** VISIONTV’S SUMMER DRAMA HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE BRITISH IMPORTS MURDER IN SUBURBIA (AUG. 9) AND DOC MARTIN (AUG. 11) **
** It was a strange time: Burton Cummings and Don Johnson star in 1980s indie obscurity MELANIE, Aug. 12 **
** Do you like movies about gladiators? Sword-and-sandal classic DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS airs Aug. 12 at midnight **
** VisionTV summer movie highlight also include classics THE BIG COUNTRY (Aug. 9) and RAGING BULL (Aug. 10) **
** GEORGE CLOONEY guest stars on MURDER, SHE WROTE. No, really. Aug. 12 **
Monday, Aug. 9
The Best of British Comedy – Birds of a Feather
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Sisters Sharon and Tracey Stubbs (Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson) lived very different lives – until the day their husbands both were convicted of armed robbery. Now living together, working-class Sharon and nouveau riche Tracey must rely on each other, and on their flamboyant neighbour, the man-eating Dorien (Lesley Joseph). Tonight: Sharon and Tracey are torn over whether to tell the police about a crime they saw their friend commit.
Drama – Murder in Suburbia
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
In this acclaimed UK police drama, detectives Kate Ashurst (Caroline Catz) and Emma Scribbins (Lisa Faulkner) discover that behind the lace curtains and tidy hedgerows of their upscale London suburb lies a hotbed of passion, intrigue, jealousy — and cold-blooded murder. Tonight: When the body of teenager Holly Andrews turns up in a cemetery in the dead of night, Kate and Emma are called upon to delve into the world of schoolgirl witchcraft.
** NEW EPISODE **
Information Series – ideaCity
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
ideaCity is Canada’s premier meeting of minds: an annual conference, created by Moses Znaimer, that brings together the most fascinating and influential personalities of our time for thought-provoking conversations and performances. Now, viewers can experience the very best of ideaCity on VisionTV. Tonight: Musical performances by satirical singer-songwriter Jill Sobule and Canadian rapper Socalled (a.k.a. Josh Dolgin), known for his eclectic blend of hip hop, drum and bass, and Jewish klezmer music.
Documentary Series – The Naked Archaeologist: “Naked Letters”
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. ET
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici (The Lost Tomb of Jesus) explores the mysteries of Biblical archaeology in this irreverent documentary series. Tonight: Simcha journeys from Israel to Egypt to Istanbul in search of answers to questions submitted by viewers, on everything from ancient sports to Biblical sex.
Movie – The Big Country
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
When a retired seafarer (Gregory Peck) moves out West to marry his fiancée (Carroll Baker), he finds himself caught in the middle of a feud between rival families. William Wyler (Ben-Hur) directed this 1958 Western epic. With Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston and Burl Ives, who earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Tuesday, Aug. 10
Drama – Due South
6 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. PT
Still beloved by a legion of loyal fans, the Canadian drama Due South stars Paul Gross (Gunless, Slings and Arrows) as Constable Benton Fraser, an upright and ever-polite Mountie who, accompanied by his loyal canine companion Diefenbaker, finds himself fighting crime in Chicago with the help of streetwise detective Ray Vecchio (played by The Shield’s David Marciano). Tonight: Hired to protect the daughter of a Canadian diplomat, Benton unwittingly becomes entangled in Ray’s investigation of an underworld murder.
The Best of British Comedy – Chambers
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
So you think lawyers are rats? Well, this acclaimed BBC comedy won’t exactly change your mind. Based on a popular radio series, this stinging satire of the legal profession stars John Bird (Absolute Power) as John Fuller-Carp, a morally impaired careerist who’s never met a principle he wouldn’t compromise.
** NEW EPISODE **
Information Series – ideaCity
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Tonight: Canadian molecular geneticist Steve Scherer explains how his research is helping us to understand how human genes interact to cause disease; microbiologist Curtis Suttle describes his efforts to learn more about oceanic viruses and their role in the global ecosystem.
Documentary Series – Driven By Vision: “Transformations”
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
This Gemini Award-nominated documentary series takes the viewer on a road trip across North America, visiting homemade shrines and holy places constructed by some of the world’s most eccentric visionaries. Tonight: In Austin, Texas, Sharon Smith has filled her entire home with shrines fashioned in part with the cremains of departed friends and relatives; In Buena Vista, Georgia, a former Greenwich Village street hustler called Eddie Owens Martin changed his name to Saint Eom, founded a one-man religion and turned the family farm into a bizarre temple.
Movie – Raging Bull
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Martin Scorsese’s 1980 biography of prizefighter Jake LaMotta is his masterpiece – and to many critics, one of the greatest American films ever made. Robert De Niro claimed an Oscar for his virtuoso performance as LaMotta, a force of nature who rose from the slums of the Bronx to become middleweight champion of the world, but was brought to ruin by his own uncontrollable passions. With Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci.
Wednesday, Aug. 11
The Best of British Comedy – Hallelujah
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
British stage and screen legend Thora Hird stars in this hit series about the misadventures of veteran Salvation Army captain Emily Ridley. Well-meaning but overzealous, Captain Emily resists her superiors’ entreaties to retire, and takes her misguided war against sin to the picturesque small towns of Yorkshire.
** SPECIAL SUMMER ENCORE **
Drama Series – Doc Martin: Series Four
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Has living in the beautiful seaside village of Portwenn improved Dr. Martin Ellingham’s disposition? Not a chance. Fans of this acclaimed British comedy-drama series will be relieved to learn that the foul-tempered physician (played by Martin Clunes) hasn’t mellowed in the slightest. Tonight: Determined to conquer his blood phobia and resume his surgical career, Martin decides to give therapy a try.
** NEW EPISODE **
Information Series – ideaCity
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Tonight: Particle astrophysicist Mark Chen offers insight into his work on the Sudbury Neutrino Investigator, which is helping to make Canada a world leader in the search for dark matter; Brendan Fey, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of Toronto, explains the implications of his research on machine learning.
Movie – The Gospel Road
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
The legendary Johnny Cash co-wrote and narrated this big-screen retelling of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Filmed on location in Israel, it features The Man in Black performing a number of original songs. With June Carter Cash as Mary Magdalene.
Thursday, Aug. 12
Retro TV Classic – Murder, She Wrote
7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Legendary stage and screen actress Angela Lansbury cemented her iconic status playing mystery author and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher in this long-running whodunit series. Tonight: George Clooney? On Murder, She Wrote? Seriously? Yes! The future sexiest man alive guest stars, as Jessica tries to resolve a deadly feud between two veteran standup comedians.
The Best of British Comedy – Keeping Up Appearances
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Smug, social-climbing, status-obsessed and tyrannical: Meet Hyacinth Bucket, snob extraordinaire. In this award-winning BBC Britcom, the legendary Patricia Routledge brings Hyacinth to life in all her monstrous glory. With Clive Swift as her long-suffering husband Richard.
Movie – Melanie
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Here’s a fascinating CanCon curiosity. Singer-songwriter Burton Cummings of The Guess Who makes a rare foray into dramatic acting in this Genie Award-winning 1982 feature about an illiterate young mother (Glynnis O’Connor) fighting for custody of her son. With Paul Sorvino and a pre-Miami Vice Don Johnson.
Documentary – The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
As the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reminded us, our dependence on fossil fuels has troubling consequences. This award-winning Canadian documentary asks the provocative question: what happens to our way of life when global oil production starts to decline? Will North America’s cherished suburban lifestyle prove sustainable if the price of fuel keeps spiraling upward? Or will we be compelled to create new communities that don’t depend on cheap and abundant fossil fuels?
Movie – Demetrius and the Gladiators
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Who doesn’t love a good sword-and-sandal epic? This 1954 sequel to The Robe stars Victor Mature as a freed slave who is entrusted with keeping a precious treasure – Christ’s robe – from the clutches of the Roman emperor. With Susan Hayward, Anne Bancroft and Ernest Borgnine.
Friday, Aug. 13
Documentary Series – The Naked Archaeologist: “Bethsaida & the Cross”
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. ET
Tonight: A cross, dating from the time of Jesus, has been found in a Galilee town where Christ and his disciples hung out. But the cross didn’t become a symbol of Christianity until 300 years later. So what was it doing there? In this episode, The Naked Archaeologist searches for the secret of its meaning.
For more information on VisionTV programming, please visit: www.visiontv.ca.
