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The WETA Kids Block Party showcases every episode of all your favorite shows from the week, back-to-back in a special block on Saturdays and Sundays. If you’re up late on Saturday, watch every WordGirl episode from the previous week from 10:30pm – 1:00am or DVR it for Sunday morning!

But coming next week, we have something extra special for WordGirl fans: March-Enemy Week! Everyone’s favorite vocabulary-slinging super hero squares off against a cavalcade of evil-doers in WordGirl: March-Enemy Week! From March 11-15, WETA KIDS has five brand-new WordGirl episodes including the two-part Dinner or Consequences. The title of this week’s theme is a play on “arch enemy”. This means every episode is action-packed with an encounter between WordGirl and some of her most nefarious foes: Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy, Birthday Girl, Tobey, The Butcher, Granny Mae, The Energy Monster, and, of course, Dr. Two Brains.

Click here to watch a preview of WordGirl: March-Enemy Week!

Be sure to tune in March 11-15 for five all new WordGirl episodes and stop in every Saturday from 10:30pm – 1:00am for The WETA Kids Block Party: WordGirl.

For more WETA Kids Block Party information, check out our blog post on The WETA Kids Block Party Curious George, The WETA Kids Block Party Dinosaur Train, and The WETA Kids Block Party Wild Kratts!

Day at the Museum / Best Fan Club Meeting Ever

The mini-series I, Claudius, is based on a novel written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. The classic story of the physically weak being intellectually underestimated was immensely popular when it first aired in 1977 and is still loved almost 35 years later. 

This Sunday, travel back in time to Rome through the eyes of Claudius and become a historical investigator of deadly plots and scandal in one of the greatest Empires of all time. When Emperor Caligula abuses his power as ruler of Rome, Claudius is named the new leader. A stuttering and sickly man, he immediately encounters challenges and power struggles. Does Claudius shy away from his new position or does he become the Emperor Rome needs? Follow the span of Claudius’ life and the history of the Roman Empire with this enthralling marathon of the award-winning series I, Claudius this Sunday.

Watch the I, Claudius Marathon over two weekends beginning this Sunday, March 10th from 10:00am to 6:00pm concluding Sunday, March 17th from 12:00pm - 6:00pm

Looking for something to do this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia?  Check out our selection of free dancing lessons, silent film fun, and more in your own backyard!

Put on those dancing shoes because this weekend is Dance Bethesda!  The two-day event starts Friday night with free dance lessons and parties, hosted by studios in downtown Bethesda.  Try your foot at rumba, social dancing, ballroom, hip-hop, tap, folklore, salsa, swing, tango, and jazz or watch demonstrations throughout the night.  Then on Saturday, a group of seven dance companies will perform at Round House Theatre for the 9th annual Dance Bethesda Concert. (They’ve been being selected from a group of 50 local contestants.)  With a variety of dance genres, like contemporary from the Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, Central Asian from the Silk Road Dance Company and ballet from The Washington School of Ballet, this event will provide a well-rounded selection of the most talented dancers in the Washington, D.C. area. 

Silent Film (But Not a Silent Event)

If you could go back in time, what period would you travel to?  Would you go back in time to the Medieval Age or to the days at Woodstock?  What about the Civil War Era?  Well, if you said the Civil War, you are in luck.  As a tie-in with “The Civil War and American Art” exhibition, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will be hosting Civil War Family Day.  Kids and families will have the opportunity to learn about the men, women and children of the mid-1800s by participating in an afternoon full of Civil War related activities, such as craft making, photography, music, scavenger hunts and more.  So join them this Saturday for a fun-filled day in the past at the Kogod Courtyard.

Select films opening today:

This week we introduce a brand new detective series to the WETA UK schedule! You’re invited to the Monday night premiere of Scott and Bailey! We continue many of our best British shows and begin new seasons of our favorites. Read on for more highlights this week and click here to watch video trailers of these shows!

Monday at 9:00pm join us for the WETA UK premiere of Scott and Bailey. This show is a thrilling investigative drama exploring the personal and professional lives of two female detectives, DC Janet Scott and DC Rachel Bailey both of whom are members of the Major Incident Team of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police. Rachel and Janet are close friends with different personalities: Rachel is impulsive and free-thinking, whereas Janet is subtle and wise. Each episode sees Rachel and Janet face a serious crime that is both challenging and emotionally difficult as well as cope with their own complex personal lives. Scott & Bailey is an honest, powerful and funny crime drama series. Also airs Tuesday at 3:00pm.

Tuesday at 9:00pm Rumpole of the Bailey continues with episode 2: Rumpole & the Alternative Society. Rumpole is in west England defending Kathy Trelawney, a woman charged with selling marijuana to a federal agent. Rumpole tries to connect with an old friend from his time in the Royal Air Force, Sam 'Three Fingers' Dogherty. Also airs Wednesday at 4:00pm.

Wednesday at 6:00pm begin season 5 of BallyKissAngel. Paul Dooley, a shady figure from Brian Quigley's shady past, returns to the village with a business arrangement that brings him into direct conflict with his old rival. Despite the best efforts of his wife, Oonagh, and his two children, Dooley is destined to cross swords with his former nemesis. But any wheeling and dealing is likely to be carefully scrutinized by the new garda in town, the very rigorous Frankie Sullivan. Also airs Saturday at 3:00pm & Sunday at 11:00am.

Thursday get your mystery fix on WETA UK! Kick off at 8:00pm with Sherlock Holmes: The Greek Interpreter. An nasty gang kidnaps a Greek interpreter and forces him to relate their demands to abductees who know only the Greek tongue. Also airs Saturday at 2:00pm. Then at 9:00pm Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Cornish Mystery. Much to Poirot's disappointment, he arrives too late in Cornwall to prevent Mrs. Pengelley's death. She had asked for his help, suspecting her dentist husband to be poisoning her so that he could marry his young assistant. After conducting preliminary interviews, Poirot is sure that Mrs. Pengelley was not murdered by her husband and sets about finding the real killer. Also airs Saturday at 4:00pm.

Friday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm watch four back-to-back episodes of My Family. This is a British comedy about a family just trying to stay afloat in a crazy world. Dad, Ben is a dentist struggling to understand his wife Susan the terrible cook, daughter Janey the selfish shopping addict, youngest son Michael the brain, and eldest son Nick the lazy goof. Although loving and caring parents, Ben and Susan have a little trouble showing their children these true intentions since the kids are always up to something. This series also airs Mondays – Fridays at 7:00pm.

10:00am  Yes, Prime Minister

Sunday at 10:00pm Doctor Who season 4 episode 1. Award-winning actor Catherine Tate is  the Doctor’s new companion, returning to her role as Donna Noble who featured in the 2006 Christmas special The Runaway Bride. Donna mysteriously vanished as she prepared to marry her boyfriend in a glittering ceremony on Christmas Eve. She reappeared, much to her astonishment, in the TARDIS with the Doctor. As the TARDIS raced to the church, it soon became apparent that Donna was the key to an ancient alien plan to destroy the Earth. The episode ended with the Doctor inviting Donna to travel with him – an invitation which, at the time, was declined… Now reunited, the Doctor and Donna travel back to Pompeii in AD 79 on the eve of the infamous eruption where people are slowly turning to stone, investigate a series of grisly murders with the help of Agatha Christie, journey to the home world of the sinister Ood and come face to face an old enemy of the Doctor’s. 

Born in 1926, Jerry Lewis is one of America’s most iconic slapstick comedians. He rose to fame with partner Dean Martin with the Martin and Lewis comedy act, which first appeared on television in 1948. In the 1950s, he embarked on a solo career and starred in films such as The Ladies Man, The Nutty Professor, and It’s Only Money. More recently, Lewis has performed on Broadway and been awarded for his humanitarian acts, always known as being a key member of the comedic community.

Click here to watch a preview!

An Evening with Jerry Lewis: Live From Las Vegas

This Saturday, comedian Jerry Lewis takes to the stage of the Showroom at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, as he tells stories of his eight-decade career in a tribute to his 87th birthday. The performance will feature narrative and musical acts by Lewis, as well as footage from his career, both classics and never before seen. At the end of the evening, Lewis will take questions from fans in the audience. Join us for this monumental presentation with Jerry Lewis, this Saturday at 6:30pm.

Watch An Evening with Jerry Lewis: Live From Las Vegas on Saturday March 2 at 6:30pm. Also airs March 7 at 8:00pm, March 8 at 1:00pm and March 15 at 10:30pm.

Looking for something to do this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia?  Check out our selection of cinematic spectacles, marching band talent, eclectic jazz, and more in your own backyard!

Have you ever wondered what happens to the band members after football season is over?  Well, sports might be seasonal but the music must go on.  The Music Center at Strathmore brings visitors a unique musical performance in honor of the black marching band tradition.  A group of 30 marching band members from a variety of Historically Black Colleges and Universities come together to deliver a performance that embraces Motown, hip hop, pop and several other genres.  Known for their explosive drum beats and cool rhythm, Drumline Live will certainly get your heart pumping and your feet moving.  So if you’re in the mood for fun dance moves and customary band music, don’t miss HBCU’s “fifth quarter” performance.    

Time to Get Groovy!

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is hosting a free Family Day Extravaganza, which is jam-packed with music-themed activities throughout the gallery.  Get ready to groove by creating and wearing a button with your own band name and logo, complimented by music-themed face paint.  Next, get down with some breakdancers from The Lab DC, learn how to scratch records like a DJ with DJ Scratch Academy, or make and play your own clay whistle.  Leave your mark with a cause-worthy poster and original graffiti on a DIY tee.  Afterwards, be sure to take a tour of the gallery, including their new “Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s” exhibition.  (We’ll be airing our critics’ discussion of the exhibition later this month!)  At the end of the day, march off in a send-off by percussionists Eddie Eatmon and Rivum Brigade.

Watch our Downton Abbey Season 3 Marathon Sunday March 3 from 11:00am - 11:00pm on WETA TV26 & WETA HD! Also watch March 4 from 1:00pm - 6:00pm and March 5 from 1:00pm - 6:00pm.

To watch a trailer of Downton Abbey season 3 click here!

Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey has now provided three seasons of riveting characters and stories.  Season 1 introduced the Crawley family to millions of viewers all over the world.  Dangerous jealousies and delicious ambitions painted a picture of the struggles of preserving a vanishing way of life.  In Season 2, the Crawley’s and staff attempt to honorably prevail into a new era as the Great War fundamentally changes everyone and everything in Downton. Season 3 continues testing tradition, weathering wars, budding romances, and shocking betrayals.  As the Great War continues, horrific battles are not only fought on the war front but also in the great cities and towns.  Distinguished homes have been destroyed financially and psychologically, and while some in Downton fight at all costs to maintain home, Downton may not be excluded from destruction.  Life becomes even more unsteady as the town morphs and grapples to find its place in this changing era. 

Whether new to the series or already hooked, check out our entire day dedicated to this show with our Downton Abbey Season 3 Marathon Sunday March 3 from 11:00am - 11:00pm on WETA TV26 & WETA HD.  The marathon continues on March 4 from 1:00pm - 6:00pm and March 5 from 1:00pm - 6:00pm.  Don’t miss out on our second look at this riveting season!

This week on WETA UK we bring back two crime drama favorites Foyle’s War and DCI Banks, begin new seasons of Rosemary & Thyme and BallyKissAngel, and begin new two-part cases of Inspector Morse and Waking the Dead! Read on for more information and click here to watch video previews of these shows!

Monday at 8:00pm welcome Foyle’s War back to the WETA UK schedule! Beginning with the first episode of season 1: As World War II rages around the world, a police inspector fights his own war on the home-front in investigating murder, robbery, and espionage on the south coast of England.  

Tuesday at 9:00pm is the WETA UK premiere of Rumpole of the Bailey. Horace Rumpole is a messy, old London barrister with one glass eye who defends in criminal cases. He is likes wine, poetry, and fair dealing, and is not looked on as a success by his wife, Hilda. Rumpole refuses to handle most suits and will only defend, not prosecute. Each of his trials has a victory and a defeat and his acquitted clients are often angrier than those who are found guilty. Also airs Wednesdays at 4:00pm.

Wednesday at 8:00pm go on a new adventure with Inspector Morse in Infernal Serpent part 1. The inspector and Sgt. Lewis ask questions about a major environmentalist who was killed just minutes before he delivered a controversial lecture. Also airs Thursday at 3:00pm & Saturday at 5:00pm. Part 2 airs next Wednesday, March 6.

Thursday at 10:00pm season 5 of Waking the Dead continues with the new case Black Run part 1. Boyd’s Darkest Hour. Ex-cop Eddie Vine summons Boyd to prison, where he is serving life for murdering his partner and best friend, Tom Pallisser. Boyd accepts the invitation expecting a confession. Instead he gets forgiveness and learns that Vine is terminally ill. Boyd is tormented by the possibility that he got it wrong, and forced to look into his past and examine his conscience. Part 2 airs next Thursday, March 7.

Friday at 8:30pm kick off a new season of Rosemary & Thyme with season 3, episode 1. The two women, lecturer Rosemary Boxer and former policewoman Laura Thyme, combine their shared passion for horticulture with a talent for investigation resulting in a happy marriage of two of public television's favorite genres — gardening and mystery. Also airs Monday at 5:00pm

Saturday at 8:00pm we begin a new WETA UK Event: DCI Banks. We start this series with the first episode and continue through season 1 with two back-to-back episodes every Saturday. Tenacious and stubborn Chief Inspector Alan Banks and the feisty and headstrong Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot combine drama, crime, and thrill in this series. Also airs Sunday at 12:00pm.

Sunday at 7:00pm season 5 of BallyKissAngel begins! In the fifth season we discover just how long, when Paul Dooley, a shady figure from Brian Quigley's shady past, returns to the village with a business arrangement that brings him into direct conflict with his old rival. Despite the best efforts of his wife, Oonagh, and his two children, Dooley is destined to cross swords with his former nemesis. But any wheeling and dealing is likely to be carefully scrutinized by the very rigorous Frankie Sullivan. Also airs Wednesday at 6:00pm & Saturday at 3:00pm.

Known as one of the largest social movements in the history of the world, the Women’s Movement over the last half-century has been a movement for gender equality in the work place and home.  Through hard work, dedication, perseverance, and family commitment, women began a revolution which has deeply impacted American culture. Next week WETA presents Makers: Women Who Make America, a documentary that looks in-depth at the millions of women who have helped shape America over the past 50 years and how they continue to influence the world today. Click here to watch a preview of Makers: Women Who Make America!

Over the past 100 years the United States has been through many social revolutions, one of the most important being the Woman’s Movement. Makers.com, a digital platform created for women to share their stories of leadership and progress, has compiled many of those stories into the three hour show, Makers: Women Who Make America. Revisit monumental moments in women's history through archival footage and interviews from everyday women and celebrity figures such as Katie Couric, Billie Jean King, Oprah Winfrey, and Ellen DeGeneres. Join WETA Tuesday February 26 at 8:00pm as we celebrate woman seeking equality in both past and present America and discover that anyone can be apart of a revolution and change society. . 

Join us Tuesday February 26 at 8:00pm and again on Wednesday February 27 at 3:00pm as WETA Presents Makers: Women Who Make America.

Determination

Sometimes, you just have to go with what feels right. This week’s WETA Saturday Night Movies on WETA TV26 & WETA HD celebrate people who knew they were right, even when everyone else was telling them they were wrong. We begin at 9:30pm with Top Hat, where Jerry Travers peruses a woman who isn’t interested because she thinks he’s someone else. But Jerry doesn’t give up that easily! Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is at 11:00pm, which takes a look at activists during the civil rights era who knew they were working for good, even when the media tried to misrepresent them.

Click here to watch video previews of these two films!

Top Hat (1935)

What would you do if your best friend’s spouse fell in love with you? Run away! Or in this case, dance in the opposite direction. Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) makes her distaste of Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) known after he wakes her one night with loud tap dancing from the room above her. In a case of mistaken identity, she believes him to be her friend’s husband and is put off even more by his romantic advances. After she travels to Italy, only to be perused by Jerry, the confusion escalates with a marriage proposal. Can these two figure out who they really are and become the perfect pair? If you missed it in January, find out this Saturday at 9:30pm.

Watch Top Hat on WETA TV26 & WETA HD Saturday at 9:30pm! Also airs Sunday at 11:30am.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

After 16mm footage of the civil rights movement was discovered in the cellar of a Swedish broadcasting company, filmmaker Goran Hugo Olsson decided to create a documentary about the Black Power movement from 1967 to 1975. Featuring interviews with prominent African American artists, activists, musicians and scholars, as well as input from today's scholars and historians, this film shows a different perspective of the revolution commonly portrayed as a violent protest by United States media of the time. Join us as we continue to celebrate Black History Month through the eyes of Swedish filmmakers, this Saturday at 11:00pm.

Watch Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 on WETA TV26 & WETA HD Saturday at 11:00pm.