Contact: Lorenzo Petruzziello
617-338-4455 ext.133
Lorenzo_Petruzziello@APTonline.org

AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION TO DISTRIBUTE FIVE OF 2007'S TOP 10 U.K. DRAMAS

Boston (Jan. 18, 2007) -- Five of last year's 10 highest-rated U.K. dramas are being made available to public television stations nationwide by American Public Television (APT). A leading distributor of programming for public television, APT's syndication service boasts the following U.K. ratings winners in drama: DOC MARTIN, NEW TRICKS, KINGDOM, DOCTOR WHO and THE ROYAL. These programs will air on public television stations throughout 2008.

DOC MARTIN, starring Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly) as an abrasive doctor practicing in a sleepy seaside town, was the most popular U.K. drama of 2007, garnering nearly 10 million viewers for the final episode of its third series.

NEW TRICKS was the third-highest rated drama of 2007, with 8.8 million U.K. viewers. The on-going series stars Amanda Redman (Hope & Glory) as a tough female detective assigned to partner with three veteran retirees.

KINGDOM, starring comedy icon Stephen Fry (Bones, Jeeves & Wooster, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), features Fry as Peter Kingdom, a big-hearted lawyer dealing with the quirky cases and quirkier personalities in the small Norfolk town of Market Shipborough. The series drew 8.2 million U.K. viewers for its April premiere.

The latest incarnation of longtime BBC favorite DOCTOR WHO, starring David Tennant as the intergalactic adventure-seeking Doctor, reached 8.2 million U.K. viewers for the premiere episode of its third series.

Rounding out the top 10 is THE ROYAL, an acclaimed series chronicling the chaotic lives of the staff and patients at a Yorkshire countryside hospital. More than 8.1 million U.K. viewers tuned in when its new season launched in March of 2007.

For U.S. broadcast dates and times, check local public television listings.

About American Public Television:
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation's public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti in Concert, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin' – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, and other prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs and classic movies.

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