Eyewitness (British TV series)
Eyewitness is a natural history television series produced by BBC and DK Vision.[1] The series is based on the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books series of children's books. Guy Michelmore composed the theme music, with Guy Dagul writing additional music in later seasons. [2]
| Eyewitness | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jill Matthews |
| Narrated by | Andrew Sachs (Series 1–3, UK, Series 3, US) Martin Sheen (Series 1–2, US) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 + 3 specials |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | BBC Worldwide Americas (Season 2–3) BBC Lionheart Television (Season 1) Wild Vision Dorling Kindersley DK Vision |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC / Disney Channel UK and KidsCo (Series 1–4, UK) PBS (Series 1, 2–4, US) |
| Original release | 5 September 1994 – 24 November 1997 |
Format
Eyewitness is a documentary series. Each half-hour episode focuses on a single subject in the field of natural science, such as the Solar System or the various functions of the human body. The information is presented in the "Eyewitness Museum", a CGI science museum made to replicate the white and empty style of the books. Various exhibits are shown, and stock footage is usually seen through large windows or other depressions in the wall. The book series and the show share a striking visual style making notable use of the color white. In addition, almost every episode features a "Hero". The Hero is a character or object which drives the action of the show and is continually referred back to. These include the weathervane rooster from Weather, Legs the claymation Tyrannosaurus from Dinosaur, the paper boat from Pond and River, the hyena from Monster, the salmon from Fish, the crab from Seashore, the cockroach from Prehistoric Life, and the robotic human mime artist from Human Machine.
The series in the United Kingdom was originally narrated by the late Andrew Sachs, but was taken over by Martin Sheen for American audiences during the first two seasons. However, Sachs took over narrating both versions (with separate accents for the countries) in the final season. The series producer was Bill Butt for the first season, Briget Sneyd for the second season, and Martin Mortimore for the third season.
When the series was released on video, episodes from the first two seasons featured brief behind-the-scenes clips after the main program. In 2003, eight episodes of the program were released onto "interactive DVDs". The UK narration was kept in the American releases of these interactive DVDs.
There are also four Eyewitness Virtual Reality software based on the show: "Cat", "Bird", "Dinosaur Hunter", and "Earth Quest". One of these, "Shark", although seen on the elevator console, was never made.
Episodes
Series 1 (1994)
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Amphibian" | 5 September 1994 | |
| Discusses frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders | |||
| 2 | "Bird" | 12 September 1994 | |
| Discusses birds and how they survive | |||
| 3 | "Cat" | 19 September 1994 | |
| Discusses members of the feline family | |||
| 4 | "Dinosaur" | 26 September 1994 | |
| Discusses the age of the dinosaurs | |||
| 5 | "Dog" | 3 October 1994 | |
| Discusses canines | |||
| 6 | "Elephant" | 10 October 1994 | |
| Discusses elephants and how they survive | |||
| 7 | "Fish" | 17 October 1994 | |
| Discusses the world of fish | |||
| 8 | "Horse" | 24 October 1994 | |
| Discusses horse life | |||
| 9 | "Insect" | 31 October 1994 | |
| Discusses species of insect | |||
| 10 | "Jungle" | 7 November 1994 | |
| Discusses rainforests | |||
| 11 | "Reptile" | 14 November 1994 | |
| Discusses turtles, lizards, crocodilians, and snakes | |||
| 12 | "Shark" | 21 November 1994 | |
| Discusses species of shark | |||
| 13 | "Skeleton" | 28 November 1994 | |
| Discusses bones of various animals | |||
Series 2 (1996)
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ape" | 2 September 1996 | |
| Discusses primates | |||
| 2 | "Arctic and Antarctic" | 9 September 1996 | |
| Discusses polar regions | |||
| 3 | "Butterfly and Moth" | 16 September 1996 | |
| Discusses species of moth and butterfly | |||
| 4 | "Desert" | 23 September 1996 | |
| Discusses deserts | |||
| 5 | "Mammal" | 30 September 1996 | |
| Discusses the world of mammals | |||
| 6 | "Pond and River" | 7 October 1996 | |
| Discusses rivers, lakes, and ponds | |||
| 7 | "Prehistoric Life" | 14 October 1996 | |
| Discusses how life on earth evolved and changed | |||
| 8 | "Rock and Mineral" | 21 October 1996 | |
| Discusses geology | |||
| 9 | "Seashore" | 28 October 1996 | |
| Discusses beaches | |||
| 10 | "Shell" | 4 November 1996 | |
| Discusses animals that have shells | |||
| 11 | "Tree" | 11 November 1996 | |
| Discusses trees | |||
| 12 | "Volcano" | 18 November 1996 | |
| Discusses volcanoes and earthquakes | |||
| 13 | "Weather" | 25 November 1996 | |
| Discusses the sky | |||
Series 3 (1997)
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bear" | 25 August 1997 | |
| Discusses bears and how they live | |||
| 2 | "Flight" | 1 September 1997 | |
| Discusses flying machines | |||
| 3 | "Human Machine" | 8 September 1997 | |
| Discusses the human body | |||
| 4 | "Island" | 15 September 1997 | |
| Discusses islands of the world | |||
| 5 | "Life" | 22 September 1997 | |
| Discusses biology | |||
| 6 | "Monster" | 29 September 1997 | |
| Discusses mythical and real-live monsters | |||
| 7 | "Mountain" | 6 October 1997 | |
| Discusses mountains of the world | |||
| 8 | "Natural Disasters" | 13 October 1997 | |
| Discusses great disasters | |||
| 9 | "Ocean" | 20 October 1997 | |
| Discusses seas and oceans | |||
| 10 | "Planets" | 3 November 1997 | |
| Discusses Solar System from Mercury to Pluto | |||
| 11 | "Plant" | 10 November 1997 | |
| Discusses the world of plants | |||
| 12 | "Sight" | 17 November 1997 | |
| Discusses eyes | |||
| 13 | "Survival" | 24 November 1997 | |
| Discusses how animals cope with their surroundings | |||
Specials
- The Making of Eyewitness (1998)
- The Making of Eyewitness Living Earth (2000)
- The Making of Eyewitness Worlds (2003)
Reception
It has won several awards:
- 1994 Parent's Choice Award (for Jungle)
- 1996 NEA Award
- 1996 1997 and 1998 Golden Gate Awards
- Chicago International Children's Film Festival Excellence in Children's Media
References
- "History of DK". DK. Archived from the original on 7 February 2003. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- "BIOGRAPHY". Guy Dagul. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
External links
- Eyewitness at IMDb
- Eyewitness's channel on YouTube
- Eyewitness DVD from Schlessinger Media, a division of Library Video Company (US version)