Tag: Masterpiece

Masterpiece "Home Fires" Series At Special Time On Sundays

Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey) and Francesca Annis (Reckless) head an extraordinary cast in a moving drama about women in an English village facing the onset of World War II. Calm, fortitude, and creativity are the watchwords on Home Fires, airing in six inspiring episodes on Masterpiece, Sundays, October 4 – November 8, at the special time of 8 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Bond plays forward-thinking Frances Barden, a born leader with a stubborn streak, while Annis is her antagonist, Joyce Cameron, obsessed with class and tradition. The two are bitter rivals for control of the local Women’s Institute, a nationwide service organization. With war looming, their chapter faces its moment of truth. Will the largely social group shut up shop for the duration, or will it reinvent itself to help the nation in its hour of need?

Co-starring with Bond and Annis are a multitude of gifted British actresses playing the spectrum of women in the village, from maids to shopkeepers to gentry, including Ruth Gemmell (Fever Pitch), Claire Rushbrook (Great Expectations), Frances Grey (Case Histories), Clare Calbraith (Downton Abbey), Rachel Hurd-Wood (Peter Pan), Leila Mimmack (Inspector Lewis), Claire Price (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Fenella Woolgar (Case Histories), Leanne Best (Worricker: Salting the Battlefield), and Daisy Badger (Shelter). Appearing as the principal local men are Ed Stoppard (Upstairs Downstairs), Mark Bazeley (Endeavour), Mark Bonnar (The Paradise), Mike Noble (Mr. Selfridge), Daniel Ryan (Worricker: Salting the Battlefield), and Chris Coghill (Nowhere Boy).

Home Fires opens in August 1939. War with Germany is all but certain, and the citizens of the isolated village of Great Paxford are each facing it in their own way. Men of fighting age are mostly enlisting or waiting to be called. Some of the women are joining the female military services; others already have essential jobs, such as farming; and still others are planning to “dig for victory,” planting gardens to reduce the need for food imports. Since German submarines will be attacking merchant ships, any task that adds to the nation’s self-sufficiency is vital.

Frances (Bond), whose husband owns a local factory, believes that the Women’s Institute has an important role to play. Joyce (Annis), the longtime president of the institute, vehemently disagrees and proposes suspending activities until the war is over. So begins a quarrel that mirrors the fragmentation rending the wider world. In Great Paxford, this crisis ends up cementing the friendships of a group of women who have their own personal troubles, but who now have a shared mission that will lead them to their finest hour. Home Fires is based on Jambusters, Julie Summers’ enthralling history of the Women’s Institute in World War II. Watch for Summers in a cameo role: she’s “Mrs. Summers” in the brown hat, presiding over the suspenseful election for president in episode two

Downton Abbey Rediscovered Relives Favorite Moments of Past Seasons

Savor favorite moments from past seasons on Sunday, September 20 at 8 p.m.

For the millions of devoted “Downton Abbey” fans eagerly looking forward to the Season 6 premiere in January,  we are offering a respite — “Downton Abbey Rediscovered”,  a fond look back at the best-loved moments from the past five seasons. Hosted by PBS president and chief executive officer Paula Kerger, “Downton Abbey Rediscovered” celebrates the series that The Hollywood Reporter praised as “an absolute pleasure to watch,” with a mix of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with producers and cast members, and clips of favorite scenes. 

Structured around three themes, “Downton Abbey Rediscovered” explores “Downton Abbey: Up to Now,” “The Men of Downton and the Women They Love” and “Love, Lies and Scandal at Downton Abbey.”

Cast members interviewed include Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Laura Carmichael, Robert James-Collier and Kevin Doyle.

Interviews with creator and writer Julian Fellowes and executive producers Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge provide insights into the series, renowned for its drama, rivalry, intrigue, jealousy, ambition and romance.

The highest-rated drama in PBS history, “Downton Abbey” has continued to captivate viewers for five seasons with its intimately interlaced stories centered on an English country estate. Audiences have been gripped by the wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues and personal crises faced by the Crawley family and the household staff. Last season saw surprising scandals, joyful moments and dramatic twists and turns that left viewers intrigued and awaiting the Season 6 conclusion. 

Masterpiece Reboots Classic "Poldark"

Special Sneak Preview Screening–see the first hour of the new series on June 11 at 7 p.m. at the Digital Sky Theater/Clay Center in Charleston! Door prizes include a set of the novels by Winston Graham and limited promo posters. This event is free with your online RSVP, use the form below or call us at 1-888-596-9729 for assistance.

Almost 40 years ago, PBS Masterpiece won the hearts of millions of viewers through the gallant Captain Ross Poldark in one of the program’s earliest hit series. The hero rides again in a thrilling new version with seven parts, beginning June 21 at 9 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. 

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Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) stars as Ross Poldark, a redcoat who returns to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War to discover that his father is dead, his lands are ruined, and his true love is about to marry his cousin.

Also starring is Eleanor Tomlinson (Death Comes to Pemberley) as the fiery servant Demelza, a strong-willed miner’s daughter who runs away from home and finds refuge in Poldark’s enlightened household. WVPB drama fans will recognize many other co-stars, including Warren Clarke (Bleak House) as Poldark’s duplicitous Uncle Charles; Ruby Bentall (The Paradise) as Charles’ daughter, Verity; Kyle Soller (The Hollow Crown) as Verity’s brother Francis; and Heida Reed (DCI Banks) as Elizabeth Chenoweth, the beautiful young woman who gave Poldark her ring before he left for America.

The new series opens with a prologue in Virginia in 1781, when Captain Poldark’s regiment is ambushed by the local militia fighting for independence. After the war and with a scar across his face as a souvenir, he goes home to Cornwall, where his real struggle begins.

Everyone has assumed Poldark has been killed in action. His old life and inheritance are gone, and the local gentry encourage him to move on and seek his fortune elsewhere. Instead, he decides that this is where his story begins.

Poldark is adapted from the beloved series of novels by Winston Graham. The first, Ross Poldark, was published in 1945; the last, Bella Poldark, appeared in 2002, the year before Graham’s death. All twelve are subtitled A Novel of Cornwall and trace the fortunes of a landed, mine-owning family in windswept Cornwall two centuries ago.

Event: Sneak Preview Of Wolf Hall, April 1

Get the first look at the newest Masterpiece mini-series, “Wolf Hall,” based on the novel by Hilary Mantel. Join us Wednesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. in The Clay Center Digital Dome theater (Charleston, WV.) You’ll get brief tour of the newly-renovated and updated planetarium projection system, and then settle in for an exclusive peek of this new hit series from across the pond.

The story follows the meteoric rise of a blacksmith’s son, Thomas Cromwell, in the court of Henry VIII, and will be begin April 5 at 10 p.m. on WVPB.  Watch the trailer.  Mark Rylance is Thomas Cromwell, a brutal blacksmith’s son who rises from the ashes ofpersonal disaster, and deftly picks his way through a court where ‘man is wolf to man.’

Damian Lewis is King Henry VIII, haunted by his brother’s premature death and obsessed with protecting the Tudor dynasty by securing his succession with a male heir to the throne. Told from Cromwell’s perspective, Wolf Hall follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this pragmatic and accomplished power broker –from humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past– who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation.

Downton Abbey Fans: Reserve Your Spot on Our Trip to the Biltmore

Travel with us to experience the elegance of Downton Abbey in America’s own legacy of excellence, Biltmore. See a special exhibit of more than 45 costumes from PBS Masterpiece’s hit series Downton Abbey, displayed through the lavish rooms of America’s largest home.

April 26 & 27. Bus Connections in Clarksburg, Charleston & Beckley. Overnight Stay at Inn on Biltmore Estate. Reserve now by calling Michelle Lewis (304) 556-4973 by March 25.

Cost includes transportation, lodging, meals, admission tickets & gratuities. Cost per person, double $399.

WVPB Members receive priority – update your membership status today.

    Get the printable pdf brochure here.

How Did He Do It? Find Out on Sherlock, Coming January 19

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman Return in Highly Anticipated Season 3

A date has been set for the return of one of television’s most eagerly anticipated shows: Sherlock Season 3 will premiere on Masterpiece on West Virginia PBS on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 10 p.m., following the 9 p.m. broadcast of Downton Abbey.

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit,
The Office UK) return as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in three new 90-minute episodes of
the contemporary reinvention of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, created by Steven Moffat
(Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss.

http://video.wvpubcast.org/video/2365135484/

“The genius Sherlock team has done it again,” says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton. “These new episodes are as wildly-imaginative and brilliantly-produced as all the others. These people are GOOD!”

Nearly 11 million viewers tuned into the second season of Sherlock, which ended with one of the most shocking cliffhangers in television history. Fans flocked to the internet to speculate about Sherlock’s “demise,” and express their eagerness to find out what happens next.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JvilkbYRhs

“We love that Sherlock fans are so passionate and eager to see Season 3,” says PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming Beth Hoppe. “The pairing of Downton Abbey and Sherlock in January offers a blockbuster night of British drama only on PBS stations.”

“We are hugely excited about this next series of Sherlock, and have worked closely with our partners, Masterpiece and PBS, to bring these episodes to U.S. audiences in January,” says Sue Vertue, executive producer for Sherlock and Hartswood Films, which coproduces Sherlock with Masterpiece and BBC Wales for BBC One. “We promise our fans that Season 3 is worth waiting for.”

As in previous seasons, titles for the three episodes are pegged to a classic Sherlock Holmes title by Arthur Conan Doyle—delightfully, wittily, and briskly updated, of course.

The Empty Hearse – Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 10 p.m.
The Sign of Three – Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 10 p.m.
His Last Vow – Sunday, February 2, 2014 at 10 p.m.

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