** Maternal instinct: single mom Caroline Quentin matches wits with Manchester’s most wanted in acclaimed UK crime drama Blue Murder, starting Feb. 1
** Meet Mr. Tori Spelling: Dean McDermott guests on VisionTV’s Unscripted, Feb. 1
** The family way: Martin tries to take charge of Louisa’s pregnancy on Doc Martin, Feb. 3
** From prisoner to president: VisionTV presents the acclaimed documentary feature Mandela, Feb. 4
** “That’s what this is… a giving-things-up competition!” Father Ted tries to get into the spirit of Lent, Feb. 5
Monday, Feb. 1
The Best of British Comedy – My Husband and I
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Mollie Sugden (best known as Betty Slocombe on the long-running Are You Being Served?) stars here as Nora Powers, the officious head of personnel at a prestigious advertising agency. Nora’s personal and professional lives collide unhappily when her husband George (played by Sugden’s real-life husband, William Moore) joins the company as chief doorman.
** VISIONTV PREMIERE **
Drama – Blue Murder
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
In the squad room, they call her “Boss.” At home, they just call her “Mum.” This acclaimed police drama stars Caroline Quentin (Men Behaving Badly, Life Begins) as Manchester detective Janine Lewis, a single mother who must juggle her hectic home life with the demands of running a close-knit murder investigation team. Whether tracking a killer or just trying to keep the peace on the domestic front, Janine needs compassion, smarts and a sense of humour to make it through her day. Tonight: Still reeling from the breakup of her marriage and newly promoted to Detective Chief Inspector, Janine must lead an investigation into the grisly slaying of a local schoolteacher.
** NEW EPISODE **
Talk Series – Unscripted
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
In this intimate talk program, some of the entertainment world’s most iconic figures – from Bob Newhart to Florence Henderson – reflect candidly on their lives and careers. Tonight: Canadian actor Dean McDermott (Due South) talks about Hollywood, fatherhood and life as Mr. Tori Spelling.
Documentary Series – The Naked Archaeologist: “Babes Brothels and Baths”
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: It’s the world’s oldest profession. The Hebrew Bible is full of references to prostitution – not least the juicy story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis. So how did we get from there to the sexual prudery of the New Testament? Archaeology reveals all!
Watch for brand new episodes of The Naked Archaeologist, starting March 22.
Movie – Cuba
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Inspired by Casablanca, this 1979 melodrama stars Sean Connery as a British mercenary who arrives in Cuba at the height of the revolution to help the faltering Batista regime, only to lose his moral bearings. Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night) directed. With Brooke Adams, Hector Elizondo and Denholm Elliott.
Tuesday, Feb. 2
The Best of British Comedy – Only When I Laugh
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Meet Roy Figgis (James Bolam), Archie Glover (Peter Bowles) and Norman Binns (Christopher Strauli), the bed-ridden heroes of this British comedy series, set in a British hospital ward. Tonight: Figgis, Norman and Glover go on a hunger strike to protest the hospital food. So why does Figgis seem to be gaining weight?
Retro TV Classic – Quantum Leap: “Deliver Us From Evil”
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
This classic sci-fi drama stars Scott Bakula (The Informant!) as Sam Beckett, a scientist trapped in the past by a time travel experiment gone wrong. Sam can leap into any person’s life, at any point within his own lifetime – but he can’t predict where he’s going to land next. Tonight: On a leap to 1966, Sam encounters another time traveler, the beautiful and duplicitous Alia (guest star Renee Coleman).
** NEW EPISODE **
Talk Series – Unscripted
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Tonight: Best known for her starring roles in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and cult classic The Howling, Dee Wallace is one of the busiest actresses in Hollywood. (You can see her on the big screen right now in Extraordinary Measures.) In this episode, she reveals a successful thespian’s secrets for survival.
Documentary Series – Ralph Benmergui: My Israel
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
In this documentary series, journalist Ralph Benmergui examines the past, present and future of Israel. Tonight: In this concluding episode, Ralph Benmergui asks where the Jewish state and its people go from here. Created to bring an end to a legacy of torment and strife, Israel is a nation of formidable strength. Yet it struggles with the same complex issues that confront every Western democracy in the 21st century. Will Israel’s past continue to dictate its future?
Movie – The Cotton Club
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Fact and fiction, music and mobsters collide in director Francis Ford Coppola’s rollicking 1984 period drama. The year is 1928, and the setting is the Cotton Club, the legendary Prohibition-era Harlem nightclub. Richard Gere stars as a cornet player who falls into the orbit of bootlegger Dutch Schultz (Dexter’s James Remar) and begins a dangerous affair with the vicious mobster’s young mistress, played by Diane Lane. Gregory Hines co-stars as an ambitious tap dancer who falls for Lonette McKee’s aspiring torch singer. With Bob Hoskins, Fred Gwynne, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne and Tom Waits.
Wednesday, Feb. 3
The Best of British Comedy – Open All Hours
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Comedy legend Ronnie Barker (The Two Ronnies) stars in this series from Last of the Summer Wine creator Roy Clarke. Barker plays penny-pinching corner shop owner Arkwright, while David Jason (The Darling Buds of May) co-stars as his hapless nephew Granville. Tonight: Nurse Gladys orders Arkwright to buy a new suit.
** NEW EPISODE **
Comedy/Drama Series – Doc Martin: Season Four
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Has living in the seaside village of Portwenn improved Dr. Martin Ellingham’s disposition? Not a chance. Fans of this acclaimed British comedy-drama will be relieved to learn that the foul-tempered physician (played by Martin Clunes) hasn’t mellowed in the slightest. In fact, since schoolteacher Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz) left him at the altar, he’s nastier than ever. Tonight: Martin is appalled to discover that pregnant Louisa is moving furniture, and further angered by her decision to interview for her old job.
** NEW EPISODE **
Talk Series – Unscripted
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Tonight: Canadian-born comedian Will Sasso (MADtv) brings the funny.
Documentary Series – God Bless America
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
In this documentary series, award-winning Canadian journalist Ralph Benmergui asks: why does religious faith play such an important role in American political life? Tonight: 87 percent of the U.S. population identifies itself as Christian. But what about the other 13 percent? In this episode, Ralph Benmergui meets Arab-American rappers, secular humanists, progressive Jews, radical non-believers and others – including America’s first and only Muslim Congressman – who are fighting for a place in their country’s marketplace of ideas.
Movie – In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
In February 1993, officers from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) raided the Waco, Texas compound of the Branch Davidian religious sect, triggering a gun battle that left four ATF agents and six cult members dead. A 51-day siege of the compound followed, ending on April 19 in a fire that claimed the lives of more than 80 Davidians, including 22 children. This TV movie traces the events leading up to the disastrous ATF firefight. Tim Daly (Private Practice) stars as charismatic but volatile cult leader David Koresh.
Thursday, Feb. 4
The Best of British Comedy – All Along the Watchtower
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Welcome to the remote Scottish village of Auchnacluchnie, where the Cold War never ended. In this eccentric Britcom, hapless Flight Lt. Harrison (Christopher Lang) and his fellow airmen keep Auchnacluchnie’s RAF early warning station running (badly), much to the annoyance of the town’s eccentric locals.
Documentary – Mandela
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
During his 27 years of political imprisonment, Nelson Mandela came to symbolize the fight against South African apartheid. His 1994 election as the country’s first black president electrified the entire world. This feature-length documentary, co-produced by Oscar winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), tells the story of Mandela’s remarkable life, from his boyhood through his years of activism and incarceration, and on to his ultimate triumph as leader of a racially united South Africa.
Friday, Feb. 5
The Best of British Comedy – Father Ted
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
God must really hate the parishioners of Craggy Island. Why else would He send them the scheming Father Ted (played by the late, great Dermot Morgan) and his colleagues, dim-witted Father Dougal (Ardal O’Hanlon) and demented Father Jack (Frank Kelly)? Tonight: Goaded into a game of one-upmanship with Father Dick Byrne, Ted decides the three priests must give up something for Lent. But when their willpower falters, they have no choice but to call for assistance from the sadistic Sister Assumpta.
** NEW EPISODE **
Talk Series – Unscripted
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Tonight: Meet one of TV’s biggest mothers: Marion Ross, the beloved “Mrs. C” from Happy Days.
Movie – Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Lee Marvin and Oliver Reed star in this 1976 Western comedy as a pair of outlaws looking for revenge on a partner (Robert Culp) who swindled them.
