Handmade on the Silk Road - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
The Weaver
The first episode, The Weaver, is set in North West China, where the Uyghur community has been making Atlas silk for thousands of years. Mattursun Islam (pictured) and his family are continuing the tradition, using a combination of handmade techniques and mechanised looms, including a wooden loom which Mattursun built himself aged 17.
In a small workshop with a team of up to 12 workers, Mattursun produces the silk in over 200 different designs - and from creating the patterns to colouring, dyeing and weaving the thread, the film follows each stage in absorbing detail.
We also get an engaging glimpse into the challenges of running the family business. With rival companies often copying his designs, Mattursan Islam is proud of his reputation. But he and his wife also enjoy a good-natured rivalry over who is really in charge…
The Wood Carver
The second episode, The Wood Carver, is set in Khiva, Uzbekistan. This ancient walled city is one of the oldest centres of wood carving in central Asia. Shavkat Jumanijozov, pictured, has been working with wood in the city for over 30 years, producing superbly carved doors, chests and wooden pillars that are displayed and sold all over the world.
The Potter
The final episode, The Potter, is filmed in the Iranian town of Meybod, famous for its traditional ceramics production.
The desert soil of Iran lends itself to clay making and Iranian pottery has a long and distinguished history, dating back to at least the 8th century BC. Abdol Reza Aghaei was taught by his father Abbas Ali, a potter for over 70 years. Each day they travel to their workshop and diligently sculpt a vast array of everyday household objects.
Recently Updated Shows
Children Ruin Everything
Children Ruin Everything is one couple's efforts to reclaim a piece of their old lives which are continually thwarted by their young children in surprising and absurd ways. But somewhere in the toy-filled, pee-stained wreckage of what they once had, they find a new life that's pretty good, too.
Worst Cooks in America
Chef Anne Burrell is back for a seventh season of trying to turn some of America's worst cooks into kitchen stars. This time, however, the recruits are seven celebrities who can showcase their talents on TV and in movies, but not no so much in the kitchen. Burrell competes against Worst Cooks in America newcomer Rachael Ray to see which chef can lead one contestant to make the most impressive culinary transformation. Actors Dean Cain, Ellen Cleghorne, Jaleel White and Barry Williams join reality stars Jenni "JWoww" Farley, Chris Soules and Kendra Wilkinson in boot camp. The winning star gets $50,000 for charity and bragging rights for his or her mentor. Not all of the celebrities will make the cut, however; after an opening potluck dinner each mentor selects three recruits to be on her team, leaving one celebrity to be sent home before the competition really begins. Burrell is looking to extend her record to 5-2, while Ray looks to get the win in her first season.
Plan B
The day when Philip discovers the possibility of going back in time, he does not hesitate. Since Evelyn, the love of his life and companion for the past six years, has left him, his life has lost its meaning. With the tremendous power he wields thanks to Plan B, he attempts to save his relationship, his law firm and his dysfunctional family. But Philip soon realizes that even the smallest choice has repercussions - as uncontrollable as they are unexpected - on his life and the lives of others. And even though he can stop tragic events before they happen, Philip cannot erase the memories and the emotions associated with them. Nothing will ever be without consequence again.
Good Cop/Bad Cop
Good Cop/Bad Cop is a one-hour procedural dramedy centered around Lou and Henry, an odd couple sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force. They must contend with colorful residents, a serious lack of resources, and their very complicated dynamic with each other and with their police chief, Big Hank - who happens to be their father.
Suits LA
In Suits LA,Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York, has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can't help but mix their personal and professional lives. All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.