Ian Nathan explores the many layers of the world of filmmaking, discussing each episode with filmmakers, cultural commentators, historians, authors and critics; what defines these stories, how they came to be, and who were the creative forces behind them.
Meerkat Manor is a British television programme produced by Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International that premiered in September 2005 and ran for four series until its cancellation in August 2008. Blending more traditional animal documentary style footage with dramatic narration, the series told the story of the Whiskers, one of more than a dozen families of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert being studied as part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project, a long-term field study into the ecological causes and evolutionary consequences of the cooperative nature of meerkats. The original programme was narrated by Bill Nighy, with the narration redubbed by Mike Goldman for the Australian airings and Sean Astin for the American broadcasts. The fourth series, subtitled The Next Generation, saw Stockard Channing replacing Astin as the narrator in the American dubbing.
Discover a side of Abraham Lincoln you've never seen before. In this four-part docuseries, a diverse panel of historians and rare archival materials offer a more nuanced look into the man dubbed the Great Emancipator.
Dan Snow and Kate Humble present a three-part guide to the critical aerial battle that changed the course of the Second World War, featuring personal stories of pilots, ground crews and members of the public. The first episode tracks the first skirmishes of the three-day battle,as the Luftwaffe began an all-out assault to rid Britain of air power prior to a land invasion. The first skirmishes were being tracked by a 19-year-old WAAF member in a secret London bunker, and her secret diaries provide fresh insight into the strategies behind the aerial combat.
The show featured guests who played significant roles in world history. Guests would interact with each other and host Steve Allen, discussing philosophy, religion, history, science, and many other topics.
As nearly as was possible, the actual words of the historical figures were used. The show was fully scripted, yet the scripts were carefully crafted to give the appearance of spontaneous discussion among historic figures. Typically, each episode would be split into two parts, broadcast separately, with most or all of the guests introduced over the course of the first part, and the discussions continuing into the second part. A total of 24 episodes were produced.
History vs. Hollywood is a television show on the History Channel in the United States. On the show, experts are interviewed on the historical accuracy of a film that is based on a historical event. For example the movie The Last Samurai was featured in one episode in which military historian Geoffrey Wawro, professor of history at the University of North Texas, and director of the university's Barsanti center for military-history, compared the movie with the actual events. On the show the expert guests discuss the factual accuracy of the film as well as the everyday objects that a person of the particular time period would have seen. In some episodes an expert or the host will go on a journey to the actual historical sites depicted in the film, or interview someone who witnessed the event firsthand. In each of the more than dozen episodes both expert guests and filmmakers will discuss the historical accuracy of the film dramatized.
The series was first released in 1999, and had been produced on a semi-regular bas
Every year, a 20-page Scavenger Hunt list plunges the University of Chicago into fun, sleepless chaos. This series will bring the audience into the action, following three top teams as they race to complete the list, and answering the question of what happens when the best and brightest turn their focus towards the silliest things you’ve ever seen.
Containing extensive, never-before-seen archives and more than 80 interviews of past and present Boston Celtics legends, this series chronicles the history, cultural impact, and extraordinary tale of the NBA's winningest and most storied franchise, the Boston Celtics,
Ignited by a bombshell story revealing the Pentagon had been tracking UFOs for years, the series examines the history of the phenomenon through cultural and political touchpoints, including testimony from eyewitnesses across the country.
This documentary series showcases how key technological innovations enable giant superstructures to be built. Footage filmed during construction along with CGI reveal the building process with astonishing detail.