BRITISH expats and Anglophiles in the Washington DC area got some good news this week when Weta-TV, the area’s largest PBS station, announced that starting June 2nd, it would launch a brand-new 24 British TV station.
According to the press release the channel will air a mix of older shows, new shows and specials imported directly from the UK. The channel will run around the clock, seven days a week, and according to their press release, ‘will feature classics, new favorites, and contemporary series currently airing in Britain’.
The company’s PR blurb went on: “WETA UK presents a full schedule of what audiences clearly relish: great entertainment programming featuring drama, action, intrigue, romance, mystery, and of course that trademark, wry British humor — all delivered with an accent from the Isles. The channel will be a top destination for viewers seeking the finest television offerings — from an array of major U.K. producers — including classics from the BBC. Among its many offerings, WETA UK will present a host of dramatic miniseries — including MI-5, Hustle, Waking the Dead, Primeval and New Tricks, several of which currently air in Britain — in addition to such popular classics as All Creatures Great and Small, Ballykissangel, vintage Doctor Who, Inspector Morse, Monarch of the Glen, Prime Suspect, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes and productions from the series Masterpiece (including classics such as I, Claudius).”
Each Saturday night the channel will run the ‘WETA UK Movie’, featuring feature film-length contemporary drama, all with no commercials.
Sounds like it’s almost worth moving to DC for this. Hopefully other PBS channels closer to home (California, that is) will follow suit…
