PBS & BBC Team for Autumnwatch: New England

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PBS will air Autumnwatch: New England, a new live event, as part of its co-production partnership with the BBC.

The three-part Autumnwatch: New England will run Wednesday and Thursday, October 17 and 18, at 8 p.m. and on Friday, October 19, at 8:30 p.m. Travel journalist Samantha Brown, BBC presenter Chris Packham and wildlife cinematographer Bob Poole will host the multiplatform TV experience from Squam Lake, New Hampshire.

The live event will focus on cultural traditions and historical sites, in addition to local wildlife and the landscapes of New England. Local experts in food, wildlife, music, literature and history will join the hosts each night to showcase characteristics special to the region. Autumnwatch: New England will capture time-lapse changes of fall foliage, a quest for moose in Maine, key wildlife species in backyards as they prepare for winter and nighttime critters such as owls and bats.

Audiences can expect to see segments highlighting Native American history and traditions, Halloween customs, regional fairs and the many farms that provide the region with its varieties of apples, pumpkins, cranberries and maple syrups. Similar in format to PBS’s previous summer spectacles, Big Blue Live and Wild Alaska Live, the new series will include a mix of live feeds and pre-taped footage from across New England.

Autumnwatch: New England is a co-production with BBC Studios Natural History Unit and PBS. It will be executive produced by Rosemary Edwards and series produced by Chris Howard. Tom McDonald, BBC’s head of commissioning for natural history and specialist factual, and Bill Margol, the senior director of programming and development at PBS, will oversee the project.

“In Autumnwatch: New England, audiences will experience exquisite outdoor adventures while surrounded by nature’s most picturesque imagery,” said Bill Gardner, the VP of programming and development, at PBS. “We look forward to partnering with the BBC once again to present this ambitious live production and share this American experience with PBS and BBC viewers.”

“I’m thrilled that Autumnwatch is moving to New England for this very special week of live programming,” said the BBC’s McDonald. “The teams are heading to one of the most iconic locations in the USA to experience the great American ‘fall’ for what promises to be an unforgettable chapter in the Watches‘ history.”