BBC AMERICA - APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

-U.S. premiere of Doctor Who starring Matt Smith-

DOCTOR WHO - U.S. PREMIERE

A new era of the BAFTA-winning series, Doctor Who, begins April 17 on BBC AMERICA. The iconic series, which has delivered BBC AMERICA's highest-ever ratings, continues its tradition of rebooting with new lead actors and creative team. Matt Smith debuts as the new, Eleventh incarnation of the famous Time Lord alongside a new travelling companion, the enigmatic Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).

BAFTA-winning writer Steven Moffat (Steven Spielberg's upcoming Tintin, Jekyll, Coupling), creator of some of the most frightening and award-winning Doctor Who episodes to date, takes over as lead writer and executive producer. Writers for the new reboot series include Richard Curtis (The Boat that Rocked, Love Actually), Chris Chibnall (Law & Order UK, Torchwood), Toby Whithouse (Being Human, Torchwood), Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen, Sherlock) and Simon Nye (Men Behaving Badly, Hardware). Guest stars include Alex Kingston (ER, Flash Forward), BAFTA-winner James Corden (Gavin & Stacey, The History Boys), Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo (The Secret Life of Bees, Hotel Rwanda), and Tony Curran (24).

Doctor Who follows the adventures of The Doctor, the mysterious traveler who, with his human companions, journeys throughout all of time and space, facing a variety of foes and righting wrongs. The new series has the Doctor and Amy Pond together exploring sixteenth century Venice, France during the 1890s and the United Kingdom in the far future, now an entire nation floating in space.

Doctor Who premieres Saturday, April 17, 9:00p.m. ET/PT. Doctor Who premiere episode is an extended version with limited commercial interruption.

DOCTOR WHO: WHO IS THE DOCTOR? - BBC AMERICA ORIGINAL PREMIERE

Just in time for the U.S. premiere of Doctor Who, journey into the Doctor Who universe with BBC AMERICA's original program, Doctor Who: Who is the Doctor? The program is an original, all-access look inside the universe of the world's biggest, most successful sci-fi television program.

Doctor Who: Who Is The Doctor premieres Saturday, April 17, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

PEEP SHOW SEASONS 3 AND 4 - U.S. PREMIERE

Award-winning comedy, Peep Show, from David Mitchell and Robert Webb (That Mitchell and Webb Look) returns to BBC AMERICA with new antics and hilarious dialogue as two dysfunctional roommates try to balance life and love while sharing an apartment in London. In its unique, story-telling way, Peep Show reveals the deepest, darkest inner thoughts of the roommates - Mark (David Mitchell), a sensible, professional man who is the polar opposite to his roommate Jeremy, a lazy, wannabe pop star (Robert Webb) - as they go about their day. The new seasons find Jeremy back in the life of his ex-girlfriend and embarking on a series of misjudged relationships and Mark finally winning the heart of his dream girl which could possibly lead to a walk down the aisle.

Peep Show premieres Wednesday, April 7, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT and moves to 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on April 28.

THAT MITCHELL AND WEBB LOOK SEASON 3 - U.S. PREMIERE

The outrageous, award-winning sketch show from Peep Show duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb, That Mitchell and Webb Look, returns for a U.S. premiere season on BBC AMERICA. Known for its strange yet wonderful and beloved characters, That Mitchell and Webb Look continues the tradition of hilarious sketches including the return of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar and Ginger, the drunken, super-sleuths fighting for truth and justice against sinister forces, the return of Britain's least successful Snooker Commentators Ted and Peter and the return of Numberwang, everyone's favorite quiz show that nobody really understands. This season also features new characters and sketches including a post apocalypse game show, Captain Todger the world's most politically incorrect superhero, a painfully honest yet hilarious best man speech and an Alcoholic Bed and Breakfast.

That Mitchell and Webb Look premieres Wednesday, April 7, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT and moves to 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on April 28.

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW SEASON 7 - U.S. PREMIERE

The Graham Norton Show is back with the U.S. premiere of its seventh season on BBC AMERICA as host Graham Norton continues to merge pop culture, celebrity gossip and humor in his multi-award winning comedy chat show. Last season featured guests Robert Downey Jr, Ricky Gervais, David Tennant, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, 50 Cent, Rod Stewart and this season continues Norton's tradition of bringing even bigger Hollywood and Britain's A-list celebrities to the couch every week.

The Graham Norton Show premieres Saturday, April 17, 10:07 p.m. ET/PT and every Saturday following at its regular time of 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS TOP GEAR SPECIAL - BBC AMERICA ORIGINAL PREMIERE

The Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Top Gear Special features past interviews from previous seasons of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross with Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May. May takes a trip down memory lane with Ross as he revisits his trip to the Edge of Space while Clarkson and Ross go back to 1991 via a particularly embarrassing Top Gear video clip.

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Top Gear Special premieres Monday, April 19, 9:40 p.m. ET/PT

BBC EARTH SUNDAY

The breathtaking natural history programming from BBC EARTH presents an afternoon of incredible specials every Sunday beginning April 4 with extended versions of three new incredible specials - including the BBC AMERICA premieres of Amazon: Super River, Cheetahs: Fast Track to Freedom and U.S. premiere of Elephants of Samburu.

AMAZON: SUPER RIVER - BBC AMERICA PREMIERE

This is the story of a river that almost splits a continent in half and contains a fifth of all the river water on the planet. With the help of the best of wildlife imagery, fantastic aerial and space photography, and new-look visual effects, Amazon: Super River takes the ultimate look at the biggest river system on the planet, from its primordial origins to the life that now survives there. The river's animals and plants have evolved to cope with its elements from melted ice, torrential rain, fierce rapids and extreme floods. Make an impossible journey from the Andes to the Atlantic and explore the untameable, super force - the most diverse and biggest rainforest on earth, The Amazon.

Amazon: Super River premieres Sunday, April 25, 5:00 p.m. ET/PT

CHEETAHS: FAST TRACK TO FREEDOM - BBC AMERICA PREMIERE

This is the tale of two orphaned cheetah cubs, Sambu and Toki, and the task of transforming them from tame loveable kittens into bold, powerful hunters of the wild. It is a daunting task. Through the cheetahs hardships, a stroke of remarkable good luck delivered them into the care of The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Here, the task of Simon King's, a wildlife filmmaker with many years experience of working with cheetahs was to ensure the survival of these two hapless creatures. Using a vocal and physical language that King observed wild cheetahs using, he hopes to teach Sambu and Toki to survive and give them the best possible chance. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is full of Africa's most impressive and dangerous animals from temperamental black rhinos to suspicious lions and the cheetahs lessons will be tested. King has to take a back seat and force the cubs' natural hunting instincts in hopes of surviving their environment and becoming fully independent.

Cheetahs: Fast Track to Freedom premieres Sunday, April 25, 6:00 p.m. ET/PT

ELEPHANTS OF SAMBURU - U.S. PREMIERE

Saba Douglas Hamilton, who grew up among Africa's elephants, is on home ground as she opens up their world. She encounters rivalry and passion as she visits old friends, the elephants in Kenya's Samburu reserve. The biggest male in the park fights over a female, a baby elephant is washed away in a flooded river and an orphaned elephant is found starving, alone and in need of rescue.

Elephants of Samburu premieres Sunday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. ET/PT

STUNTS

KITCHEN NIGHTMARES SUNDAY

Renowned chef Gordon Ramsay dishes out a heavy serving of tough love as he turns around failing restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic in this Kitchen Nightmares marathon.

Kitchen Nightmares Sunday airs Sunday, April 4, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT

REVEALING SUNDAY

Revealing Sunday features the "best of" BBC AMERICA Reveals from people who risk their health to lose weight, a woman's club who campaign for the legalization of the world's oldest sex profession, to the highs and lows of life as a stoner.

Revealing Sunday airs Sunday, April 11, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10:00 a.m. PT

WAITING FOR THE DOCTOR

As BBC AMERICA anxiously awaits science fiction television's most anticipated event of the year - Matt Smith making his debut as the new Doctor Who, get ready for the big event by catching up on all the Doctor's recent adventures and specials, in this all-day marathon.

Waiting for the Doctor airs all day Saturday, April 17

DUAL FEED/NEW WEEKNIGHT SCHEDULE

Please note beginning Monday, April 26, at 6:00 a.m. ET, BBC AMERICA will become a dual-feed network, with programming airing at the same time in both the Eastern and Pacific time zones. In conjunction with this switchover, we are modifying our primetime and late night schedule on weeknights, pre-empting the 10:00 p.m. episode of BBC World News America. There will be no changes to the weekend primetime schedules.

ONGOING PREMIERES

Other series that will continue to premiere new episodes during April include:

Mondays: Top Gear

Tuesdays: Survivors

Fridays: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 67 million homes.