Big Cat Diary

Last updated

Big Cat Diary
BigCatDiaryLogo.PNG
Also known asBig Cat Week(2003–2006)
Big Cat Live(2008)
Genre Nature documentary
Presented by Jonathan Scott (1996–2008)
Simon King (1996–2008)
Saba Douglas-Hamilton (2002–2006)
Jackson Looseyia (2008)
Kate Silverton (2008)
Composer David Poore
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes76 (including specials)
Production
Producers Keith Scholey
Robin Hellier
Production location Kenya
Running time30 minutes
Production company BBC Natural History Unit
Original release
Network BBC One
Release11 September 1996 (1996-09-11) 
24 December 2008 (2008-12-24)
Related
Orangutan Diary

Big Cat Diary, also known as Big Cat Week or Big Cat Live, is a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which followed the lives of African big cats in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The first series, broadcast on BBC One in 1996, was developed and jointly produced by Keith Scholey, who would go on to become Head of the BBC's Natural History Unit. [1] Eight series have followed, most recently Big Cat Live, a live broadcast from the Mara in 2008.

Contents

The original presenters, Jonathan Scott and Simon King, were joined by Saba Douglas-Hamilton from 2002 onwards. Kate Silverton and Jackson Looseyia were added to the presenting team for Big Cat Live.

Merchandise

Currently available on Region 2 DVD are the 2004, 2005 and 2006 series of Big Cat Week (packaged as series 1 to 3, with series 1 and 2 being packaged together), the 2007 series of Big Cat Diary (packaged as series 4 of Big Cat Week) and highlights from Big Cat Live (packaged as Big Cat Special). There is also a trilogy of books written by Jonathan and Angela Scott, with each focusing on the stories concerning the lions, cheetahs and leopards of the Big Cat Diary format of the show.

In 2012, Seasons 1 and 2 of the original Big Cat Diary show was made available to download on iTunes and Amazon's Instant Video services. These episodes are DVD quality or better; however, no DVD or any other physical media are available for these two seasons. Additionally, Seasons 3 and 4 of the original Big Cat Diary series are not available at all as of August 2012.

The name and format of the show has changed several times. The following table illustrates the TV air dates and DVD release dates (if applicable) of each of the seasons. [2]

Overall SeasonSeason NameSeason Year – TV airSeason Year – DVD ReleaseAvailabilityNotes
1Big Cat Diary – Season 11996–1997n/aiTunes, Hulu,
2Big Cat Diary – Season 21998n/aiTunes, Hulu
3Big Cat Diary – Season 32000–2001n/aHulu
4Big Cat Diary – Season 42002n/aNone as of February 2015
5Big Cat Week – Season 120032006DVDReleased in same DVD package
6Big Cat Week – Season 220042006DVDReleased in same DVD package
7Big Cat Week – Season 320062007DVD
8Big Cat Week – Season 420062008DVD
9Big Cat Live – Season 12008 (late)2009DVDReleased as Big Cat Special

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hill</span> English comedian (born 1964)

Matthew Keith Hall, known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performance style that fused elements of surrealism, observational comedy, slapstick, satire and music. When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and a dress shirt with a distinctive oversized collar and cuffs.

<i>3rd Rock from the Sun</i> American sitcom

3rd Rock from the Sun is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, the third planet from the Sun, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic and Bob</span> British comedy duo (founded mid 1980s)

Reeves and Mortimer, colloquially known as Vic and Bob, are a British double act consisting of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. They have written and starred in several comedy programmes on British television since 1990, with Reeves having made his first TV appearance in 1986. They have often been referred to as a modern-day Morecambe and Wise.

<i>Big Brother</i> (American TV series) Reality competition show

Big Brother is an American television reality competition show based on the Dutch reality show of the same name created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997. The series takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The American series launched on July 5, 2000 on CBS, and since the discontinuation of the Spanish version in 2022, is the longest-running adaptation in the Big Brother franchise.

The BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of BBC Studios that produces television, radio and online content with a natural history or wildlife theme. It is best known for its highly regarded nature documentaries, including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, and has a long association with David Attenborough's authored documentaries, starting with 1979's Life on Earth.

<i>Doctor Who Confidential</i> British TV series or programme

Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The first and second series episodes ran 30 minutes each; third series instalments ran 45 minutes. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons. Confidential received its own version of the Doctor Who theme tune, at least three different versions of the theme appeared in the series.

<i>Big Brother</i> (British TV series) series 4 Season of television series

Big Brother 2003, also known as Big Brother 4, was the fourth series of the British reality television series Big Brother. The show followed thirteen contestants, known as housemates, who were isolated from the outside world for an extended period of time in a custom built House. Each week, one or more of the housemates were evicted by a public vote. The last remaining housemate, Cameron Stout, was declared the winner, winning a cash prize of £70,000.

RTL is a Hungarian free-to-air television channel owned by RTL Group.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Australian TV series) Australian television series

Big Brother Australia is an Australian reality show based on the international Big Brother format created by John de Mol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Scott (zoologist)</span>

Jonathan Scott is an English zoologist, wildlife photographer and television presenter specializing in African wildlife.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Serbian TV series) Serbian TV series or program

Veliki Brat was a Serbian version of the global reality show franchise Big Brother. The show was recorded and produced in Belgrade by Emotion Production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Millican</span> English comedian

Sarah Jane Millican is an English comedian, writer and presenter. Millican won the comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In February 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and in the same year she married fellow comedian Gary Delaney. Her first book, How to Be Champion, was published in 2017. Millican has performed on various tours, mainly across the United Kingdom, over the years.

<i>The Big Bang Theory</i> American television sitcom (2007–2019)

The Big Bang Theory is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers and head writers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. It aired on CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.

<i>Would I Lie to You?</i> (British game show) British comedy panel game show

Would I Lie to You? is a British comedy panel show aired on BBC One, made by Zeppotron for the BBC. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007, starring David Mitchell and Lee Mack as team captains. The show was originally presented by Angus Deayton, and since 2009 has been hosted by Rob Brydon.

<i>Heathcliff</i> (1984 TV series) 1984 childrens animated television series

Heathcliff is a children's animated television series that debuted on September 3, 1984. Produced by DIC Audiovisuel, it was the second animated series based on the Heathcliff comic strip. 65 half-hour episodes aired in first-run syndication in the fall of 1984, followed by a second season of 21 episodes in 1985 ran in syndication until it ended in 1988. The Catillac Cats characters were created by Jean Chalopin and Bruno Bianchi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLB Network</span> American television sports channel dedicated to baseball

The MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications having minority ownership.

<i>Mrs. Browns Boys</i> Irish television sitcom

Mrs. Brown's Boys is a British-produced Irish television sitcom created by and starring Brendan O'Carroll and produced in the United Kingdom by BBC and BBC Studios in partnership with BOC-PIX and Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

<i>Greys Anatomy</i> season 8 Season of television series

The eighth season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, commenced airing on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 22, 2011, with a special 2-hour episode and ended on May 17, 2012 with the eighth season having a total of 24 episodes. The season was produced by ABC Studios, in association with Shondaland Production Company and The Mark Gordon Company, and overseen by showrunners Shonda Rhimes, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater.

References

  1. "BBC factual boss quits". Broadcast Now. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  2. "Big Cat Diary - All Seasons - TV.com". Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.