'Absolutely Fabulous: Olympics Special' and 'Going for Gold - The '48 Games' Set for BBC America Tonight, 7/25

BBC AMERICA's Summer of London programming continues tonight, July 25 with a tribute to the London Games featuring the US premieres of the uplifting drama Going for Gold - The '48 Games, starring Doctor Who's Matt Smith, and Absolutely Fabulous: Olympics special starring comedy icons Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.

GOING FOR GOLD - THE '48 GAMES

Thrown together as double sculling partners just six weeks before the 1948 Summer Olympics, Bert Bushnell (Matt Smith), a boat builder's son, and Richard "Dickie" Burnell (Sam Hoare, Captain America: The First Avenger, Jane Eyre), the Oxford-educated son of an Olympic gold-medal winning champion rower, were an unlikely pair. Bert was strictly a single sculler, unused to working as a team, and Dickie was living in his father's shadow. With the help of legendary sculler Jack Beresford (James Frain, True Blood, The Tudors) these two men from very different backgrounds triumphed against the odds, capturing Olympic Gold and embodying the battling spirit of the 1948 London games - the first to take place in 12 years due to World War II. With Dickie's Olympic win, he followed his father Charles Burnell into the record books becoming one of the few father and sons to both win Olympic gold medals. The film is a BBC Drama production written by William Ivory (Made in Dagenham) and executive produced by Jessica Pope (Sense and Sensibility). Going for Gold - The '48 Games premieres Wednesday, July 25, 8:00pm ET.

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: OLYMPICS SPECIAL

Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) are well known for having their fingers on the pulse of the nation. As the sound of the approaching Olympiad reaches deafening proportions Eddy is surprised that it is all about to start. She has rented out her house to a Hollywood A-lister, but she's still living in it, as is her daughter (Julia Sawalha), her mother (June Whitfield) and her assistant Bubble (Jane Horrocks).

Patsy tries to get into Eddy's body-suit to look suitably great for the A-listers, with disastrous results. Health professionals are summoned. Eddy feels that doors are closing on her, that age is catching up with her, that invitations are not coming her way anymore and that Stella McCartney's shop is closed to her. Then, to add to her depression, Bo and Marshall (her ex-husband played by Chris Ryan and his girlfriend played by Mo Gaffney) arrive to stay for the Games. Things can only get worse... Somehow before the flame has been lit they will end up running for glory inside the Olympic stadium and crash a reception for the likes of famed Olympians Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, Dame Kelly Holmes, and Stella McCartney herself. The special is a Saunders and French production for BBC, co-produced by BBC AMERICA and Logo. It is written by Jennifer Saunders and executive produced by Jon Plowman (Twenty Twelve, Extras). The Absolutely Fabulous: Olympics special premieres on Wednesday, July 25, 10:00pm ET.

BBC AMERICA's Summer of London programming has included live coverage of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the new acclaimed Ministry of Laughs comedy Twenty Twelve starring Hugh Bonneville, The Brit List and more. Plus BBC AMERICA's Asha Leo has been counting down the top people, places, food, fashion and arts in and around London with The Brit List: Summer of London both on-air and online at BBCAmerica.com's Anglophenia blog and across YouTube, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter.

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), five Golden Globes(R) and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 79 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

 

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