HALLMARK CHANNEL WELCOMES SIR ROGER MOORE BACK TO TV TO STAR IN "A PRINCESS FOR CHRISTMAS," A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE WORLD PREMIERE, HOLIDAY 2011

Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas," Preeminent TV Holiday Destination

He is the longest-running Bond - James Bond - of all time. Hallmark Channel announces Sir Roger Moore will star in "A Princess for Christmas," a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere for Holiday 2011. Co-starring with Moore is Katie McGrath ("Merlin"), Sam Heughan ("Doctors"), Travis Turner ("Supernatural") and newcomer Leilah De Meza. Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas," one of the most anticipated seasonal events in entertainment, features more hours of holiday-themed programming than any other network.

In "A Princess for Christmas," McGrath plays Jules Daly, a frenetic twenty-something who becomes guardian to her young niece Maddie (De Meza) and nephew Milo (Turner) when her sister and brother-in-law are tragically killed in an accident. While balancing the daily hysteria of becoming an overnight parent, Jules was recently laid off at work, her car is on the fritz, and the kids' shenanigans have caused a dozen nannies to flee like vampires before garlic. When an ominous knock on the door comes late one evening, Jules wonders, what now? At the door is Paisley Winterbottom (Miles Richardson, "Midsomer Murders"), a proper English butler, with a most curious invitation: a Christmas holiday with grandfather, Edward (Moore), the Duke of Castlebury Hall, who was absent from the kids' lives, but wants to reconnect out of love for his late son. Jules initially wants to decline the trip, though she and the kids eventually travel to Castlebury to meet the Duke. On more than one occasion, Jules feels woefully common trying to blend in with her late brother-in-law's ostentatious family. Eventually, however, even with missteps and mistakes, a mystical influence begins to fall over the family, like the comfort of a dusting of snow over the quiet countryside. This Christmas, the family won't lament what has been lost, but will celebrate all that has been found!

Sir Roger Moore is one of the most recognizable big-screen stars of the past half century. Moore played the role of the world's most famous secret agent "007 James Bond" longer than any other actor; yet Bond was only one of a lifetime of roles - many of which were famous on the small screen, in particular, the role of Simon Templar "The Saint" and the unforgettable pairing with another movie legend Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders." Moore played James Bond seven times, but he wouldn't entertain the idea of taking over the role until he was quite convinced that his good friend Sean Connery was moving on to other roles. It was Roger Moore's friendship with beloved Audrey Hepburn that got him into charitable work with UNICEF. It is his steadfast advocacy on behalf of the children of the world that earned him the title "Sir," Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Sir Roger Moore, a Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF since 1991, has a treasure trove of memories of his friendships with Hollywood's most powerful moguls and legends, but enriching the lives of children has been Moore's great joy for nearly three decades.

"A Princess for Christmas" is a Motion Picture Corporation of America Production. Brad Krevoy, Francisco J. Gonz�lez and Reuben Liber are executive producers. Michael Damian and Janeen Damian are producers as well as script co-writers. Michael Damian also directed.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87.5 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,450 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading network in quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies, lifestyle and general entertainment content, and is the home of "The Martha Stewart Show", which anchors the channel's new daytime HOME block. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on the family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.