guilt, uncovered extensive evidence that pointed to the presence of an intruder. Now, for the first time, Smit lays out his evidence in the hopes that the true killer will finally be brought to justice.
DRAMA
JAG
Aug. 30 at 7pm ET
Follow the Judge Advocate General (JAG), an elite legal wing of officers trained as lawyers, who investigate, prosecute and defend those accused of crimes in the military. Stars David James Elliott and Catherine Bell.
History on Film
Weekends at 9pm ET
History Television continues to look at our past through some of Ho llywood’s most compelling films. This year History on Film will feature such blockbuster hits as Casino, Heat, Mulholland Falls , Enemy at the Gates and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.
More information about this channel and other channels fall information can be found on our Canadian Television’s 2004-2005 Fall Season Preview