Earth's Greatest Spectacles

Last updated

Earth's Greatest Spectacles
Also known asSeasonal Wonderlands
Genre Nature documentary
Narrated by Domhnall Gleeson
Composer David Mitcham
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producer Jo Shinner
Producer Paul Bradshaw
Running time59 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release5 February (2016-02-05) 
19 February 2016 (2016-02-19)

Earth's Greatest Spectacles (released in some countries as Seasonal Wonderlands) [1] is a 2016 British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC, first shown in February 2016 at BBC Two and BBC Two HD. The series takes on stunning seasonal changes based on the three locations where it reveals the dramatic process which occur for each year and showing how wildlife adapts to cope with the changes.

Contents

The series was composed by David Mitcham [2] [3] and narrated by Domhnall Gleeson. [4]

Broadcast

British television

Earth's Greatest Spectacles premiered on British television on 5 February 2016, broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Two HD, which consisted of total three episodes. [5]

International

The series was set to broadcast internationally on BBC Earth channel. It debuted in Asia on each Wednesday starting from 20 July 2016, [6] [7] in Nordic region on each Sunday from 14 August 2016, [8] [9] [10] and in South Africa aired each Sunday from 13 November 2016. [11] [12] [13]

The series premiered in Belgium on 24 March 2016 at the Canvas TV [14] [15] and in the Netherlands from 17 May 2016 on NPO 2. [16] [17]

In Japan, the series aired all three episodes on 30 September 2017 at WOWOW's BBC Earth monthly block. [18]

As for the United States, the first episode - New England, is aired at TPT 2 on 4 November 2017. [19] [20]

Episodes

Our planet is a place of constant change. Each year, the seasons shift and life is transformed. But there are places where the changes are so epic in scale they can be seen from space.

Domhnall Gleeson's opening narration
EpisodeTitleOriginal air date
1"New England"5 February 2016 (2016-02-05) [21]
The decidedly picturesque north-eastern region of the United States, known as New England, makes a gorgeous stage for one of the most formidable colour changes on the planet when the spectacular greens of summer make way for the glittering golds and ravenous reds of autumn. The first episode shows how this fantastic fiesta is generated by the battles between the trees and the forest's inhabitants. Chipmunks, moose, rattlesnakes and an odd mixture of caterpillars all play a vital role; but surprisingly the forest itself was made to be so colourful thanks to a combination of hard work by beavers, ants and humans.
2"Svalbard"12 February 2016 (2016-02-12) [22]
Norwegian archipelago Svalbard isn’t the most welcoming place, being in the Arctic Circle and spending months in total darkness, but when the sun does deign to deliver some sunlight, it’s almost as if a snowy sheet is whipped away to reveal fantastic fauna, winsome wildlife and spectacular sea creatures. The story uncovers the science behind this astonishing ugly duckling act.
3"Okavango"19 February 2016 (2016-02-19) [23]
The Okavango Delta is a lush wetland in the middle of the vast, featureless Kalahari Desert. The final episode begins in the dry season six months before the floods arrive, when the waterholes dry up stranding gasping catfish at the mercy of jackals and fish eagles. By April, the first month of the flood, the skies have begun to fill with returning birds and followed by a rich variety of wildlife, learning its unique natural phenomenon governs their life cycles.

Related Research Articles

The Dutch public broadcasting system is a group of organizations that are responsible for public service television and radio broadcasting in the Netherlands. It is composed of the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO) foundation, which acts as its governing body, and a number of public broadcasters. The Dutch Media Act 2008 regulates how air time is divided and puts the administration of the public broadcasting system in the hands of the NPO Board of Directors.

Television in the Netherlands was officially introduced in 1951. In the Netherlands, the television market is divided between a number of commercial networks, such as RTL Nederland, and a system of public broadcasters sharing three channels, NPO 1, NPO 2, and NPO 3. Imported programmes, as well as news interviews with responses in a foreign language, are almost always shown in their original language, with subtitles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VRT (broadcaster)</span> Belgian national broadcaster for the Flemish community

The VRT is the national public service broadcaster for the Flemish Community of Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Gleeson</span> Irish actor and director (born 1955)

Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. He has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, two British Independent Film Awards and three IFTA Awards, along with nominations for an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number 18 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors. He is the father of actors Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NPO 1</span> First national television station in the Netherlands

NPO 1 is the first national television station in the Netherlands. It launched on 2 October 1951. It provides public broadcasting and currently exists next to sister channels NPO 2 and NPO 3. Several broadcasting organisations of the Publieke Omroep deliver a wide variety of programs for the channel, usually for larger audiences. In 2018, it was the most viewed channel in the Netherlands, reaching a market share of 22.0%. The channel is also available on cable companies in its overseas dependencies in the Caribbean, either live or time-shifted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luv'</span> Dutch girl group

Luv' were a Dutch girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe as well as Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina and Mexico in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original members were Patty Brard, José Hoebee and Marga Scheide. In 1979, Luv' was 'Holland's best export act' and thus received the Conamus Export Prize.

Proximus Pickx, subsidiary of the Belgacom Group, provides Digital TV (IPTV) services over its own IPTV Platform in Belgium. It was launched in the summer of 2005.

The Netherlands now has three major forms of broadcast digital television. Terrestrial (DVB-T), Cable (DVB-C), and Satellite (DVB-S). In addition IPTV services are available. At the end of the first quarter of 2013 almost 84% of the households in the Netherlands had some form of digital television.

<i>Natures Great Events</i> BBC wildlife documentary television series

Nature's Great Events is a wildlife documentary series made for BBC television, first shown in the UK on BBC One and BBC HD in February 2009. The series looks at how seasonal changes powered by the sun cause shifting weather patterns and ocean currents, which in turn create the conditions for some of the planet's most spectacular wildlife events. Each episode focuses on the challenges and opportunities these changes present to a few key species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NPO Humor TV</span> Television channel

NPO Humor TV was a digital theme channel of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting dedicated to comedy, cabaret and satire. The channel started as Humor TV on 15 November 2006. On 10 March 2014, Humor TV 24 changed its name to NPO Humor TV. By cuts in public broadcasting NPO Humor TV would stop broadcasting on 1 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domhnall Gleeson</span> Irish actor (born 1983)

Domhnall Gleeson is an Irish actor and screenwriter. He is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, with whom he has appeared in a number of films and theatre projects. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts from Dublin Institute of Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talpa Network</span> Dutch media conglomerate

Talpa Network is a Dutch media conglomerate created by John de Mol Jr. in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Earth (TV channel)</span> Documentary subscription television channel

BBC Earth is a documentary subscription television channel featuring premium factual programming. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. Originally set to roll out internationally in 2014, it was later announced that it would launch in 2015, starting in Poland.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Slow Down" written by Douwe Bob, Jan Peter Hoekstra, Jeroen Overman and Matthijs van Duijvenbode. The song was performed by Douwe Bob, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Douwe Bob's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 22 September 2015, while the song, "Slow Down", was presented to the public on 4 March 2016.

<i>The Hunt</i> (2015 TV series) 2015 British TV series or programme

The Hunt is a 2015 British nature documentary series made for BBC Television, first shown in the UK on BBC One and BBC One HD on 1 November 2015. The series is narrated by David Attenborough.

<i>Peter Rabbit</i> (film) 2018 film by Will Gluck

Peter Rabbit is a 2018 comedy film based upon the character of the same name created by Beatrix Potter, co-produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Olive Bridge Entertainment, Animal Logic, 2.0 Entertainment, and Screen Australia, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It was directed by Will Gluck, who also produced the film with Zareh Nalbandian, from a screenplay and story written by Gluck and Rob Lieber. James Corden stars as the voice of the title character, with Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in live-action roles, as well as the voices of Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki, and Margot Robbie. The film's story focuses on Peter Rabbit as he deals with new problems when the late Mr. McGregor's great nephew arrives and discovers the trouble Peter's family can get into.

<i>Follow the Money</i> (TV series) Danish television series

Follow the Money is a Danish television financial crime thriller. The first series of ten episodes is set in the renewable energy business in Denmark. It was broadcast in Denmark in January 2016. The second series was broadcast in October–November 2016, continuing with most of the characters from the first series, but with the main focus on a bank practising P2P lending and their attempted takeover by a bank whose chair, Knud Christensen, was behind the fraud case investigated in the first season. The third series, again ten episodes, was aired in January 2019. It focuses on money laundering with two of the main characters from the previous two series.

<i>Planet Earth II</i> 2016 British nature documentary television series

Planet Earth II is a 2016 British nature documentary series produced by the BBC as a sequel to Planet Earth, which was broadcast in 2006. The series is presented and narrated by Sir David Attenborough with the main theme music composed by Hans Zimmer.

<i>Blue Planet II</i> 2017 British nature documentary television series

Blue Planet II is a 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, The Blue Planet (2001), it is narrated and presented by the naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

<i>Het Grote Songfestivalfeest</i> Dutch television concert program

Het Grote Songfestivalfeest is a Dutch television concert programme starring artists of the Eurovision Song Contest, produced by PilotStudio, and held at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. Originally commissioned for the occasion of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam prior to its cancellation, three editions of the show have been held, with a fourth set to be held in December 2024. Cornald Maas and Edsilia Rombley are the regular presenters of the programme. The show is broadcast in a number of European countries as supplementary Eurovision programming ahead of or during the contest weeks.

References

  1. "BBC - Planet Earth II leads outstdanding factual slate at BBC Worldwide Showcase - Media Centre". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  2. "News - Earth's Greatest Spectacles". David Mitcham.
  3. "Projects - Earth's Greatest Spectacles". David Mitcham.
  4. "Domhnall Gleeson narrates BBC's "Earth's Greatest Spectacles" Series". Domhnall Gleeson.
  5. "Prepare to be dazzled by Earth's Greatest Spectacles". BT.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  6. "Seasonal Wonderlands (Series preview)". BBC Asia.
  7. "BBC Earth Asia Channel - New programmes coming in July 2016" (in Chinese). Sina Taiwan. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  8. "Earth's Greatest Spectacles (Series preview)". BBC Nordic.
  9. "TV Guide - 14-08-2016". BBC Nordic.
  10. "TV Guide - 28-08-2016". BBC Nordic.
  11. "Seasonal Wonderlands". DStv. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  12. "'Seasonal Wonderlands' celebrated in new BBC Earth series". The Luvvie. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  13. "Seasonal Wonderlands (Series preview)". BBC South Africa.
  14. "Canvas TV - Seasonal Wonderlands - New England" (in Dutch). tvgids.nl. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  15. "Canvas TV - Seasonal Wonderlands - Okavango" (in Dutch). tvgids.nl. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  16. "NPO 2 - Seasonal Wonderlands - New England" (in Dutch). tvgids.nl. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  17. "NPO 2 - Seasonal Wonderlands - Okavango" (in Dutch). tvgids.nl. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  18. "BBC Earth 2017 めぐる季節はワンダーランド (Seasonal Wonderlands)" (in Japanese). WOWOW. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  19. "TV Schedule - 04/11/2017". Twin Cities PBS.
  20. "Seasonal Wonderlands: New England". Twin Cities PBS. 20 September 2017.
  21. BBC Two - Earth's Greatest Spectacles, New England
  22. BBC Two - Earth's Greatest Spectacles, Svalbard
  23. BBC Two - Earth's Greatest Spectacles, Okavango