Get your full dose of nature from the expert himself, Sir David Attenborough, this January on WETA TV26 & HD. Attenborough has been a naturalist and broadcaster for around 60 years and is the best-known natural history film-maker today. We are proud to announce that his timeless BBC documentaries are here on WETA as well as special PBS Nature documentaries delving into the history of Attenborough’s life and works. Read on for more information about each documentary including when it’ll air on WETA.

David Attenborough introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on the Earth, 4,000 species which have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth all in the same biological class as humans. Repeats Tuesdays at 4:00pm

This three-part retrospective of his life and work airs on consecutive Wednesdays, January 23, 30, and February 6, 2013 at 8:00pm. The mini-series focuses on three areas that Attenborough believes have been transformed most profoundly during his time: filmmaking, science, and the environment. With distinctive eloquence and enthusiasm for his subject, 86-year old Attenborough recounts all the wonders of the natural world he has been able to share with audiences and reveals his unique personal reflections about nature and the earth. Repeats Thursdays at 2:00pm

Part one: Attenborough’s Life Stories: Life on Camera – January 23 at 8:00pm

Attenborough revisits key places and events in his career and shows how various technical advances in filmmaking allowed for showing new revelations about the planet and the creatures that inhabit it. Underwater photography, infrared film cameras, stabilizing camera mounts, remote controlled camera, time lapse photography, and digital slow motion cameras are just some of the innovations. 

Part two: Attenborough’s Life Stories: Understanding the Natural World – January 30 at 8:00pm

Attenborough shares his memories of the scientists and the breakthroughs that helped shape his own career in translating these discoveries into film. Animal imprinting, continental drifts causing volcanos, pluming birds, DNA fingerprinting, chimpanzee behavior and Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection are some of these scientific breakthroughs.

Part three: Attenborough’s Life Stories: Our Fragile Planet – February 6 at 8:00pm

Attenborough reflects on the dramatic impact that humans have had on the natural world during his lifetime. Disappearing rain forests and coral reefs, endangered species, the creation of the World Wildlife Fund, the first international organization to spend money on conservation projects around the globe, sea ice melt caused by climate change are some of the positive and negative impacts we’ve had on the world.

Life in Cold Blood – Mondays at 9:00pm

In telling the epic story of the reptiles and amphibians, the most enduringly successful animals ever to walk on land, David Attenborough continues his overview of life on the planet. The very latest technology enables extraordinary and previously unseen behavior to be captured in intimate detail, overturning the myth that cold blooded life is slow, solitary, and primitive and revealing these creatures to be as dramatic, social, sophisticated, and passionate as warm blooded animals. Repeats Tuesdays at 4:00pm

JANUARY 2013

Nature episodes Wednesdays at 8:00pm & Fridays at 9:00pm

This PBS series consists of original, educational, natural history films. Episodes in January include: Cuba: The Accidental Eden, Magic of the Snowy Owl, Cracking the Koala Code, My Life as a Turkey, Animal Odd Couples, and the Attenborough Life Stories series.

FEBRUARY 2013

Nature episodes Wednesdays at 8:00pm

This PBS series consists of original, educational, natural history films. Episodes in February include: Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo & A Murder of Crows.

Congo series Fridays at 9:00pm

To the west of the Serengeti and Lake Victoria, beyond the misty mountains of the Rift Valley, lies the second largest river system on earth: the Congo. This vast arena - the size of Europe - is home to an array of wildlife richer and more varied than any other region of Africa and yet it is hardly known. Today, parts of the Congo still remain inhospitable and virtually inaccessible. In a television first, the Natural History Unit has been given unprecedented access to film in this region.

Battle for the Elephants Wednesday February 27 at 8:00pm

The elephant, Earth’s most charismatic and majestic land animal, today faces market forces driving the value of its tusks to levels once reserved for gold. This groundbreaking National Geographic special goes undercover to expose the criminal network behind ivory’s supply and demand

Jungle series Wednesday February 27 from 9:00pm – 12:00am

Imagine being transported to a place with humidity above 90%, with more diseases than anywhere on Earth, and where every breath draws a cloud of insects. Charlotte Uhlenbroek takes up the challenge in this exploration of the world's rainforests. The rainforests of the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo contain half of the world's species of plants and animals. A combination of sheer adventure and the latest technology enables the viewer to experience the planet's most complex terrestrial habitat in all its glory.

Take a look at what WETA television has to offer this January! Read show descriptions, watch video previews, and let us know in the comments what you’re most excited to see! Our channel guide is below so you can find and watch WETA TV26 & WETA HD in your DC, MD, or VA home!

Subscribe to our blog and return next week to find out when you can catch up on season 2 of Downton Abbey before the season 3 premiere on WETA January 6! 

Great Performances From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013

Tuesday January 1 at 8:00pm & Wednesday at 3:00pm

Continue the tradition of ringing in the New Year with host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein. Experience guest conductor Franz Welser-Most and the Strauss family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet.

Life on Fire

Wednesdays at 10:00pm beginning January 2

Get a close up look at volcanoes, a never seen before look at their effect on the environment around them. Each episode of Life on Fire paints survival stories around different volcanoes. Each time a volcano erupts, animals have a choice: face the consequences or flee. Fragile and engaging, these creatures teach us lessons in survival in a world as fascinating as it is dangerous.

Midsomer Murders III & IV

Thursday evenings beginning January 3 | Repeats Friday afternoons

The rural countryside of a fictional county in England provides the backdrop for this crime series based on the novels of Caroline Graham. A lush visual style, quirky characters and ubiquitous red herrings recall classic public television British mysteries of the past. At the center of the Midsomer Murders investigations is Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. Episodes begin at either 9:00pm or 10:00pm depending on the length of the previous show. Click here to check when Midsomer Murders is on WETA TV26 & HD!

Life of Mammals 

Two episodes back-to-back Mondays at 9:00pm beginning January 7 | Repeat Tuesdays at 4:00pm

David Attenborough introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on Earth, from the smallest to the largest. This is the story of 4,000 species which have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth, dry or wet, hot or cold.

Pioneers of Television 

Tuesdays at 8:00pm beginning January 8 | Repeat Wednesdays at 4:00pm & Sundays at 4:00pm

This series transports viewers behind the scenes for a revealing look at the inception of specific aspects of television history: Late Night shows, Funny Ladies, Prime Time Soaps, Superheroes.

American Experience: The Abolitionists

Tuesdays at 9:00pm beginning January 8 | Repeat Wednesdays at 3:00pm

Bringing to life the intertwined stories of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimké, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown, The Abolitionists takes place during some of the most violent and contentious decades in American history, amid white-hot religious passions that set souls on fire, and bitter debates over the meaning of the Constitution and the nature of race. The show reveals how the movement shaped history by exposing the fatal flaw of a republic founded on liberty for some and bondage for others, setting the nation on a collision course. In the face of personal risks -- beatings, imprisonment, even death -- abolitionists held fast to their cause, laying the civil rights groundwork for the future and raising weighty constitutional and moral questions that are with us still.

Midsomer Murders V 

Sundays at 7:30pm - 9:00pm beginning January 13

In this crime drama, Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby of the Causton C.I.D. is a terse, down-to-earth detective who faces many ingenious and remarkable murders. These are not repeats of the Thursday night episodes. This is season 5!

Call the Midwife

Sundays at 10:00pm & 11:00pm beginning January 13

This moving, intimate, funny, and true-to-life series, based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, tells colorful stories of midwifery and families in London’s East End in the 1950s. Jenny Lee, a young woman raised in the wealthy English countryside, has chosen to become a nurse and now, as a newly qualified midwife, has gone to work in the poorest area of the city. Attached to an order of nursing nuns at Nonnatus House, Jenny is part of a team of women who minister to expectant mothers, many of whom give birth at home in appalling conditions. The drama follows Jenny as she meets her patients and learns to love the people who live in the East End.

Shakespeare Uncovered

Fridays at 10:00pm & 11:00pm beginning January 25 | Repeat Sundays at 2:00pm & 3:00pm

Six episodes combine history, biography, iconic performances, new analysis and the personal passion of its celebrated hosts — Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Trevor Nunn, Joely Richardson and David Tennant — to tell the story behind the stories of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Each episode combines interviews with actors, directors and scholars, along with visits to key locations, clips from some of the most celebrated film and television adaptations, and illustrative excerpts from the plays specially staged for the series at Shakespeare's Globe in London.

This week we continue serving prime British television shows to the Washington, DC area on WETA UK. Drama, mystery, comedy, and costumes are just a few of our dynamic and exciting programming genres. Come back every Monday for the week in details and be sure to see all our new shows coming to WETA UK in November.

Watch WETA UK Here!

Via antenna: 26.2, Comcast: 265, Cox: 800, Verizon FiOS: 474, RCN: 39

Monday start watching Chef! from the very beginning as we air episode 1 of series 1 tonight at 7:30pm! Meet Britain's most talented - and most ill-tempered - chef. Gareth Blackstock, chef at the prestigious restaurant Le Chateau Anglais, takes great pains to set the most exacting standards for his kitchen staff, but they show their gratitude by bending or breaking the rules whenever they can. Although every single one of Gareth's meals is a masterpiece, some customers still have the nerve to ask for salt. His beautiful wife, Janice, lacks Gareth's enthusiasm; bored being a neglected housewife she'd rather go back to her high-powered job in finance. Gareth dreams of being head chef and proprietor of his own restaurant, but a few obstacles - like no money - stand in his way. With Janice's patient help, he overcomes the bank manager's doubts and qualifies for a loan. Suddenly, ownership brings exposure to the harsh realities of restaurant management... Check out our downloadable and printable WETA UK CHEF! SERIES 1 EPISODE GUIDE!

Monday after Chef! stay tuned to WETA UK for the continuation of I, Claudius part 8: Reign of Terror at 8:00pm. Visit KCET’s recap page to get all the details on tonight’s episode and be sure to use their helpful character guide! 

Tuesday take a journey into a historic British estate filled with one man’s treasures from his many adventures on Country House Revealed: Clandeboye House at 8:00pm. Clandeboye House and estate is incredible and surprisingly little has changed since owner Lord Dufferin died in 1902. The house is overflowing with relics from the empire and Dufferin's aristocratic ventures - stuffed baby bears, Egyptian monuments, tiger skins and weaponry from India, Canada and Burma to mention just a few.

Tuesday at 11:00pm catch the launch of series 6 Are You Being Served?

Wednesday Inspector Morse begins a new adventure with Promised Land part 1 of 2. Morse and Lewis go to Australia in search of a witness who has been in witness protection for ten years, but this is one witness who really doesn't want to be found.

Thursday at 7:00pm series 15 Last of the Summer Wine begins! Get in on the laughs, no need to have watched from series 1, start anytime!

Thursday live the high life with David Attenborough’s Life of Mammals: Life in the Trees at 8:00pm. These mammals have adapted to a life at height. Since one third of the world's surface is still covered by forest, animals such as the hyrax, tamanduas, and flying squirrel have developed skills to thrive in these high up conditions.

Friday the doctor prescribes laughter! Beginning at 9:00am, watch all the best British comedies on our Friday Comedy Block! Here’s the line up!

Saturday at 8:00pm continue the drama and delight with The WETA UK Event: The Complete Downton Abbey as series 2 continues with three back-to-back episodes. Love this series? Take the WETA Downton Abbey Personality Quiz to find out which character you are! 

Sunday catch the second to last episode of Primeval at 9:00pm. Still reeling from Stephen's death and with the depth of Helen's betrayal now revealed, Nick Cutter must fight to re-focus his embattled team. Cutter's crew are joined by some new recruits in the form of maverick policeman Danny Quinn, sparky Egyptologist Sarah Page, and the new leader of the ARC's security forces Captain Becker. But as the anomalies continue to present an unrelenting series of threats, the task in hand seems almost insurmountable. It's not just deadly creatures the team has to contend with, they also face a threat to the future of not just the ARC but of mankind itself.