FEATURED PROGRAMS on Blue Ridge PBS

Be sure to check our schedule for additional air times!

All Creatures Great and Small on Masterpiece

Encore Presentation! Thursdays  @ 10pm

James Herriot’s adventures as a veterinarian in 1930’s Yorkshire get a glorious new adaptation in a seven-part series based on his beloved stories. Exciting newcomer Nicholas Ralph will make his television debut as the iconic vet who became renowned for his inspiring humor, compassion and love of life. The 1970s adaptation, which aired on public broadcasting, was a favorite of millions of viewers.

American Experience

Tuesdays @ 9pm
Discover the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America’s past and present. Television’s most-watched history series, acclaimed by viewers and critics alike, has been honored with every major broadcast award.

• June 15 – The Polio Crusade
  Discover the story of the dreaded disease that gripped the nation in fear, leaving thousands paralyzed. The film weaves personal accounts of polio survivors with the story of the ardent crusader who tirelessly fought against it.
• June 29 – Mr. Tornado
  Meet pioneering meteorologist Ted Fujita, who transformed our understanding of tornados. His technological advancements saved lives and helped Americans prepare for and respond to dangerous weather phenomena.

Bluegrass Underground

Saturdays at 10:30pm

Taped deep within the subterranean amphitheater of The Caverns in Tennessee's majestic Cumberland Mountains, this "musical adventure" series features both long-established and emerging artists within a broad spectrum of genres to include Roots-Rock, Jam Band, R&B, Country, Soul, Folk, Americana, and yes...even Bluegrass! Each “Best of” episode of Season X offers two or more artists who have graced the underground stage over the past nine seasons.

Great Estates of Scotland 

Sundays @ 8pm

This series takes an in-depth look at the workings of some of Scotland’s most magnificent country estates through the eyes of the current owners,

• June 20 – Kincardine
  The 70-room Kincardine Castle is home to only two people, Andrew and Nicky Bradford. In a little over a century, the castle and its surrounding 3,000-acre estate have gone from being a trifling extravagance for its fabulously rich owners to presenting a passionate but ongoing struggle to keep it afloat for its present-day occupants.
• June 27 – Inveraray
  For more than 500 years, Inveraray Castle has housed the chieftain of one of the world’s best-known family clans, the Clan Campbell. It is now the home to the 13th Duke of Argyll, His Grace Torquhil Ian Campbell, and his young family. Visited by thousands every year, the castle was the stand-in for “Duneagle” in the “Downton Abbey” Christmas episode.

Great Performances at the Met: Anna Netrebko in Concert

Friday, June 18 @ 9pm

Experience the opera megastar performing Russian songs by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky as well as selections by Debussy, Dvořák, Fauré and Strauss from Vienna’s Spanish Riding School accompanied by Pavel Nebolsin on piano.

Great Performances: Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 

Friday, June 25 @ 9pm

Enjoy the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of selections by Strauss, Wagner, Offenbach, Puccini and more from the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens under the baton of conductor Valery Gergiev featuring Metropolitan Opera tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom

Mondays @7pm 

J shows how living a life surrounded by flowers can reduce stress and improve one’s quality of life over time. Each episode features a wealth of ideas on how to bring the beauty of flowers into your surroundings to harness the health and wellness benefits that they have to offer.

Lark Rise to Candleford 

Thursdays @ 9pm beginning June 17

An adaptation of Flora Thompson's autobiographical novel "Lark Rise To Candleford", set in 19 century Oxfordshire, in which a young girl moves to the local market town to begin an apprenticeship as a postmistress.

Mysteries of Mental Illness

Tuesday & Wednesday, June 22 & 23

Explore the evolution in understanding, and the dramatic attempts across generations to unravel the difficult questions surrounding mental illness people have grappled with throughout history: What causes it? And how is it best treated?

• Tuesday @ 9pm – Evil or Illness
  Examine ancient conceptions of mental illness and the establishment of psychiatry.
• Tuesday @ 10pm – Who’s Normal?
  Trace efforts to develop guidelines for diagnosing mental illness based in science instead of dogma.
• Wednesday @ 9pm – Rise and Fall of the Asylum
  Follow the origins and the downfall of mental asylums in the United States.
• Wednesday @ 10pm – The New Frontiers
  Explore today’s most cutting-edge treatments for mental illness.

Nature: The Bat Man of Mexico

Wednesday, June 30 @ 8pm

An ecologist tracks the Lesser Long-nosed bat’s epic migration across Mexico, braving hurricanes, snakes, Mayan tombs and seas of cockroaches, in order to save the species and the tequila plants they pollinate.

Rivers of Life: The Mississippi

Wednesday, June 16 @ 8pm

See the many faces of the massive, muddy Mississippi. Its fingers stretch into nearly half of the USA, from the frozen north to the nation's agricultural heart to mysterious southern swamps where alligators still rule.

The Story of Us: A Blue Ridge PBS American Portrait Special 

Wednesday, June 23 @ 7pm 

Hear from people across the country and from right here at home about what makes us unique and the common bonds we share. 

The program includes interviews recorded at the 2021 Local Colors Festival!

Us on Masterpiece

Sundays @ 9pm

In a drama tinged with humor and heartbreak, Tom Hollander (Baptiste, The Night Manager) and Saskia Reeves (Luther) play a couple who embark on a long-planned grand tour of Europe, despite the wife’s wrenching proclamation that she wants to leave the marriage. The four-part series is based on a novel by best-selling author David Nicholls. The Daily Telegraph called it a “brilliantly witty and heartfelt drama about a family on the edge.”

• June 20 – Episode 1
  Connie tells Douglas she wants to end their 20-year marriage, but not before they take a European vacation with Albie, their rebellious teenage son.
• June 27 – Episode 2
  Searching for Albie in Venice, Douglas makes a new friend, Freja. Later, he lands in jail. Back in England, Connie wonders what’s going on.

Wonders of Mexico

Wednesdays @ 10pm beginning June 30 

Travel south along Mexico's mountain spine, explore the tropical forests of the Maya and journey across the deserts of Northern Mexico to discover its amazing wildlife and culture. 

On the first episode, visit the magical forests of the Maya that are rich in tropical wildlife and hide a secret underworld.