In “Understanding the Natural World,” Sir David Attenborough shares his memories of the scientists and the breakthroughs that helped shape his own career. He also recalls some of his more hair-raising attempts to bring new science to a television audience: standing in the shadow of an erupting volcano as lumps of hot lava crashed around him or being charged by a group of armed New Guinean tribesmen.
HENRY FORD paints a fascinating portrait of a farm boy who rose from obscurity to become the most influential American innovator of the 20th century. Ford’s Model T automobile and his five-dollar-a-day wage ushered in the modern world, earning Ford reverence from millions of Americans. Yet many of the changes he wrought deeply troubled the carmaker. In frustration, he lashed out at enemies, real and imagined, blamed Jews for the country’s problems, bullied those who worked for him and exhibited great cruelty to his only son, often, it seemed, wishing to retreat to an idyllic fantasy of the past.
"Superheroes” crosses many eras: “Superman” in the 1950s, “Batman” in the ’60s, “Wonder Woman” and “The Incredible Hulk” in the ’70s and “The Greatest American Hero” in the ’80s. This episode features in-depth interviews with Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Lynda Carter, Lou Ferrigno, William Katt and others. It also includes comments from Robert Culp, about his show “The Greatest American Hero,” recorded just days before he passed away.
In Boston, Massachusetts, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Wes Cowan look at a famous and controversial Paul Revere print. Notable discoveries include a Norman Rockwell collection from a guest who modeled for the artist as a child; an Aldro Hibbard oil painting brought in by the mayor of Boston; and — no visit to Beantown would be complete without it — a Red Sox World Series team-signed ball valued at $25,000 to $35,000.
The Crawley family faces its severest test yet. Meanwhile, new faces try to fit into the tight-knit circle of servants. New evidence turns up in a baffling case.
WSKG’s Artist Café showcases an expansive variety of national and local artists including photographers, dancers, poets and many more. This week we feature violinist Elmar Oliveria.
Joely Richardson investigates (with her mother Vanessa Redgrave) the legacy of these two brilliant cross-dressing comedies and the great comic and romantic heroines created by Shakespeare in two perennially popular plays.
Ethan Hawke invites viewers to join him in his quest to play Shakespeare’s murderous Thane of Cawdor by uncovering the true story that served as inspiration, immersing himself in some of the most memorable and innovative productions and discovering Shakespeare’s extraordinary insights into the criminal mind.
Banks is asked by Superintendent Gerry Rydell to track down his missing daughter, Emily, and Annie gets lumbered with an armed carjacking and the murder of a small time crook, Charlie McKai. Travelling from Eastvale to South London, Banks comes across one of Emily’s friends and her ex-flatmate, Ruth, who informs him that since their bust-up, Emily has been living with a well known criminal and drug baron, Barry Clough. Paying a visit to Clough, Banks realizes that Emily could be in danger, and after encouragement from Emily’s mother, decides to try and persuade her to return to Eastvale with him.
Around the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua, life has struggled for thousands of years to re-emerge from the ashes. Underground, vampire and other bat species have colonized the miles of tunnels created by hot flowing magma. In the crater, parakeets and vultures have made nests on cliffs exposed to toxic gases. On the flanks of this still active mountain, the vegetation has been burnt away by lava flows leaving barren stretches that are recolonized over hundreds of years. At the foot of the volcano, fields, pastures and towns have grown over the oldest lava flows. In this harsh environment, nature struggles to conquer ash and lava before the next eruption erases its efforts … and the phoenix must rise again.
