Big, Bigger, Biggest

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Big, Bigger, Biggest
Big, Bigger, Biggest logo
Genre Documentary
Created by Carlo Massarella
Narrated by John Michie
Theme music composer Alasdair Reid
Rohan Stevenson
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 20 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)

Ian Duncan (Series 1 & 2)[1]

Carlo Massarella (Series 3)[2]
Running time

45 minutes

1 hour (inc. commercials)
Production company(s) Windfall Films
Distributor National Geographic Channel
SBS
Broadcast
Original run 1 April 2008 (2008-04-01) – 2 August 2011 (2011-08-02)
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 20 episodes have been produced across 3 seasons.[3]

Format

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 4-7 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 which often has an element of black humor. This imagery shows the size of the object in meters, the various designs that may have been considered as well as what could happen if the engineers made a mistake, complete with animated figures running in panic.

It is also available on DVD:[4]

  • Season 1 – 208 minutes - PAL 16:9 Widescreen
  • Season 2 – 520 minutes[5] - 3 DVDs - PAL
  • Season 3 – 270 minutes - PAL 16:9 Widescreen[6]

Episodes

Series 1 (2008)

# Title Original air date Australian air date
1 "Skyscraper" 1 April 2008 (2008-04-01)[3]27 November 2010 (2010-11-27)[7]
This episode looks at the history of skyscraper breakthroughs, culminating in the construction of the 828-metre (2,717 ft) tall Burj Dubai (now Burj Khalifa). 
2 "Aircraft Carrier" 15 April 2008 (2008-04-15)[3]20 November 2010 (2010-11-20)[8]
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 (2008-10-04)[3]6 November 2010 (2010-11-06)[9]
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 (2008-10-28)[3]13 November 2010 (2010-11-13)[10]
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. 

Series 2 (2009)

# Title Original air date Australian air date
1 "Tunnel" 28 July 2009 (2009-07-28)[3]15 January 2011 (2011-01-15)[11]
The world's longest tunnel at 57 kilometres (35 mi) in length is the Gotthard Base Tunnel. 
2 "Submarine" 4 August 2009 (2009-08-04)[3]4 December 2010 (2010-12-04)[12]
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 (2009-08-11)[3]29 January 2011 (2011-01-29)[13]
The Antonov An-124 is one of the largest aircraft in the world with the ability to carry 50 family-sized cars. 
4 "Oil Rig" 18 August 2009 (2009-08-18)[3]5 February 2011 (2011-02-05)[14]
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 (2009-09-29)[3]19 February 2011 (2011-02-19)[15]
The tallest ferris wheel in the world is the Singapore Flyer, standing 165 metres (541 ft) high. 
6 "Space Station" 8 September 2009 (2009-09-08)[3]18 December 2010 (2010-12-18)[16]
This episode reveals the technological inventions that made the construction of the International Space Station possible. 
7 "Dam" 15 September 2009 (2009-09-15)[3]11 December 2010 (2010-12-11)[17]
The largest hydroelectric dam is the Three Gorges Dam in China. 
8 "Cruise Liner" 1 September 2009 (2009-09-01)[3]8 January 2011 (2011-01-08)[18]
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 (2009-08-25)[3]12 February 2011 (2011-02-12)[19]
The world's largest dome roof is located on Ōita Stadium in Japan. 
10 "Telescope" 22 September 2009 (2009-09-22)[3]22 January 2011 (2011-01-22)[20]
The Large Binocular Telescope would not have been possible if it weren't for a variety of breakthroughs in the construction of telescope. 

Series 3 (2011)

# Title Original air date
1 "Canal" 5 July 2011 (2011-07-05)[3]
Features the Panama Canal expansion project. Explores the technological development of canals including the Briare Canal, Bridgewater Canal and Manchester Ship Canal 
2 "Icebreaker" 19 July 2011 (2011-07-19)[3]
Building the Timofey Guzhenko 
3 "Metro" 12 July 2011 (2011-07-12)[3]
Expansion of the London Underground 
4 "Prison" 2 August 2011 (2011-08-02)[3]
Building the most advanced prison in the USA - the North Branch Correctional Institution 
5 "Tower" 26 July 2011 (2011-07-26)[3]
Canton Tower, the world's tallest tower (currently 2nd tallest). 
6 "Train" 2 August 2011 (2011-08-02)[3]
Building the fastest wheeled train the SNCF AGV, although the overall record is held by a Japanese Maglev (non-wheeled) train 

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.windfallfilms.com/show/1055/Big-Bigger-Biggest-Series-2.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.windfallfilms.com/show/1930/Big-Bigger-Biggest-Series-3.aspx
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 ""Big, Bigger, Biggest" (2008) - Episode list". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  8. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  9. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 6 November 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  10. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  11. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  12. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  13. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  14. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 5 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  15. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  16. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  17. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  18. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 8 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  19. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  20. ↑ "SBS Schedule". SBS. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.