The Whistleblowers – North American Premiere

Wednesdays at 9 pm beginning December 12
6 / 50 minutes
Created by Tony Marchant and produced by Carnival Films

Would you have the courage to expose a miscarriage of justice by your own government, or risk losing your job and your family's security by reporting criminal misdeeds by your employer? The Whistleblowers, a thrilling and thought-provoking new drama from Britain tackles questions like these and more with storylines that bring to mind high-profile cases in Canada such as the Maher Arar case and the government sponsorship scandal.

Richard Coyle stars as Ben Graham and Indira Varma is Alisha Cole, personal injury lawyers and romantic partners who witness a miscarriage of justice on their own doorstep. But when they try to speak out they suddenly find themselves on the other side of the law - enemies of the state. Realizing whistleblowers are central to the continuing integrity and freedom of our society, they set up an agency to support those who are brave enough to step forward and tell the truth. Aided by their friend Kenny Reid (Daniel Ryan), a private investigator, they step into the worlds of the education system, pharmaceutical industry, the immigration service, the drinks industry and an environment agency as they help members of the public blow the whistle on those who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

Created by the award-winning writer Tony Marchant (Passer By, Holding On), two of the episodes are also written by real-life whistleblowers: ex-immigration officer Tony Saint and ex-teacher Steve Thompson.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Magnificent 7 – North American Premiere

Tuesday December 18, 2007 at 9 pm
90 minutes
Written by Sandy Welch and Directed by Kenny Glenaan

Inspired by the true-life experiences of Jacqui Jackson in the documentary My Family & Autism, Magnificent 7 stars Helena Bonham Carter as Maggi, a mother of seven kids, four of whom are autistic. Curtis is terrified of red and has numerous allergies; Christopher takes everything literally; Richard hates surprises; and Davey has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Over the course of a year the family experiences laughter and heartbreak, embarrassment and triumphs. Throughout they remain a family - and life is never dreary at the Jacksons.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

The Choir – North American Premiere

Sundays at 8 pm December 16, 23 & 30, 2007
3 / 50 minutes
Produced by Twenty Twenty Television

It's been said that music has charms to soothe the savage breast, but can it handle an unruly group of teenagers? This inspiring three-part film documents the challenge faced by London Symphony Orchestra choirmaster Gareth Malone to turn a rag-tag group of kids from a west London school with no music tradition into a world-class choir capable of competing in the World Choir Games in China. With only nine months before the competition Gareth not only has to contend with finding enough musical diamonds in the rough, but a student body that has no formal music training but also bad behaviour, absenteeism and a general lack of self-confidence. But Gareth's on a mission to unearth raw singing talent and show the world why music needs to be in schools.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Saddam's Tribe – Canadian Premiere

Sunday, December 9 at 9 pm
90 minutes
Written by Ryan Craig and Directed by Christopher Menaul

Drawing on published interviews, documents and eyewitness accounts, this gripping drama reveals the inside story of how Saddam Hussein ruled both his country and his family with an iron fist. Told from the perspective of Raghad Hussein, Saddam's daughter, the film exposes how the fate of Iraq turned on the fluctuations of family loyalty and eventually of family betrayal against a backdrop of debauchery and corruption. Starring Michelle Bonnard and Stanley Townsend.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Jane Austen Dramas – North American Premieres

Northanger Abbey – Sunday December 16, 2007 at 9 pm
Mansfield Park – Sunday December 23, 2007 at 9 pm
Persuasion – Sunday December 30, 2007 at 9 pm

Jane Austen never seems to go out of style attracting new generations of fans who find relevance in her tales of romance and young heroines navigating their way through the trappings of society. In December TVO presents three new dramas fashioned for a contemporary audience that capture the timelessness of Jane Austen's works. These splendidly crafted films will only add to the Jane addiction for fans and attract new admirers in a banner year that also saw the release of the Hollywood feature films The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) and Becoming Jane (2007).

On December 16, Felicity Jones stars in Northanger Abbey as Austen's simple but beautiful Catherine Morland who's forced to choose between love and money when she's introduced into the social-climbing world of Bath society. Venerable stage and screen actress Geraldine James is the voice of Jane Austen.

On December 23, Mansfield Park tells the tale of a poor relation overcoming her station in life to achieve her dreams. The cast includes some of Britain's brightest young stars, including Billie Piper (Dr. Who), Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman), Hayley Atwell (Cassandra's Dream), and James D'Arcy (Master and Commander).

On December 30, Sally Hawkins (Fingersmith) and Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) are Austen's star-crossed sweethearts in director Anthony Shergold's Persuasion.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Throughout the holiday season TVOKids features seasonal episodes of everyday favourites and presentations of holiday specials with powerful, but heartwarming messages of giving and thinking of others. Some of the programs to look for include Eloise: Little Miss Christmas, Mama Mirabelle Savannah Kwanza, The Christmas Orange, Daniel Cook: Holiday Ornament, and Dora the Explorer: Present for Santa.

Charlie & Lola Christmas Special
How Many More Minutes until Christmas?

Sunday December 23, 2007 at 10 am
25 minutes

Christmas is coming and Charlie and Lola have received an advent calendar to help them keep track. The calendar has a flap to open for each day leading up to Christmas. At school, they find that many of their friends have received the same calendar, so they trade stories of what things they found underneath the flaps. Charlie and Lola also get ready for Christmas, discussing wanted gifts, making cards, and writing letters.

On Christmas Eve, Lola discovers something disturbing: the flap for Christmas has disappeared from the calendar. The two go inside the calendar to find out what happened to Christmas.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Wonder Pets Save the Reindeer

Tuesday December 25, 2007 at 8:30 am and 4 pm
25 minutes

The Wonder Pets are celebrating Christmas Eve when they get a distress call from Santa's baby reindeer who is stuck on cracking ice. They head to the North Pole and rescue her, but discover she got on the ice because she ran way. Seems the real crisis was one of confidence - she didn't know if she had what it takes to be one of Santa's reindeer. It's up to the Wonder Pets to show the young reindeer that everyone has something to contribute.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Allan Gregg in Conversation

Siobhan Roberts (King of the Universe) and John Mighton (The Myth of Ability)
Friday December 7, 2007 at 10 pm

Thomas Cahill (Mysteries of the Middle Ages)
Friday December 21 at 10 pm

Allan Gregg in Conversation features host Allan Gregg in thought-provoking discussion with some of the world's foremost thinkers on social, cultural, political and economic issues. On December 7, Allan welcomes author Siobhan Roberts who talks about a little-known but highly influential Canadian genius, Donald Coxeter, profiled in her book King of the Universe: Donald Coxeter, The Man Who Saved Geometry. Also on December 7, mathematician and award-winning playwright John Mighton talks about his book The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child. Mr. Mighton was featured in Allan King's documentary, Empz 4 Life.

On December 21, historian Thomas Cahill talks about his latest book, Mysteries of the Middle Ages.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

The View From Here
Wal-Town – English Canada Premiere

Wednesday December 5, 2007 at 10 pm
70 minutes
Produced by National Film Board of Canada and Productions Grand Nord Québec Inc.

A group of six university students, calling themselves Wal-Town, take to the Canadian highway over two summers. Armed with thousands of pamphlets, flyers, and with one freelance journalist in tow, they visit 36 of Canada's more than 200 Wal-Mart stores with one formidable goal: to raise public awareness about Wal-Mart's business practices and the effects of the company's policies on cities and towns across Canada. Interspersing frank exchanges between activists and Wal-Mart shoppers with interviews with a range of characters from either side of the issue, the film raises challenging questions about the impact of big business on the culture of communities.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

The View From Here
Chichester's Choice – World Broadcast Premiere

Wednesday December 12, 2007 at 10 pm
66 minutes
Directed by Simonee Chichester

First-time filmmaker Simonee Chichester is at the centre of this moving documentary as she sets off in search of her homeless father, Edgar. Simonee's dad abandoned his family 23 years earlier leaving many unanswered questions. To the dismay of her mother, when Simonee learns Edgar has tuberculosis, she travels to Guyana and Brazil and fills in the blanks of her dad's life as she encounters his friends, family and acquaintances. A deeply personal journey, Chichester's Choice touches on themes of homelessness, alcoholism, abandonment and hope.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

Human Edge
China Blue – Canadian Premiere

Wednesday December 19, 2007 at 10 pm
60 minutes
Directed by Micha X. Peled

Denim jeans are a staple of wardrobes across the planet and are popular across generations. In North America they are a big business where some pairs can retail for hundreds of dollars. But there is another side to this story. China Blue goes inside a blue jeans factory in southern China where teenage workers face harsh working conditions. They live crowded together in cement factory dormitories with no running water and their meals and rent are deducted from their wages, which amount to less than a dollar a day. Providing perspectives from both the top and bottom levels of the factory's hierarchy, China Blue looks at complex issues of globalization from a human angle.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

National Geographic
Inside Jerusalem's Holiest Places

Saturday December 22, 2007 at 7 pm
60 minutes

To Muslims it's known as Al-Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary. To Jews and Christians it's the Temple Mount. Depending what part of Jerusalem you're in, using the wrong name could spark a riot. The 35-acre walled sanctuary in the heart of Old Jerusalem that is home to the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the most sacred sites for all three of these religions and for 3000 years has been the one of the most fought-over pieces of real estate on Earth. Rarely are cameras allowed inside, but filmmakers for this documentary were granted exclusive access. Working with scholars and consultants, Inside Jerusalem's Holiest Places promotes an understanding of this holy but highly contested place.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvontario.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2600 x2881    arubenstein@tvontario.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvontario.org

About TVO: TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires, and stimulates curiosity and thought. We are committed to empowering people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media.