ARTHUR: THE ONCE & FUTURE KING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

The story of King Arthur is one that scholars believe is a case where fiction has somehow been blended with reality to become part of the history of a given place. In this case, King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, the Holy Grail, and Camelot, are ingrained as part of the British culture and held in reverence the way many historical figures are. While there is no real evidence to suggest that King Arthur actually existed, the story has been around for centuries and has become the symbol of British history.

In this episode of the series, Wood explores the greatest British myth: the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Traveling round the Celtic world from Cornwall to Wales, Brittany, Ireland and Scotland, Wood uncovers the extraordinary story of how a shadowy Welsh freedom fighter — a Dark Age Che Guevara — became a medieval superman, and finally the model of a Christian hero.

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Aztec Massacre

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

Archaeologists make a grisly find: Four hundred skeletons buried in a mass grave. The bodies have lain undisturbed for 500 years, since the time of the Spanish conquest. But this is no ordinary gravesite. The remains suggest these people met a gruesome end at the hands of the Aztecs, who ruled Mesoamerica in the 14th through 16th centuries. But who were the victims and why were they killed?

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The Lost Hero

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

No one in recorded history has suffered a fate quite like Lafayette. Once, he was the most famous man in the world; today, few people know who he was or what he accomplished. Ever since he died, there has been a conflict over the true meaning of his accomplishments. It is time to re-evaluate his crucial role in the establishment of America’s democracy.

In his day, Lafayette was hailed as the “Hero of Two Worlds.” For a century or more he was universally admired in the U.S. and became a household name.
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Inspector Lewis, Series II

Dark Matter

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 @ 7:30PM & 10:30PM

Dark matter is the secret stuff that makes up much of the universe. It’s also the shocking stuff whispered about dons and students at Oxford, which Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway hear in excess as they try to get to the bottom of the suspicious fatal fall taken by Andrew Crompton, amateur astronomer and Master of Gresham College.

Crompton was obsessed with something having to do with the planet Venus. To hear tell, he was also obsessed with sex. But was his longtime mistress Dr. Ella Ransome, as claimed by the college’s head porter, Roger Temple? Or perhaps it was Roger’s wife, Babs, as alleged by Roger’s father, Ted, who is succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease and is Dr. Ransome’s patient. Or could it have been astronomy lecturer Lady Gwen Raeburn, who is unusually tearful about Crompton’s demise?
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THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

In this series, Michael Wood goes in search of four of the world’s most famous myths. These gripping adventures take the viewer to some of the most extraordinary places on earth, exploring stories that have captivated the world for thousands of years.

Michael Wood begins his quest with an exotic and mysterious woman of power — the Queen of Sheba. Immortalized in the Hebrew Bible, the Muslim Koran and in many Christian traditions, the tale of the Queen’s journey to Jerusalem to meet (and sleep with) King Solomon has been told and retold for nearly 3,000 years.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

Through a Dog’s Eyes will change the way you feel about your own dog. The documentary follows a handful of people as they journey through the heartwarming and often challenging process of receiving their service dogs.

Jennifer Arnold, founder of Canine Assistants, discusses her teaching methods and the life-changing impact these dogs have on the recipients and their families. She gives us a glimpse of puppy-rearing and training, and takes us inside the intense and sometimes nerve-wracking experience of matching people with their dogs. Ádám Miklósi, Ph.D., one of the world’s foremost experts in dog cognition, also discusses the science behind Jennifer’s training philosophy.

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Birth of Humanity

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 @ 6:00PM

In “Birth of Humanity,” the second part of the three-part series “Becoming Human,” NOVA investigates the first skeleton that really looks like us–”Turkana Boy”–an astonishingly complete specimen of Homo erectus found by the famous Leakey team in Kenya. These early humans are thought to have developed key innovations that helped them thrive, including hunting large prey, the use of fire, and extensive social bonds.

The program examines an intriguing theory that long-distance running–our ability to jog–was crucial for the survival of these early hominids. Not only did running help them escape from vicious predators roaming the grasslands, but it also gave them a unique hunting strategy: chasing down prey animals such as deer and antelope to the point of exhaustion. “Birth of Humanity” also probes how, why, and when humans’ uniquely long period of childhood and parenting began.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 @ 7:00PM & 10:00PM

THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray
THE PLACE: Connecticut; Illinois and Michigan

THE CASE:

Our contributor wonders if her family clock kept time for the entire Midwest during the 19th century.

According to the story, the clock sat in the family jewelry store in Chicago and regulated time in other towns via telegraph signals.

History Detectives takes on the case, and discovers how regulating time became critical as America moved into the industrial age.

We visit a clock appraiser and a time-keeping historian and some interesting results from the Chicago Tribune historical archives.
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Inspector Lewis, Series II

The Dead of Winter

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

An Oxford academic is dead on a tour bus and none of the other passengers even took notice. The curious case leads back to Crevecoeur Hall, a vast, history-rich Oxford estate, and as it happens, the setting for much of Detective Sergeant Hathaway’s (Laurence Fox) youth. Hathaway reconnects with his past — and Scarlett Mortmaigne, the daughter of the estate’s owner. But is he also consorting with a main suspect? It’s a case that threatens to expose the shortcomings and secrets of a wealthy family, cloud Hathaway’s judgment and ultimately put his relationship with Detective Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) in jeopardy.

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