[Submitted via press release]
BBC ENTERTAINMENT (channel 120 on DStv)
July 2012 highlights
Strictly Come Dancing PREMIERE – Season 8 – (26 Episodes)From: Sunday 1 July at 18:10 on BBC Entertainment Series continues every Sunday from 18:00
Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens for yet another series of breathtaking dancing and drama. Kicking off the series will be a very special launch show, hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly.
Fourteen eager new celebrities will discover who they'll be sharing the dance floor with as they are matched with their professional partners for the first time. How will they react?
A series of spectacular performances from the professionals will showcase this year's new set, new dance styles and three exciting new male dancers. And the celebrities will take to the floor for the first time to perform a group dance, watched by the ever-critical judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Alesha Dixon.
Top Gear USA PREMIERE – Season 2 – (16 Episodes)From: Wednesday 4 July at 20:00 on BBC EntertainmentSeries continues every Wednesday at 20:00
With all the customary wit and humour of the original, this series of Top Gear USA sees the team delve deeper into the colourful history of the car, alongside some truly mad stunts.
In this series, the Top Gear boys pit the ultimate off-roader against an Air Boat through the Louisiana swamps, find out whether a Subaru STI or a dirt bike is the best way to escape a ghost town, and in a salute to the history of the U.S. Postal Service, find out the fastest way to deliver a package – two new high end Ford Mustangs or two of the old-school four-legged variety.
Hosted by comedian and car buff Adam Ferrara, champion rally and drift racer Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood, Top Gear USA is chock-full of high-adrenaline action entertainment.
Downton Abbey PREMIERE – Season 2 – (10 Episodes)From: Sunday 8 July at 20:30 on BBC EntertainmentSeries continues every Sunday at 20:30
The multi BAFTA and Emmy Award winning period drama series returns to our screens to carry on where the previous series left off. Series two sees Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes once again take the Golden Globe winning drama to new heights, promising more captivating plot line twists of deception, intrigue and of course love and scandal.
Still reeling from the declaration of the Great War, the Downton Abbey household is struggling to come to terms with the disruption war has brought to their everyday lives and responsibilities. With Robert, Earl of Grantham now promoted to Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, Downton and its residents have a new set of duties and demands to adhere to.
With the war intensifying leaving untold casualties in its wake, the occupants of Downton rise to the call of the war effort in different ways. For many it is a chance to do a good turn, but for others the war poses both an opportunity for growth, and for others exploitation. Far from the trenches, the honour of Downton Abbey and its residents is once again threatened...
London CallingSherlock PREMIERE – Season 2 – (3 Episodes)From: Monday 9 July at 20:00 on BBC EntertainmentSeries continues every Monday at 20:00
The multi award-winning super series is back as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson return to face the ultimate test in three of their most famous cases.
People don’t have arch-enemies… apart from Sherlock Holmes. And his just happens to be an adversary with an intelligence to match his own – James Moriarty. Since John’s online blog has taken off business is better than ever for the dynamic duo, as they take on three of their most famous cases: the Woman, the Hound, and the Fall. But, always in the background, Moriarty continues to play the puppet master, determined to bring Sherlock down – whatever the cost.
With beguiling performances, witty scripts and some of the most intriguing characters ever created, it’s no wonder that Sherlock has proven to be a worldwide success. Series two brings a trio of thrilling twists and turns – and some of the greatest detective work ever seen.
What the press say about Sherlock:
“We are being truly spoilt with this…get ready for the ride of your life.” Daily Express
“A Holmes that Conan Doyle would possibly approve of, I think…slick, and quick, and
yes, compelling.” Guardian
London CallingMichael McIntyre: Hello Wembley!
On: Tuesday 10 July at 21:05 on BBC Entertainment
Michael McIntyre’s Hello Wembley! follows up the biggest selling debut stand up DVD of all time ‘Live and Laughing’ with an even bigger and better show.
An astonishing 500,000 fans saw him live on his 54 date UK tour which included this sensational performance recorded during his record breaking six nights at Wembley Arena. Michael is at his hilarious best as he sips through a night of comedy that raises the roof on this legendary venue.
The show features Michael's unique take on life - from getting to grips with wine menus and restaurant etiquette, to obsessive Wii playing and condiment hierarchy in the kitchen cupboard.
Michael’s rise over the last few years has been meteoric as he has tapped into a public consciousness about the absurdity of everyday objects and everyday life, and this show is the culmination of that climb to the top of the comedy ladder. This show brings you Britain’s biggest comedian of the moment performing at the height of his powers.
London CallingSpy - PREMIERE – Season 1 – (6 Episodes)From: Tuesday 17 July at 20:00 on BBC Entertainment Series continues every Tuesday at 20:00
A razor-sharp comedy created and written by Simeon Goulden (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), that celebrates that special bond between a father and son, and puts a twist on the traditional family comedy.
Thirty-something Tim (Darren Boyd, Green Wing) has reached a crossroads. Not only is he stuck in a dead-end job at Computer Universe, but he’s locked in a custody battle with his ex-wife Judith (Dolly Wells) over son Marcus (Jude Wright), a precocious nine-year-old who is as happy spending time with his dad as a PETA member would be modelling fur coats. Tim’s world is shaken, and most definitely stirred, however, when he’s accidentally recruited as a trainee spy for MI5, going from zero to hero. Well, sort of...
London CallingLee Evans: Live from the West EndOn: Tuesday 17 July at 21:00 on BBC Entertainment
An unforgettable performance from the sparkling and extremely stretchy stand-up comedian.
It is almost impossible to resist the high-speed sparkle and elastic talent of award-winning comedian Lee Evans.
The madcap comic is famous for his fast-paced, energetic performances where he combines slapstick physical humour with a range of hilarious voices. Often regarded as one of his funniest ever performances, this show sees him take over the stage in the heart of London’s theatreland.
The lucky audience on this evening witnessed a unique show, the like of which had never been seen before.
Lee rose to fame on the comedy circuit in the 1990s, and in addition to numerous stage and television appearances as a comedian, he is an acclaimed actor in both Hollywood movies and London theatre productions, and also worked as a television gag writer in the USA.
What the press says about Lee Evans: Live from the West End:
“Comic Genius.” Guardian
London CallingAmy Winehouse: Live at Shepherd's BushOn: Friday 27 July at 20:35 on BBC Entertainment
Winner of multiple awards over the years including Best British Female Artist and the Ivor Novello award for Best Contemporary Song - ‘Rehab’, the late Amy Winehouse performs live at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, a place she described one of her ‘favourite venues’.
This programme provides not only some Amy’s best live performances but an incredible insight into the life of what was one of the most promising artist’s of our generation.
The concert features Amy singing songs from her hit album, ‘Back To Black’, and 2003's Mercury Music Prize nominated album, ‘Frank’… a truly amazing experience that’s not to be missed.
London CallingGoing for Gold: The ’48 GamesOn: Monday 30 July at 20:00 on BBC Entertainment
The uplifting true story of how two young men from very different backgrounds triumphed against the odds at the1948 London Olympics.
That the 1948 games took place at all was astonishing in itself, with Britain still struggling with the damaging after effects of a war that had decimated its resources and left London half-destroyed. But thanks to a refusal to let the event die, the so-called Austerity Olympics ended up as a major success.
The spirit of a nation determined to get back on its feet is embodied by the journey of boatbuilder’s son Bert Bushnell and Eton and Oxford-educated Richard ‘Dickie’ Burnell as they battled to keep their Olympic dreams alive.
This compelling film tells the real-life story of this unlikely pairing of competitors for the double sculling event.
Thrown together just six weeks before the games, Bert and Dickie had to confront and overcome vast differences in their personal and professional lives, as they pushed themselves to their physical and emotional limits in their bid to win Olympic gold.
Culminating in a tense and exciting race to the finish, this is a film that reminds viewers what the Olympic Games are really about – heroic personal endeavour, courage, determination… and a little bit of luck.
Matt Smith as Bert Bushnell
Sam Hoare as Dickie Burnell
James Frain as Jack Beresford
Geoffrey Palmer as Charles ‘Don’ Burnell