With Patience, Planning, and Plotting, Desperate Prisoners Are on the Move When BREAKOUT Returns to Discovery, Feb. 1

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/U1fG2P

Toronto (January 8, 2013) – Every prisoner fantasizes about escape, but few are reckless enough to actually attempt it. Back for an arresting second season with eight new stories, BREAKOUT premieres Friday, February 1 at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT on Discovery. An original Canada/U.K. co-production between Cream and RAW, BREAKOUT gets inside the minds and motives of criminals desperate to bust out of some of the most secure prisons in the world. In the face of seemingly impossible obstacles, the prisoners’ ingenuity and sheer audaciousness is shocking; and the skilled detective work of the law enforcement agencies tasked with tracking the fugitives down is awe-inspiring. With car chases, stake outs and shoot outs, and told through high-end, first-person dramatic recreations, BREAKOUT is as adrenaline-charged as any Hollywood blockbuster. The BREAKOUT experience extends online at  Discovery.ca with exclusive bonus content including interviews with experts and prisoners; plus interactive infographics that offer an overview of key features and security levels of each prison, and the major obstacles faced by the escapees and law enforcement in each case.

Out of time and out of options, BREAKOUT is the only way. Season 2 premieres Feb. 1 on Discovery

Armed robbers, murderers, and even political prisoners convicted as terrorists, BREAKOUT’s subjects each find their way to prison by a different path. Locked away, with nothing to lose, their stories take a turn.  Among the jailbreak stories featured on BREAKOUT this season, armed robber Roy Harper and murderer John Woolard break out of Mississippi State Penitentiary’s notorious Unit 32 and leave a trail of destruction as the police pursue them across the U.S.; Ronald Rutan and Frank Vandever use their privileged positions working in the kitchens of Connecticut’s only maximum security prison to carry out a daring escape; and in a stunning combination of audacity and ingenuity, three political prisoners in Apartheid South Africa escape from max security Pretoria Prison using numerous keys crafted from wood – right under the noses of their captors.

Highlights from the first episodes of BREAKOUT include:

BREAKOUT: “Escape From Supermax”

Fri., Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT

On May 28, 2000, armed robber Roy Harper and his buddy, murderer John Woolard, achieve the impossible. They break out of Unit 32, Mississippi State Penitentiary’s notorious supermax facility. The escape hinges on a single security weakness:  for a few hours every day, guards grant inmates a degree of privacy by allowing them to hang sheets across their cell fronts. Behind the sheets, Harper and Woolard cut through their cell windows undetected using hacksaw blades smuggled into the unit. On the night of the escape, they crawl across a floodlit courtyard and cut through two perimeter fences covered by gun towers before reaching freedom. They leave a trail of destruction as the police and FBI pursue them across the U.S. The manhunt climaxes with a dramatic shootout at an Indiana truck stop. 

BREAKOUT: “The Real MacGyver”

Fri., Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT

Convicted murderer, Harold Laird is known in prison as “MacGyver” for his ability to repair things using everyday materials. He is moved to the Stiles Maximum Security Prison in Beaumont, Texas, where he is placed in a block that houses white supremacist gang members. The gang puts out a hit on Laird after he denounces them, forcing him to face his toughest challenge yet. Can he break out of his maximum security cell before the gang succeeds and takes him down?

BREAKOUT: “Tunnel Break”

Fri., Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT

Three inmates hatch a daring plan to escape from Indiana State Prison, one of the toughest penitentiaries in the U.S. Convicted rapist Lance Battreal decides to break out when he learns his father is terminally ill with only months to live. Battreal is determined to see him one last time – and beg forgiveness for his sins. In 2009 he conspires with murderers Mark Booher and Charlie Smith to dig their way into a system of steam tunnels under the prison. They cut through a series of security gates to reach a narrow storm drain which leads all the way to 10^th Street in Michigan City. They must crawl all the way, a  long and torturous journey until they reach a manhole exit on 10^th Street. Hours later, the escape is discovered and U.S. Marshal Mark Gregoline commands  the massive manhunt.

Viewers can delve deeper into the BREAKOUT experience at Discovery.ca. They can watch full episodes and bonus interview content; visit photo galleries and find detailed episode information; explore interactive infographic elements; and fans of #BreakoutS2 can chat with @DiscoveryCanada through the Discovery Social Screen and on mobile via the Discovery App.

About Discovery:

The world is just awesome! With compelling real-life programming that inspires and entertains, Discovery reveals the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. Discovery offers a signature mix of adrenaline-charged stories, larger-than-life personalities and vivid imagery for viewers with curious minds. With the best non-fiction programming from Canada and around the world, Discovery captures the excitement of a passion for life – one lived fully and at its most extreme. With exceptional and immersive storytelling, the channel offers in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the extraordinary people and places that shape our world. Launched in Canada in 1995, Discovery is now available in more than eight million Canadian homes. Discovery is offered in standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) simulcast – for viewers who want an even bigger and bolder experience. Discovery Canada is a joint venture between Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company, and Discovery Communications Inc. Find more information and interactive online features at Discovery.ca.

-30-

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Discovery Canada on Facebook:                               facebook.com/discoverycanada

Discovery Canada on Twitter:                                    twitter.com/DiscoveryCanada

For more information:                                                                                                                     

Jodi Cook, Discovery, 416.384.4603 or jodi.cook@bellmedia.ca

Noah Zatzman, Discovery, 416.384.5903 or noah.zatzman@bellmedia.ca