New to VisionTV this season:

Yes, Minister
Wednesdays, starting Sept. 7, 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET

Yes, Prime Minister
Wednesdays, starting Feb. 1, 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET

These two classic series remain the gold standard for British television comedy. Paul Eddington stars as the weak-willed James Hacker, a cabinet minister – and later Prime Minister – whose good intentions are forever thwarted by Sir Humphrey Appleby, a Machiavellian career bureaucrat played by Nigel Hawthorne.

Distant Shores
CANADIAN PREMIERE: Wednesdays, starting Sept. 14, 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET
This quirky British comedy-drama stars Peter Davison ( The Last Detective ) as Bill Shore, a successful London plastic surgeon who experiences culture shock when he is forced to move with his wife (Samantha Bond) and children to the tiny island of Hildasay in order to salvage their troubled marriage.

Returning favourites:

McLeod's Daughters
Fridays, 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET
Australia's most popular drama series returns with new episodes, as Tess, Stevie and the other feisty women of Drovers Run struggle to manage both their sprawling cattle ranch and their endlessly complex romantic lives.

The Gaither Gospel Hour
Fridays, 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET
Now entering its fourth season on VisionTV, this weekly celebration of southern gospel music remains one of the network's most popular offerings. The brainchild of music legends Bill and Gloria Gaither, the series features the four-member Gaither Vocal Band and a host of other best-selling gospel artists performing in venues all over the world.

360 Vision
New Season: Thursdays, starting Oct. 6, 10 p.m. ET
Repeats Mondays, starting Oct. 10, 10 p.m. ET
VisionTV's flagship current affairs series continues deliver the most comprehensive news coverage of faith and spirituality issues on Canadian television; increasingly, the award-winning 360 Vision team breaks stories that are picked up by other media. Now heading into its fourth season, the show will feature a new look, a new half-hour format – and a lot more of what it does best: gripping investigative documentary reports, provocative interviews with world faith leaders and incisive commentaries.

Credo
New Season: Mondays, starting Oct. 10, 10:30 p.m. ET
What do the movers and shakers of our society believe in – and how do they live by those beliefs? In this series, prominent Canadians open up about the spiritual and moral values that have shaped their lives. Guests include renowned journalist and diplomat Pamela Wallin ; political leaders Svend Robinson and John Crosbie ; architect Douglas Cardinal ; opera sensation Measha Brueggergosman and master chef Susur Lee .

Life Begins
New Season: Airdate TBA
This acclaimed British drama series from Cold Feet creator Mike Bullen is back with brand new episodes. Caroline Quentin ( Men Behaving Badly ) stars as Maggie, a middle-aged homemaker forced to cope on her own after being abandoned by her husband.

[Note: Some airdates and times may be subject to change.]

A WORLD OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES

VisionTV's world premiere documentary presentations take viewers on a journey around the globe, to investigate the mysteries of faith and the myths of humankind.

The Naked Archaeologist
WORLD PREMIERE: Mondays, starting Sept. 5, 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. ET
Repeats Tuesdays, starting Sept. 6, 10:30 p.m. ET Does the Bible give us a record of actual historical events? In this fascinating and often irreverent series, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici travels to the Holy Land to uncover the mysteries and treasures of the Biblical world. With footage of never-before-seen artifacts and insights from the world's foremost archaeological experts, the program offers startling revelations on everything from the story of Jonah to the life of John the Baptist. (From Associated Producers.)

ScaredSacred
WORLD PREMIERE: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET
Sometimes it seems as if our world teeters on the brink of self-destruction. This extraordinary feature-length documentary follows filmmaker Velcrow Ripper on a pilgrimage to the “Ground Zeros” of the world, from Bhopal to post-9/11 New York, and asks if it is possible to find hope in places visited by the worst horrors of the last century. ScaredSacred was named one of the Toronto International Film Festival's top 10 Canadian films for 2004. (Produced by Vancouver-based Producers on Davie Pictures Inc., in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada.)

Captive: The Story of Esther
WORLD PREMIERE: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 10 p.m. ET Repeats Thursday, Oct. 13, 11 p.m. ET
Born in 1696 to a family of English Puritan settlers in Maine, seven-year-old Esther Wheelwright was abducted by an Abenaki warrior and taken to Canada. After a Jesuit missionary arranged her release, she was cared for by Ursuline nuns in Quebec. Esther chose to devote her life to God, eventually becoming Mother Superior of the Ursuline Convent. This documentary is the story of her remarkable life, as told by one of her descendants: filmmaker Penny Wheelwright. (Produced by Wheelwright Ink Ltd.)

The Lost Gods
CANADIAN PREMIERE: Airdate TBA
This groundbreaking six-part series looks at the spiritual traditions of the great lost civilizations that once ruled the known world: the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Maya, the Inca and the Celts. Host Christy Keneally leads the viewer on an exploration of lost cities and ancient shrines throughout Europe, Africa and the Americas. (Produced by VisionTV International and Tile Films.)

Secret Files of the Inquisition
CANADIAN PREMIERE: Airdate TBA
For more than 500 years, the Inquisition waged a ruthless campaign against heresy, using secret courts, torture and public executions to stamp out the enemies of the Catholic Church. In 1998, Pope John Paul II pledged to open the Vatican archive to those seeking the truth about one of history's darkest chapters. This four-part docudrama miniseries combines expert insights with dramatic re-enactments filmed on location in Spain to tell the epic story of the Inquisition and its reign of terror. (From Inquisition Productions Inc., in association with Insight Film and New Atlantis.)

The ALMA Drawings
CANADIAN PREMIERE: Airdate TBA
In her late 40s, Alma Rumball experienced a vision of Christ. Over the next 25 years, this rural recluse from Huntsville, Ont. would create hundreds of “automatic” drawings: astonishingly detailed works of art, all produced – so she claimed – without conscious volition. Was she psychic, or psychotic? This powerful documentary by director Jeremy Munce attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding Alma's life and art. The ALMA Drawings won the prize for Best Direction – Short to Mid-Length at this year's Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Rumi: Turning Ecstatic
WORLD PREMIERE: Airdate TBA
Mevlana Jelalludin Rumi was a 13th century Persian mystic whose poetry and philosophy resonate to this day. In this documentary, Canadian filmmaker Tina Petrova reveals how a near-death incident brought her to Rumi, and to a remarkable array of individuals whose life and work have been influenced by his simple but exquisitely beautiful writings. (A Visionary Media Inc. Production.)