Take a British Summer Holiday

With much of the world focused on London this summer for the Olympic games and the Queen’s diamond jubilee, PBS presents a lineup of programs exploring the stories of England past and present. Discover the customs surrounding the monarchy, explore England’s 2,000-year history through the story of a small town, solve mysteries with some of Britain’s super sleuths and more.

Queen & Country – Sundays, July 1-22 at 8:00 p.m. WCVE PBS/WHTJ PBS
In 2012, all eyes are on Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s second longest-reigning monarch, as England marks Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. Join veteran newsman Sir Trevor McDonald as he looks at the traditions and institutions surrounding the monarchy, from Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace through the queen’s royal visits … to some of the greatest historic royal palaces.

Masterpiece!: Endeavour – Sunday, July 1 at 9:00 p.m. WCVE PBS/WHTJ PBS
It's 1965, and a 15-year-old Oxford schoolgirl, last seen waiting alone in the rain at a bus stop on early Sunday morning, has disappeared and is presumed dead. The hunt for Mary Tremlett draws rookie Detective Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans), the conflicted young detective on the verge of resignation, back to the university he'd suddenly left only a few years before.

Michael Wood’s Story of England – Tuesdays, July 3, 10, 17 at 8:00 p.m. WCVE PBS/WHTJ PBS
Visit the village of Kibworth, Leicestershire, with historian Michael Wood as he tells the 2,000-year-old story of this one settlement throughout English history. Kibworth, located in the heart of England, lived through the Black Death, the English Civil War, the Industrial Revolution and World War II. Intertwining the local and national narratives, Wood presents a moving and informative picture of one local community through time.