| Big, Bigger, Biggest | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Narrated by | John Michie |
| Theme music composer | Alasdair Reid Rohan Stevenson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour (inc. commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Windfall Films |
| Distributor | National Geographic Channel SBS |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | 1 April 2008 – 29 September 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Monster Moves |
| External links | |
| Production website | |
Big, Bigger, Biggest is a British documentary television series which began airing in 2008. A total 14 episodes have been produced across 2 seasons.[1]
Contents |
Each episode explores the engineering breakthroughs that have made it possible to develop the structures of today. Throughout the course of the episode, viewers are introduced to generally six landmark inventions that have enabled the engineers of today to construct the world's biggest structures. Footage of the construction of the world's biggest structure of its kind is accompanied by computer generated imagery. This imagery shows the size of the object in metres, the various designs that may have been considered as well as what could happen if the engineers made a mistake.
It is also available on DVD:[2]
| # | Title | Original air date | Australian air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Skyscraper" | 1 April 2008[1] | 27 November 2010[4] |
| This episode looks at the history of skyscraper breakthroughs, culminating in the construction of the 828-metre (2,717 ft) tall Burj Dubai. | |||
| 2 | "Aircraft Carrier" | 15 April 2008[1] | 20 November 2010[5] |
| One of the largest warships in the world, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), would not have been possible if it weren't for seven landmark inventions. | |||
| 3 | "Bridge" | 4 October 2008[1] | 6 November 2010[6] |
| This episode reveals how several suspension bridge breakthroughs made it possible to construct the 2-mile (3.2 km) long Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. | |||
| 4 | "Airport" | 28 October 2008[1] | 13 November 2010[7] |
| The London Heathrow Airport is the busiest international airport in the world. This episode follows the construction of Terminal 5, an additional terminal to cater for an additional 30 million passengers. | |||
| # | Title | Original air date | Australian air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Tunnel" | 28 July 2009[1] | 15 January 2011[8] |
| The world's longest tunnel at 57 kilometres (35 mi) in length is the Gotthard Base Tunnel. | |||
| 2 | "Submarine" | 4 August 2009[1] | 4 December 2010[9] |
| The biggest submarine in the U.S. Navy is the USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) at 171 metres (561 ft) in length. | |||
| 3 | "Aircraft" | 11 August 2009[1] | 29 January 2011[10] |
| The Antonov An-124 is one of the largest aircraft carriers in the world with the ability to carry 50 family-sized cars. | |||
| 4 | "Oil Rig" | 18 August 2009[1] | 5 February 2011[11] |
| The Perdido oil platform is located in an area of water that is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) deep. | |||
| 5 | "Ferris Wheel" | 29 September 2009[1] | 19 February 2011[12] |
| The tallest ferris wheel in the world is the Singapore Flyer, standing 165 metres (541 ft) high. | |||
| 6 | "Space Station" | 8 September 2009[1] | 18 December 2010[13] |
| This episode reveals the technological inventions that made the construction of the International Space Station possible. | |||
| 7 | "Dam" | 15 September 2009[1] | 11 December 2010[14] |
| The largest hydroelectric dam is the Three Gorges Dam in China. | |||
| 8 | "Cruise Liner" | 1 September 2009[1] | 8 January 2011[15] |
| MS Independence of the Seas is a 160,000-metric-ton (160,000-long-ton; 180,000-short-ton) cruise liner. | |||
| 9 | "Dome" | 25 August 2009[1] | 12 February 2011[16] |
| The world's largest dome roof is located on Ōita Stadium in Japan. | |||
| 10 | "Telescope" | 22 September 2009[1] | 22 January 2011[17] |
| The Large Binocular Telescope would not have been possible if it weren't for a variety of breakthroughs in the construction of telescope. | |||
| # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Canal" | 5 July 2011[1] |
| Expanding the Panama Canal | ||
| 2 | "Icebreaker" | 19 July 2011[1] |
| Building the Timofey Guzhenko | ||
| 3 | "Metro" | 12 July 2011[1] |
| Expansion of the London Underground | ||
| 4 | "Prison" | 2 August 2011[1] |
| Building the most advanced prison in the USA - the North Branch Correctional Institution | ||
| 5 | "Tower" | 26 July 2011[1] |
| Canton Tower | ||
| 6 | "Train" | 2 August 2011[1] |
| Building the fastest train the SNCF AGV | ||