How We Got to Now | |
---|---|
Genre | Factual |
Presented by | Steven Johnson |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Producer | Diene Petterle |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network |
How We Got to Now is a British-American factual television series that was broadcast on PBS in 2014 and BBC Two in 2015. The series was commissioned by the BBC in the United Kingdom and made by Nutopia, a British-American production company in the United States. [1] The six-part series, presented by Steven Johnson, explores the legacy of great ideas.
The factual series is a co-production between Nutopia, a British-American production company, and PBS. The producer is Diene Petterle, a Brazilian-born British film, television and theatrical producer, [2] and the executive producers are Jane Root, Peter Lovering, and Michael Jackson. [3] A companion book was published by Riverhead Books and a companion website has been created to explore present day innovations. [4] The show was distributed by BBC Worldwide and received funding from the CPB/PBS Program Challenge Fund. [5]
The historical characters who appear include Thomas Edison, Clarence Birdseye, Frederick McKinley Jones, Willis Carrier, Tim Berners-Lee, Hedy Lamarr, and Mark Zuckerberg. [4] [6] [7]
The series premiered in the US in the fall of 2014 on PBS. [8] The series also premiered in Australia on ABC from 26 February 2015. [9]
Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times wrote, "Thought-provoking and fun to watch." [10]
Peepshow Collective won Outstanding Motion Design at the 67th Emmy Awards in 2015 for their work on the series. [11]
Jane Fairbairn Root is a creative executive in the media industry, who has run major television networks on both sides of the Atlantic. As Controller of BBC Two, she was the first woman to be a channel controller for the BBC, and was later President of Discovery Networks in the United States.
Twofour Broadcast Limited, trading as Twofour, is a British television and digital media group founded in 1989 by Charles Wace, a former BBC news producer, and Christopher Slade, a BBC presenter. With its headquarters in Plymouth, Twofour has offices in London and Los Angeles.
James Honeyborne is the creative director of Freeborne Media, he previously worked as an executive producer at the BBC Natural History Unit where he oversaw some 35 films, working with multiple co-producers around the world. His projects include the Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning series Blue Planet II, the Emmy Award-nominated series Wild New Zealand with National Geographic, and the BAFTA-winning BBC1 series Big Blue Live with PBS.
Peepshow Collective is a group of visual artists founded in 2000, most of whom are graduates of Brighton University, England.
Nutopia is an independent television production company established in 2008 with offices in London and Washington, D.C. It specializes in making non-scripted and documentary television programmes, including America: The Story of Us for History, One Strange Rock for National Geographic and Civilisations for BBC.
The Great Interior Design Challenge is a British television interior design competition broadcast on BBC Two from 20 January 2014 to 19 January 2017. Each series aims to find "Britain's best amateur interior designers". All programmes in the first three series have been presented by Tom Dyckhoff with the design tasks judged by Daniel Hopwood and Sophie Robinson. Interior designer Kelly Hoppen replaced Robinson as lead judge in series four, with Robinson becoming a guest judge along with Michelle Ogundehin, Elle Magazine's Decoration UK editor-in-chief. Each episode introduces a new location with distinctive architecture and focuses on a few participants at a time. Contestants have a main challenge – usually to make-over a room in the home of their allocated client – and an additional small task – such as the upcycling of an old item.
Boomers is a British television sitcom that was first broadcast on BBC One on 15 August 2014. The show was originally titled Grey Mates but was changed to Boomers in June 2014. Spanning two series and a special, it follows the ups and downs of three late middle-aged, recently retired couples who live in Thurnemouth, 'Norfolk's only west-facing resort'. The series was written by Richard Pinto, directed by Adam Miller and made by Hat Trick Productions. Paul Schlesinger is the producer and Jimmy Mulville is the executive producer for Hat Trick Productions.
Remember Me is a British drama television serial that premiered on BBC One in autumn 2014. Written by Gwyneth Hughes, the three-part mystery was made by Mammoth Screen. Michael Palin plays the lead role, making it his first regular television acting role in 20 years.
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The Walshes is an Irish comedy television series that was first broadcast on RTÉ One on 6 March and BBC Four on 13 March 2014. The three-part series was written by Graham Linehan and the comedy group Diet of Worms, and is based on the group's 2010 web series The Taste of Home. The show follows the Walshes, a tight-knit family living in the fictional West Dublin suburb of Strollinstown. Diet of Worms portray the family, reprising their roles from the web series.
In and Out of the Kitchen is a British comedy television series first broadcast on BBC Four in 2015. The three-part series, written by Miles Jupp, was based on In and Out of the Kitchen on BBC Radio 4. The production company behind the series is BBC Comedy.
The Interceptor is a British drama television serial that was first broadcast on BBC One from 10 June until 29 July 2015. The eight-part series was written by Tony Saint and made by BBC Drama Productions. The series was cancelled after one series. According to O.T. Fagbenle who stars as agent Ash, the show was a victim of management change at the BBC.
The Brits Who Built the Modern World is a British factual television series that was first broadcast on BBC Four from 13 to 27 February 2014. The three-part series tells the story of British architects Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw, Michael Hopkins and Terry Farrell.
South Side Story is a structured reality entertainment programme first broadcast on BBC Three on 26 January 2015. The six-part series is about musicians and artists in South London. The series has been described as The Only Way is Essex meets Glee.
Killer Magic is a British reality television series that shows five magicians competing against each other in tasks. A pilot aired on 1 April 2014 with a full series to follow on 24 March 2015. It is narrated by Matt Edmondson.
Factomania is a British factual television series that was first broadcast on BBC Knowledge and BBC HD on 3 April 2014. The hosts for the ten-part series are Dominic Byrne, Fran Scott and Greg Foot.
Danny and the Human Zoo is a British drama television film that first broadcast on BBC One on 31 August 2015. The ninety-minute film, written by Lenny Henry and directed by Destiny Ekaragha, is a fictionalised account of the former's life as a teenager in 1970s Dudley.
Argonon is an independent media group founded in 2011 by James Burstall, the CEO of Leopard Films. Argonon has offices in London, Los Angeles, New York, Oklahoma, and Glasgow. The group produces and distributes factual entertainment, documentary, reality, arts, drama, and children's programming for various television networks and channels worldwide, although they focus on the UK, US, and Canadian markets. Argonon produces shows such as The Masked Singer UK (ITV), Worzel Gummidge, Hard Cell (Netflix), Dispatches, Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard and House Hunters International (HGTV).