BBC America Announces February Highlights

Related: BBC America

BBC America will premiere in the U.S., Top Gear, the world's biggest car show, just days after its UK debut. The all-new season sees hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May taking an incredible American road trip in an Aston Martin Vanquish, SRT Viper and Lexus LFA through Las Vegas, Los Angeles and a race against fighter planes before ending with a hair-raising run to the Mexican border. From Jeremy Clarkson's new hybrid Microcar creation to an off-road Bentley Continental GT, the hosts engage in a new collection of incredible adventures, absurd stunts and dream drives. Even Golden Globe(R) winner and Homeland star Damian Lewis joins in on the fun in the season premiere when he hits the Top Gear test track for the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" challenge. Top Gear premieres Monday, February 4, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA. Twitter: @TopGear_BBCA #TopGear

BAFTA FILM AWARDS 2013 - U.S. PREMIERE

Hollywood's biggest stars come out for Britain's most glamorous night in this awards ceremony honoring the best of the year in film. The British Academy Film Awards show is considered a major indicator on the road to the Oscars(R), for instance last year's The Artist won the top prize at both the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards. Previous winners of the BAFTAs include Colin Firth, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Daniel Day-Lewis and Mickey Rourke. Nominations in all categories were announced on Wednesday, January 9, where Steven Spielberg's presidential biopic, Lincoln, led with ten nominations. BAFTA Film Awards 2013 premieres Sunday, February 10, 8:00pm ET as a three-hour special, starting with a 30-minute Red Carpet Show. BBC AMERICA's broadcast airs the same day as the ceremony in London. Twitter: @BAFTA #BAFTAs

BANG GOES THE THEORY - U.S. PREMIERE

A mix of spectacular stunts, future-facing stories and competitive team challenges - the U.S. premiere of the BBC's popular science series Bang Goes the Theory delivers the best in both science and technology. From building a boat out of ice and attempting to take it for a spin on one of the UK's busiest stretches of water, to turning a square-wheeled skateboard into a motorbike, to an experiment into jetlag and how to avoid it. Nothing is off limits as the team, including Liz Bonin, Jem Stansfield, Dallas Campbell and Dr. Jan Wong, answers today's trickiest questions making science both inspiring and engaging. Bang Goes the Theory premieres Monday, February 11, 10:20pm ET/PT. Twitter: #BangGoesTheTheory

6 NATIONS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP (LIVE) - U.S. PREMIERE

RBS 6 Nations Championship, one of Europe's biggest annual sporting events, will once again broadcast live on BBC AMERICA. The legendary rugby tournament features England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales as they vie for the championship. Last year on the final day, Wales beat France 16-9 to win the Grand Slam, England placed second while Scotland were condemned to the Wooden Spoon as they finished last. This year, BBC AMERICA's first match, England v Scotland, airs live Saturday, February 2, 11:00am ET. The rest of the live broadcasts for February include: France v Wales on Saturday, February 9, 12:00pm ET and England v France on Saturday, February 23, 12:00pm ET. The tournament continues in March with Ireland v France on Saturday, March 9, 12:00pm ET and Wales v England on Saturday, March 16, 1:00pm ET. Twitter: #6Nations

BEAR GRYLLS' WILD ADVENTURES - U.S. PREMIERE

Bear Grylls takes comedian Miranda Hart (Call The Midwife) and talk show host Jonathan Ross, two of Britain's most high-profile stars, on their own once-in-a-lifetime adventures in two amazing weekend expeditions to some of the world's most stunning natural environments. Miranda Hart is off to the Swiss Alps where she faces her greatest fears when she flies in a helicopter and abseils down a waterfall. Jonathon Ross discovers his inner Tarzan in the magnificent rainforests of the Volcanic Island of La Palma, one of the least-known of the Canary Islands. Bear Grylls' Wild Adventures premieres Tuesday, February 19, 9:00pm ET/PT. Twitter: @BearGrylls #BearGryllsBBCA

ONGOING PREMIERES

Series that will continue to premiere new episodes during February include:

Tuesdays: Ramsay Behind Bars and Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan

Saturdays: Ripper Street and The Graham Norton Show

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. 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 cable and satellite TV in more than 80.4 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.