A MASTERPIECE SPECIAL

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 @ 6:00PM @ 8:30PM

What goes on behind-the-scenes to get the manners of 1900s Britain exactly right on Downton Abbey? Enter the world of English etiquette with host Alastair Bruce, historian, expert on royal ceremony and custom, and the historical advisor to the hit drama series.

This one-hour documentary features revealing interviews with leading cast members, including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle, Sophie McShera and others. Discover the secrets of how the aristocratic set dined and dressed, how they married and made money, how they interacted with the servants, and above all why they behaved as they did. Illustrated with memorable moments from Downton Abbey, the program is a treat for fans and anyone fascinated with the customs of early 1900s Britain.

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WILD FRANCE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

When organizing a classic trip to France, most itineraries highlight the nation’s renowned food and wines, great art and architecture and celebrated culture of all kinds. But there’s another side to this popular destination that is not as visible, its wild side. Deep in the French countryside, it is possible for the adventurous to spot brown bears, wild boar, griffon vultures or wolves. These are among the creatures getting the chance and space to regain their old hunting grounds in France’s many mountains, valleys and forests.

Wild France features striking photography and locations all across France, from Alsace and the Alps to the Pyrenees and the island of Corsica, to document the diversity and behavior of the nation’s wildlife.

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AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

TUESDAY, MAY 2 @ 10:00PM

LeRoy Robert Ripley rose to fame during the Great Depression, transforming himself from a skinny loner into a flashy entertainer who presented to the nation a blend of freakish oddities, colorful exotica, and homespun Americana. Over three decades, his “Believe It or Not!” franchise grew into an entertainment empire, expanding from newspapers to every form of 20th century “new media”: radio, film and, ultimately, television. Americans not only loved his bizarre fare, but also were fascinated by the man himself.

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MONDAY, MARCH 14 @ 7:00PM & 12:00AM

Still renowned as the richest gold strike in North American mining history, the Klondike Gold Rush set off a “stampede” of over 100,000 people on a colossal journey from Alaska to the gold fields of Canada’s Yukon Territory between 1896 and 1899.

It’s an incredible story of determination, luck, fortune and loss. The boomtown Dawson City emerges as the heart of the story. During the gold rush, it’s known as the “Paris of the North,” and is one of the largest cities in Canada. Filled with banks, saloons, stores and hotels, for the stampeders and the outside world, it confirms itself as a place where lives can in fact be revolutionized.

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RICH HILL

MONDAY, JANUARY 5 @ 8:00PM

Rich Hill, winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, goes inside the homes and lives of small town America, where kids confront heartbreaking choices, marginalized parents struggle to survive, and families cling to the promise of equal opportunity and a better life — someday. The film follows three teenage boys, Andrew, Harley, and Appachey, as they struggle with isolation, broken families, and lack of opportunity, providing an immersive and realistic picture of growing up poor in America.

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BISCUITS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 @ 11:00PM

One week down and 11 amateur bakers remain. Let the biscuit baking begin. The Signature challenge is to create biscuits that go well with a cheese course. For the Technical, the bakers must follow Mary’s basic instructions for her Florentines recipe. In the Showstopper, bakers are tasked with creating three-dimensional “biscuit scenes.” Who will leave the competition tent?

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DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 5

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

EPISODE 1 ~ SEASON PREMIERE

When a working-class prime minister is elected, new ideas about class leave Robert feeling snubbed. But Thomas, unchanged, bullies Baxter into a corner. Edith plays with fire.

Downton Abbey returns for an epic fifth season of intimately interlaced stories centered on an English country estate—a deliciously entertaining formula that has made it the highest-rated drama in PBS history.

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