The Human Body (TV series)

Last updated

The Human Body
Also known asIntimate Universe: The Human Body
GenreScience
Directed byRichard Dale
Emma De'Ath
Andrew Thompson
Peter Georgi
Christopher Spencer
Liesel Evans
John Groom
Presented by Robert Winston
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers Alan Bookbinder
Lorraine Heggessey
ProducerRichard Dale
Production companies BBC
The Learning Channel
Release
Original network BBC One
Original release20 May (1998-05-20) 
25 June 1998 (1998-06-25)

The Human Body is an eight-part documentary series, first shown on 20 May 1998 on BBC One and presented by medical scientist Robert Winston. A co-production between the BBC and The Learning Channel, the series looks at the mechanics and emotions of the human body from birth to death.

Contents

The series was nominated for numerous awards, winning several, including three BAFTA awards, four RTS awards and a Peabody Award.

Production

Described as the BBC's "first major TV series on human biology", [1] it took over two years to make and aimed to be the definitive set of programmes on the human body. [1] The series was produced by Richard Dale and presented by Professor Robert Winston, a fertility expert.

The series used a variety of different techniques to present the topics being discussed, including endoscopes and computer graphics for internal shots, time-lapse photography to show the growth of hair and nails, magnetic resonance imaging and scanning electron microscopy. [2]

Episodes

  1. "Life Story" – Every second, a world of miraculous microscopic events take place within the body. (20 May 1998)
  2. "An Everyday Miracle" – The drama of conception activates the most sophisticated life support machine on earth. (27 May 1998)
  3. "First Steps" – In four years, the new-born child learns every survival skill. (3 June 1998)
  4. "Raging Teens" – The hormone-driven roller-coaster otherwise known as adolescence! (10 June 1998)
  5. "Brain Power" – The adult human brain is the most complicated - and mysterious - object in the universe. In this episode, Winston deliberately intoxicates himself in a restaurant to show the effects alcohol has on the brain. (17 June 1998)
  6. "The Making of the Human Body" – Winston reveals the secrets behind his human biology series (21 June 1998)
  7. "As Time Goes By" – Ageing is far more complex - and fascinating - than mere decline. (24 June 1998)
  8. "The End of Life" – Even in death, the body reveals remarkable secrets. (25 June 1998)

Reception

The series gained 6.3 million viewers and an audience share of 38%. [3]

Awards

The series was nominated for numerous awards, winning several, including three BAFTA awards, four RTS awards and a Peabody Award.

YearAwardResultCategory / Comments
1998 British Academy Television Awards WonBest Factual Series (Richard Dale) [4]
WonOriginality (Richard Dale) [4]
WonBest Graphic Design (Tim Goodchild, David Haith) [4]
NominatedBest Photography (Factual) (Chris Hartley, David Barlow, Tim Shepherd, Rob Franklin) [4]
NominatedBest Sound (Factual) [4]
Royal Television Society AwardsWonBest Graphic Design – Programme Content Sequences (Tim Goodchild, David Haith) [5]
WonBest Lighting, Photogtaphy & Camera - Photography Documentary/Factual (Chris Hartley, David Barlow, Tim Shepherd, Rob Franklin) [5]
WonBest Visual Effects (Tim Goodchild, David Barlow, Tim Shepherd, Steve Bowman) [5]
WonCraft and Design Innovation [5]
NominatedTeam Award [6]
National Television Awards NominatedMost Popular Documentary Series [7]
George Foster Peabody Awards Won"Never needlessly technical and always witty, energetic, and innovative, The Human Body takes us on an incredible voyage, and for so doing, is deserving of the Peabody Award." [8]
1999International Monitor AwardsWonDocumentaries – Director (Christopher Spencer for "The End of Life") [5]
San Francisco International Film Festival Silver SpireWonTelevision – Science and Nature (Alan Bookbinder, Lorraine Heggessey, Richard Dale, Christopher Spencer for "The End of Life") [5]
International Documentary Association AwardsNominatedLimited Series (Sandra Gregory, Richard Dale) [5]

Other formats

A DVD of the series was released in July 2001 and includes a 50-minute feature on The Making of the Human Body - A final overview that reveals the techniques and developments that made the series possible. [9]

The series was adapted into a film released for IMAX cinemas, with Robert Winston returning to narrate. The film won the Giant Screen Theatre Association's Best Film For Lifelong Learning award. [3]

Book

The book accompanying the series was written by Anthony Smith. According to one review, "Smith transcends anatomical trivia to record our bodies' powerful tale with empathy and clarity." [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Royle Family</i> British TV sitcom 1998–2012

The Royle Family is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, comprising family patriarch Jim Royle, his wife Barbara, their daughter Denise, their son Antony and Denise's fiancé David.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Winston, Baron Winston</span> British scientist (born 1940)

Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston, is a British professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and Labour peer.

<i>Strictly Come Dancing</i> British television series

Strictly Come Dancing is a British dance contest show in which 15 celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 judges. The title of the show is a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing. The format has been exported to 60 other countries—under the title Dancing with the Stars—licensed by BBC Worldwide, and led to a modern dance-themed spin-off Strictly Dance Fever. The Guinness World Records named Strictly to be the world's most successful reality television format in 2010. The series is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Bruce Forsyth co-presented the series with Daly until 2014.

<i>Perfect Strangers</i> (TV serial) British TV series or programme

Perfect Strangers is a television drama first aired in 2001, produced for BBC Two. It was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, and starred Michael Gambon, who won a British Academy Television Award for his performance, Lindsay Duncan, Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Skinner, and Toby Stephens. Anton Lesser and Timothy Spall also appear. The drama received two Royal Television Society Awards and a Peabody Award. It was also nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Serial.

<i>The Gathering Storm</i> (2002 film) Biographical film about Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II

The Gathering Storm is a BBC–HBO co-produced television biographical film about Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II. The title of the film is that of the first volume of Churchill's largely autobiographical six-volume history of the war, which covered the period from 1919 to 3 September 1939, the day he became First Lord of the Admiralty.

Anne Wood, CBE is an English children's television producer, responsible for creating shows such as Teletubbies with Andrew Davenport. She is also the creator of Tots TV and Rosie and Jim. She was a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Productions</span> Film production company

World Productions Limited is a British television production company, founded on 20 March 1990 by acclaimed producer Tony Garnett, and owned by ITV plc following a takeover in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Capaldi</span> Scottish actor

Peter Dougan Capaldi is a Scottish actor and director. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It (2005–2012), for which he received four British Academy Television Award nominations, winning Best Male Comedy Performance in 2010. When he reprised the role of Tucker in the feature film In the Loop, Capaldi was honoured with several film critic award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

<i>Planet Earth</i> (2006 TV series) 2006 British nature documentary television series

Planet Earth is a 2006 British television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC and also the first to be filmed in high definition. The series received multiple awards, including four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and an award from the Royal Television Society.

Alan James William Bell is a British television producer and director. He was born in Battersea, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kosminsky</span> British writer, director and producer (born 1956)

Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector, The Promise, Wolf Hall and The State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Mercurio</span> British television writer, producer and director

Gerald Gary "Jed" Mercurio is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mercurio was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Television Society and the Baird Medal by RTS Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shed Productions</span>

Shed Productions, part of Warner Bros. Television Productions UK, was an independent UK television production company, specialising in contemporary, original drama programming and content. It was established in 1998 by Eileen Gallagher, Brian Park, Ann McManus and Maureen Chadwick, who previously worked together at Granada Television. As of October 2015 it no longer exists as a company with all properties folded into Wall to Wall.

<i>Accused</i> (2010 TV series) British TV drama series

Accused is a British television anthology series created by Jimmy McGovern. The drama series first aired on 15 November 2010 on BBC One and has run for two series. Each episode follows a different character as they await their verdict in court, and tells the story behind how they find themselves accused. The series has featured actors and actresses such as Christopher Eccleston, Benjamin Smith, Juliet Stevenson, Andy Serkis, Marc Warren, Naomie Harris, Sean Bean and Anne-Marie Duff as the accused in each episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Thorne</span> English screenwriter and playwright

Jack Thorne FRSL is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Shindler</span> British television producer and executive

Nicola Shindler is a British television producer and executive, and founder of the independent television drama production company Quay Street Productions, having founded and run Red Production Company from 1998 to 2020. She has won eleven BAFTA TV Awards.

Chris Rogers is a British broadcast journalist specialising in investigative journalism, and news presenter. He is among the long line up of presenters that began their career presenting BBC Newsround moving on to present and report for Sky News including its BAFTA Award-winning coverage of the 9/11 attacks. He then joined the Channel 4 RI:SE presenting team before heading to ITN's ITV News, and ITV's Tonight documentary series, where he presented and reported for London Today, London Tonight, ITV Evening News and produced and fronted numerous investigations for the News at Ten and the Tonight programme as ITV's Investigative Correspondent. He left ITN in 2009 to present BBC News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liviu Tipurita</span>

Liviu Tipuriţă is a Transylvanian-born British film director and producer. He has been nominated for an award by BAFTA.

References

  1. 1 2 "Fantastic journey through the seven ages of man". BBC News. 29 July 1998. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  2. "Shooting the human story". BBC News. 24 June 1998. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 "The Human Body wins prestigious large format award". BBC Press Office. 15 October 2002. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Television Nominations 1998". BAFTA . Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Awards for The Human Body". IMDb . Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  6. "RTS Programme Awards 1998". Royal Television Society. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  7. "Viewers' favourites to be revealed". BBC News. 27 October 1998. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  8. 58th Annual Peabody Awards, May 1999.
  9. http://chaos.com/product/human_body_381892_137188.html Episode Comments. Retrieved 18 July 2009
  10. Smith, Anthony; Winston, Robert (1998). "The Human Body". tvfactual.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2023.