Hidden Kingdoms

Hidden Kingdoms
Also known as Mini Monsters (Discovery Channel Version)
スモール・プラネット～小さな仲間の物語～ (Japan)
隱秘的國度 (Chinese)
Genre Factual
Narrated by Stephen Fry
Composer(s) Ben Foster
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Mike Gunton (Original Version)
Robert Zakin (Discovery Channel Version)
Producer(s)
  • Mark Brownlow (Original Version)
  • John Cavanagh (Discovery Channel Version)
  • Simon Bell (episode 1)
  • Verity White (episode 2)
  • Gavin Maxwell (episode 3)
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) BBC Natural History Unit
Discovery Channel
RTL Group
France Télévisions
CCTV-9
R.T.I S.p.A
Distributor BBC Worldwide
Broadcast
Original channel
Original run 16 January 2014 – 30 January 2014
External links
Website

Hidden Kingdoms is a British documentary television series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 16 January 2014. The three-part series is narrated by Stephen Fry and shows how animals experience the world from their perspective.[1][2] Animals shown include a chipmunk, dung beetle, Rufous elephant shrew and treeshrew.[3]

In United States, the series was shown under the alternative title Mini Monsters, which aired at Discovery Channel on 31 May 2014.[4]

In Japan, the series was shown under the title スモール・プラネット～小さな仲間の物語～ (Small Planet~Chiisana Nakama no Monogatari~), which was aired at WOWOW on 5 May 2014.[5][6]

Production

Kim Shillinglaw, the BBC's head of commissioning for natural history and science, announced the series on 21 November 2013.[3] The following landscapes were used for the series: savanna, desert, jungle, forest and the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.[3] The executive producer is Mike Gunton, senior executive of the BBC Natural History Unit, and produced by Mark Brownlow.[3] Hidden Kingdoms is a BBC, Discovery, RTL Group, France Télévisions and CCTV-9 co-production, in association with R.T.I S.p.A.[3][7][8]

BBC Worldwide announced pre-sales for Hidden Kingdoms before the 2013 MIPCOM.[9] The series has been licensed to Network Ten (Australia), BBC Knowledge (South Africa), Sveriges Television (Sweden) and RÚV (Iceland).[9] BBC Worldwide also signed a deal with the Korean Broadcasting System.[10]

On-screen warnings of re-enacted elements were shown in Hidden Kingdoms. One of the scenes, featuring a mouse leaping to escape the jaws of a rattlesnake, was created by filming rattlesnakes making strikes at a hot towel placed above a camera, which was then merged with footage of the mouse.[11]

Episode list

# Title Original air date Overnight UK viewers (millions)
1"Under Open Skies"16 January 20143.41
2"Secret Forests"23 January 20143.52
3"Urban Jungles"30 January 20142.74

Reception

Overnight figures showed that the first episode on 16 January 2014 was watched by 14.4% of the viewing audience for that time, with 3.41 million watching it.[12] The second and third episodes attracted 3.52m (15.5%) and 2.74m (12.4%) respectively.[13][14]

Home media

In United Kingdom, BBC Shop released the 2D DVD edition of Hidden Kingdoms on 27 January 2014, and the 3D Blu-ray edition on 7 April 2014.[15][16]

In United States and Canada, DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released on 8 July 2014.[17][18]

In Germany, DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released on 19 December 2014.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ "Fry to narrate Hidden Kingdoms". Belfast Telegraph. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Stephen Fry to be the voice of new BBC natural history show". Radio Times. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Stephen Fry to narrate BBC One Natural History Unit series Hidden Kingdoms". BBC. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "Mini Monsters: About the Show". Discovery Channel. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "BBC EARTH スモール・プラネット～小さな仲間の物語~". WOWOW. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "「BBC　EARTH　2014」WOWOWプライムで5月放送スタート". tvlife.jp. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "BBC Worldwide and CCTV9 unveil Hidden Kingdoms in new co-pro". BBC. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Paoli-Lebailly, Pascale (30 September 2013). "France Télévisions co-produces BBC Worldwide's Hidden Kingdoms". Rapid TV News. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "BBC Worldwide announces pre-sales for Hidden Kingdoms and Wild Brazil". BBC. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "BBC Worldwide signs deals with key players in South Korea". BBC Worldwide. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Conlan, Tara (11 December 2013). "BBC to air on-screen warnings of re-enacted elements in Hidden Kingdoms". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Eames, Tom (17 January 2014). "Birds of a Feather edges Silent Witness on Thursday evening". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Eames, Tom (24 January 2014). "Birds of a Feather bounces back to top Thursday ratings". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  14. ↑ Eames, Tom (31 January 2014). "Birds of a Feather down but still top on Thursday". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "Hidden Kingdoms (2D) (DVD)". BBC Shop. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "Hidden Kingdoms (3D) (Blu-ray)". BBC Shop. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "Hidden Kingdoms (DVD)". Amazon.com.
  18. ↑ "Hidden Kingdoms (Blu-ray)". Amazon.com.
  19. ↑ "Hidden Kingdoms - Im Königreich der kleinen Tiere (DVD)". Amazon.de.
  20. ↑ "Hidden Kingdoms - Im Königreich der kleinen Tiere (Blu-ray)". Amazon.de.

External links