ITV

Category: Factual

  • Animal Planet to air reality series ‘Lodging with Lions’

    Animal Planet to air reality series ‘Lodging with Lions’

    MUMBAI: Lions once roamed from the southern tip of Africa all the way to northwestern India. But today, their populations have declined drastically in Africa. Since 1975, 80-90 per cent of the African lion population has been decimated, due to hunting, habitat loss, and disease. Several efforts are on-going to help save these animals, which play an important role in the food chain and Africa’s ecosystem.

     

    There is a place in Africa where you can walk with lions. Where you can be part of the pride. And this is exactly what a group of volunteers are doing, as they take part in a unique conservation program at Zimbabwe’s Antelope Park. Animal Planet’s new series ‘Lodging with Lions’ follows the volunteers as they venture into the lions’ domain and find out more about these majestic animals, from how they hunt and stalk their prey, to how they play and nurture their young. This July, ‘Lodging with Lions’ airs on Animal Planet, every Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

     

    At Antelope Park, Zimbabwe, a group of volunteers from all over the world have signed up for a unique conservation program, which is part of the efforts of the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT). For their own safety and survival, the volunteers must first learn how to read a lion’s posture, how to approach the lions in a non-threatening manner, and what to do when faced with a dangerous situation. Dan Matthews, who heads the volunteer program, then introduces the volunteers to the lions affectionately. Over the course of two weeks, the volunteers will observe the lions, walk with them, and watch them feed their cubs, follow them on hunts, and even tag them with microchips to obtain invaluable data which could help save lion populations. They also witness firsthand the devastating effects of poaching, and discover that in the African bush there are other dangers apart from wild beasts.

     

    Follow these passionate volunteers who are ‘Lodging with Lions’, discover the threats faced by the African lions, and find out what is being done to save these iconic animals known as ‘The King of the Beasts’.

  • Discovery Channel to premiere ‘Revealed: Humayun’s Tomb’

    Discovery Channel to premiere ‘Revealed: Humayun’s Tomb’

    MUMBAI: Humayun’s Tomb has stood through the great turning points in India’s history. Built over four centuries ago, this architectural masterpiece has served as a template for the Taj Mahal. There have been many theories behind the building of this colossal structure – ‘a symbol of queen’s love for her king’, ‘a son’s memorial to his father’, and ‘an ambitious emperor’s statement of the empire.’

     

    Come 27 July and Discovery Channel will air Revealed: Humayun’s Tomb at 9 pm. The one-hour special will unravel many concealed secrets of this architectural marvel and narrate the majestic story behind the life of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and his dynasty. From Humayun’s exile in Persia to his death as he tumbled down his library staircase to the rise of Akbar ‘The Great’, revealed Humayun’s Tomb will reveal many such intriguing stories. This is the first time ever those true-to-scale 3D frames of the complex structure have been created.

     

    Using dramatic re-enactment, high-end Computer Generated Imager (CGI) animation, extensive research, expert opinion, Discovery Channel has re-created the imagery of the early Mughal era and its key characters.

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific EVP & GM-South Asia Rahul Johri said, “Our programming strand Revealed uncovers significant stories from India. In the past, Revealed has featured The Line of Control, World’s Biggest Election, and the ‘Rann of Kutch’ among others and now we are bringing the ‘Humayun’s Tomb’. This program will provide our audience the fascinating story of the early Mughal Empire and will uncover secrets about this amazing structure.”

     

    Running parallel to the historical theme, the programme will also follow the restoration work undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to meticulously restore the lost grandeur of the monument. 

  • Discovery Science to air ‘Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman’

    Discovery Science to air ‘Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman’

    MUMBAI: Discovery Science’s triple Emmy nominated hit series Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman is back for its sixth and most provocative season. Starting 4 July, the show will be aired every Saturday at 10 pm.

     

    With a whole new look, an inspired set design and interactive features, the season 6 of the series will tackle tough topics such as race, religion and human future as a species, thus challenging viewers as never before.

     

    From the topics of bigotry to whether our reality is virtual to the human proclivity for lying, the new season will challenge everything one knows about space, time and morality.

     

    “I am thrilled to be announcing the premiere of the sixth season of Through the Wormhole.  When we first began this journey, I never imagined how many questions could be examined and how far mankind could push the boundaries of what was possible,” said executive producer and host of the series Morgan Freeman.

     

    “This season, we’ve given the series a bold new look and the questions are more provocative than ever.  I know fans both old and new to the show will not be disappointed,” he added.

     

    Each episode will feature leading experts, thinkers and scientists presenting groundbreaking theories. Every week viewers will be challenged to consider new perspectives and confronted with ideas that push the envelope of conventional television. 

  • TLC’s Vietnamese twist to French cuisine in ‘Luke Nguyen’s France’

    TLC’s Vietnamese twist to French cuisine in ‘Luke Nguyen’s France’

    MUMBAI: TLC presents a new series with acclaimed Australian-Vietnamese chef Luke Nguyen in Luke Nguyen’s France. Luke is back to continue his culinary adventures – this time, in France. Join him as he explores the land that has shaped the food of his native country.

     

    Luke Nguyen’s France will premiere on 6 July, 2015 and will air every weekday at 8 pm only on TLC!

     

    Luke’s journey commences in Paris, where he is helped by family and friends as he explores the Parisians’ intense passion for food, decadence and tradition. Then he heads east to witness the imposing medieval architecture of Strasbourg and the unique culinary customs of Alsace. In the dewy mountains of the Franche-Comté, he gets up, close and personal with chefs who have won Michelin stars, tastes dishes made from age-old recipes and uses local produce to create delicious food of his own – with his signature Vietnamese twist. From the very French steak tartare to Luke’s own succulent salt and pepper cuttlefish, it is an adventure of the senses packed with food, fun, and familiar faces.

     

    In Lyon, Luke cooks alongside the country’s top chefs and home-cooks. He travels along France’s famed southern coastline from Nice to Biarritz and experiences the generosity of the locals as they not only open up their homes but also share their treasured family recipes. Luke’s journey will also take him through the iconic Loire Valley and later to Brittany where he enjoys French food heritage at its finest.

     

    On his journeys, Luke will uncover the Gallic influences in Vietnamese cuisine and learn about the art of regional French cooking from locals he meets along the way.

     

    Discover France’s diverse cuisine as Luke whips up tantalising dishes including classic recipes like melted goat’s cheese on sourdough and French-Vietnamese fusion cuisine. Join him as he unearths a whole new side to French food culture and lifestyle, matching culinary prowess with incredible local produce.

  • Paul Edwards tapped to helm National Geographic’s four-hour movie event

    Paul Edwards tapped to helm National Geographic’s four-hour movie event

    MUMBAI: Acclaimed television director Paul Edwards has been tapped to direct National Geographic Channel’s four-hour scripted movie event Saints & Strangers.

    The program, produced by Sony Pictures Television with Little Engine Productions, is scheduled to start shooting this summer in South Africa, with a premiere set for fall 2015. The film puts a new lens on the familiar historical account of the trials and tribulations faced by the first American settlers and the native Americans they encountered upon their arrival.

     
    “Paul’s resume reads like a ‘must-watch’ list of TV programs from the last two decades, and we’re excited to watch him bring this story to life in a creative and cohesive way,” said NGC president of original programming and production Tim Pastore.

    “We are thrilled that Paul will be at the helm of this extraordinary project to contribute his vast expertise and experience as a director and cinematographer,” said Sony Pictures Television executive vice president of movies and limited series Helen Verno.

     
    Edwards has been directing for television series for more than 15 years. He has directed episodes of the popular current hits Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Blacklist, Once Upon a Time, Sleepy Hollow and Bates Motel, along with such cult favorites as Fringe and Lost. He received a BAFTA TV award for his work onHeroes.

     
    Saints & Strangers is a story that goes beyond the familiar historical version of the founding of America, revealing the trials and tribulations of the first American settlers: 101 men, women and children who sailed on the Mayflower for a place no one had ever seen. Half of these “pilgrims” were religious separatists who had abandoned their prior lives for religious freedom and an opportunity to create a new social order built on their values. The other half, “adventurers,” were mostly single men seeking financial opportunity and a rapid acquisition of wealth in a new land or trying to escape their old identities or criminal pasts. Intertwined with these complex inner struggles is the relationship with the Native Americans and the conflicting allegiances among these groups, culminating in trials of assimilation, faith and compromise that to this day define our country.

    Saints & Strangers will be produced for National Geographic Channels US by Sony Pictures Television. For Little Engine Productions, executive producers are Grant Scharbo and Gina Matthews; Teri Weinberg is executive producer; Eric Overmyer is executive producer/writer; Seth Fisher is writer. Original script was written by Chip Johannessen, with revisions by Walon Green. For Sony Pictures Television, executive vice president of movies and limited series is Helen Verno. For National Geographic Channels, president of original programming and production is Tim Pastore; vice president of production is Matt Renner.

  • Discovery Channel to telecast ‘The Story of Yoga’ in multiple languages

    Discovery Channel to telecast ‘The Story of Yoga’ in multiple languages

    MUMBAI: Celebrating the first International Day of Yoga, Discovery Channel will premiere The Story of Yoga, an inspirational voyage into a discipline that embraces a holistic approach to a healthy mind, body and spirit in five Indian languages.

     

    The Story of Yoga will air on 21 June at 9 pm on Discovery Channel in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telegu and Bangla. The show will also simulcast on Discovery HD World.

     

    The hour-long special will take viewers through a fascinating journey to rediscover the age-old practice and explore the evolution, mysticism, spiritualism and cultural ethos of yoga. It will also capture its journey to the West and its emergence into the modern society and popular culture.

     

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address at UN General Assembly, called to mark an International Day of Yoga, which has now been declared to be held every year on 21 June.

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific executive vice president and general manager South Asia Rahul Johri said, “The Story of Yoga is one of the most comprehensive narratives that provide an in-depth view on the evolution of yoga from an ancient practice to a lifestyle choice that’s making tremendous impact on people’s lives around the world. We are delighted to be part of this great initiative led by India’s Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to turn 21 June into a people’s movement and are extremely pleasedto showcase a truly fascinating story of yoga to our viewers around the globe.”

     

    The Story of Yoga offers viewers an elaborate view into prominent yoga schools, the lives of new age gurus and trends. It traces unique forms of yoga, explores the traditional approach to yoga, understands Aurobindo’s philosophy among other things across yoga schools such as Iyengar School at Pune, Bihar School of Yoga at Munger, Internal Yoga at Pondicherry, Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh and many more. The Story of Yoga visits yogpeeths and modern retreats to offer a never-seen-before look into yoga’s techniques, applications and philosophy.

     

    Through the show, viewers meet the Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar, modern yoga exponent Bharat Thakur, Bollywood stars and yoga practitioners like Anil Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty along with yoga guru Baba Ramdev to understand the spiritual and healing powers of yoga.

     

    Navigating through the world, from India to California and Brazil to get a world perspective from new age spiritualist Deepak Chopra and celebrity yogini Deepika Mehta, the programme demystifies yoga’s worldwide appeal.

  • Discovery Channel to launch two new adventure series with Bear Grylls

    Discovery Channel to launch two new adventure series with Bear Grylls

    MUMBAI: Discovery Channel is all set to launch two new series with iconic survival expert on Indian television Bear Grylls.

     

    The series are The Island With Bear Grylls and Bear Grylls: Breaking Point.

     

    Grylls, the host of Discovery Channel’s series – Man Vs. Wild, has been taking on some of the harshest locations on the planet and sharing invaluable survival strategies along the way. He is back in action – but this time, he won’t be alone as he takes ordinary people on a personal journey to face their fears and survive in some of the most unforgiving environments on the planet.

     

     

    In the series The Island With Bear Grylls, a group of men will be dropped on a desert island in the Pacific. Stripped of all the luxuries and conveniences of modern living, these 13 men will be stepping out of their comfort zones and embarking on an empowering journey. With only the clothes on their backs and some basic tools, they are taken to a remote, uninhabited island, where they are left alone to fend for themselves. Bear puts them to the test in order to answer the question, “Can modern man still survive in the wild?” The Island With Bear Grylls will air every Monday at 10 pm this May.

     

     

    On the other hand, in Bear Grylls: Breaking Point, Grylls helps 12 ordinary people to confront their unique phobias and change their lives forever. Set in the wild in some of the world’s toughest places, these terrified individuals prepare to face the stuff of nightmares – from the common (like rats, insects and heights) to the bizarre (such as trees and foods). Beginning 25 May, the show will air Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

     

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific EVP and GM – South Asia & Southeast Asia Rahul Johri said, “Bear Grylls is one of the foremost survival experts on Indian television. He has built a strong affinity with millions of fans in India providing them with ultimate survival techniques and inspiring them to push their limits of endurance. The two new series follow incredible adventure stories and offer inspiration-filled-entertainment along the way.”

  • Fox Formats Lab launches in Singapore to cultivate local production talent

    Fox Formats Lab launches in Singapore to cultivate local production talent

    MUMBAI: Documentary producers in Singapore are set for an opportunity of a lifetime with Fox Formats Lab, the latest initiative between Fox International Channels (FIC) and the Media Development Authority (MDA).

     

    A unique initiative devised by FIC in a first-of-its-kind partnership with MDA, Fox Formats Lab was conceived to support the development of local content production talent and ramp up creation of international TV content by local production companies. The initial phase of the initiative will see content created for the network’s flagship factual entertainment network – National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo People.

     

    The Fox Formats Lab initiative is a developmental platform aimed at enhancing skills and encouraging knowledge sharing from experienced professionals within FIC’s global network to aspiring local talents. Participants have the opportunity to tap into the global expertise of FIC executives to hone their skills, learn about the factual content development process at NGC, and ultimately better position themselves to work with international broadcasters in the future.

     

    The initiative will kick off with a production workshop in May this year where invited Singapore registered production companies will be presented with a commissioning brief. Interested parties can then submit show concept proposals based on the brief, for the opportunity to be selected to take part in a series of workshops hosted by experienced executives and producers from FIC. These workshops are aimed at helping the participants to develop their ideas into full production proposals.

     

    The process culminates with select proposals being chosen to be developed and produced into a documentary series for NGC, which will be co-funded by FIC and the MDA. The production development funding for Fox Formats Lab totals S$6 million.

     

    NGC International executive vice president and head of international content Hamish Mykura said, “We’re very pleased to be launching this unique initiative, in which production companies will have unprecedented access to our global content development team. By aligning producers with commissioners, the Fox Formats Lab will not only provide a window into how channels operate and what drives our creative decisions, but will also result in new programming that will resonate with a global audience.”

     

    FIC EVP of content & communications for APAC & Middle East Joon Lee added, “FIC and NGC have always believed in creating content at all levels – globally, regionally and locally. There are many local stories to be told in Asia and there’s no better entity to facilitate this storytelling than NGC. With Singapore already a strong hub for content creation and creative talent, we jumped at the opportunity to launch a worthy initiative like Fox Formats Lab with the MDA. We get to invest back into the talent pool as well as gain great locally-developed content for NGC in the process. It’s a win-win for all.”

     

    MDA assistant chief executive (industry) Angeline Poh said, “We are excited to launch this partnership with FIC to deepen Singapore’s factual production talent-pool. Through the Fox Formats Lab initiative, promising producers will be mentored by industry veterans, and also given the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to develop compelling content for international audiences. We look forward to presenting to viewers the innovative formats that will emerge from this initiative.”

  • TLC to launch new season of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ with Gordon Ramsay

    TLC to launch new season of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ with Gordon Ramsay

    MUMBAI: TLC is all set to premiere the new season of Hell’s Kitchen as Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay cooks up a storm in the kitchen with 20 aspiring chefs.

     

    The new season will go on air from 17 April and will be telecast every Friday at 9 pm.

     

    A new crop of aspiring cooks will show off their skills in a bid to win the life-changing prize to become head chef at a prestigious restaurant. This summer the heated competition will see 20 chefs taking on each other and Chef Gordon Ramsay in the fight for the top prize.

     

    Ramsay will bring his flair for exciting cuisine back to the kitchen as he puts the contestants through intense challenges each week as they face elimination if they are not up to the mark. The contestants who demonstrate the right skills and attitude will progress further as Chef Ramsay tests each one of them. Every week, Chef Ramsay puts the contestants through grueling tasks and dinner services to decide who comes out on top, and who will go home.

     

    In the new season of Hell’s Kitchen, the aspiring chefs are divided into two teams – the Red team (women) and the Blue team (men). Each team must immediately learn to brave Ramsay and his exacting standards in the kitchen. Once divided, the competition quickly heats up for the aspiring chefs, as each one works to simmer, sear and spice up his or her dish to Chef Ramsay and pray he doesn’t spit them out. 

     

    As the day passes, contestants are faced with challenges in the kitchen as they fight for a chance to be the winner of the contest. The contestants have to battle against each other, against their own weakness and mostly get through the acid-tongued Chef Gordon Ramsay.

  • Discovery Channel launches ‘How We Got to Now’

    Discovery Channel launches ‘How We Got to Now’

    MUMBAI: Discover the little known innovators whose wild ideas and breakthroughs made our modern world possible.  Discovery Channel’s inspirational and entertaining series How We Got to Now presented by world-renowned innovation expert Steven Johnson charts the twists and turns of history, science, business and technology that have brought us to where we are today.

     

    Premiering April 20, every Monday at 9 pm, How We Got to Now with Steven Johnson reveals the story behind the remarkable ideas that made modern life possible; the unsung heroes that brought them into the world – and the unexpected and bizarre consequences each of these innovations has triggered. Johnson, a 7 times best-selling author and a big thinker on ideas and innovations, will delve into the intense rivalries, terrible failures and moments of heroic achievement of the men and women who have made the modern world. These are hobbyists and garage inventors, ordinary characters who’ve done extraordinary things; and yet have remained almost entirely unknown. In a series unlimited by genre or chronology, Johnson’s fascination with conceptual leaps and unintended outcomes will help us make connections we hadn’t thought of before. Johnson’s bold and provocative thesis suggests that the mirror gives rise to modern science and, that beer can save lives. This is the strange, unpredictable and untold story of How We Got to Now.

     

    In the series, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovations over centuries, tracing facets of modern life – refrigeration, clocks and eyeglass lenses, to name a few, from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. 

     

    Johnson tells us about John Leal and how he deliberately poisoned the water supply of 200,000 people but transformed the way we live. Without authorization, Leal added chlorine into the city’s water and made it safe to drink. Imagine if it hadn’t worked? It would have been written into the history books as mass murder.

     

    Revealing the intense rivalries, astounding fortunes made and lost, terrible disappointments and moments of heroic achievement, How We Got to Now tells the stories of the unlikely people whose passion for problem solving led to astonishing practical solutions and inventions that changed the world.