TORONTO – A historical mini-series about the life of Henry VIII called The Tudors was among the new programming, much of which was reality TV, unveiled this week by CBC Television for fall 2007.
Other new homegrown fare coming to the CBC’s airwaves:
• The reality TV show No Opportunity Wasted (NOW), which gives Canadians the chance to try something they’ve always wanted to do. It is hosted by The Amazing Race’s Phil Keoghan.
• Heartland, a family drama set in the Alberta Rockies.
• Richler’s St. Urbain’s Horseman, a TV mini-series based on a book by Mordecai Richler and starring David Julian Hirsh, Elliott Gould and Andrea Martin.
• Triple Sensation, a reality TV show searching for Canada’s most promising young actors, singers and dancers.
• The Nature of Things – Geologic Journey, a documentary series on the geology of Canada.
Returning shows include 20 episodes of season two of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Chris Haddock’s drama series Intelligence, and 10 new one-hour episodes of Dragons’ Den, which debuted in fall 2006, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, The Rick Mercer Report, Royal Canadian Air Farce and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Also on the schedule is Test the Nation: Watch Your Language, which follows on the heels of Test The Nation: National IQ Test, which garnered 1.5 million viewers last season. Other TV shows on the public broadcaster this fall are Torchwood and Who Do You Think You Are?, a genealogy series in which 13 well-known Canadians (such as Don Cherry, Shaun Majumder and Chantal Kreviazuk) set out to discover their family roots, and several new specials from The Nature of Things.
New children’s TV programming includes Bo on the Go!, while returning shows are Curious George, The Doodlebops, The Secret World of Og and Magi-Nation.
“We’ve built a schedule that delivers something for everyone,” said CBC Television executive director of network programming Kirstine Layfield. “From Little Mosque on the Prairie to Test the Nation, from our all-new reality show No Opportunity Wasted to long-standing favourites like Rick Mercer Report, we’re really excited about what’s coming this Fall.”
As well, CBC News: The National, with Peter Mansbridge will be available in high-definition this fall.
