Walking With Dinosaurs to Debut on PBS and BBC in June
PBS and BBC have revealed the premiere date and trailer for the new six-part series, Walking With Dinosaurs. Co-produced by ZDF and France Télévisions, the series is a BBC Studios production.
The show will premiere in the U.S. beginning on June 16 at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, the PBS site, and the PBS App. Walking With Dinosaurs will take viewers on a unique journey back through time, revealing the incredible life stories of these long-lost giants.
Narrated by Bertie Carvel, each episode of Walking With Dinosaurs will tell the dramatic story of an individual dinosaur whose remains are currently being unearthed by the world’s leading dinosaur hunters. Thanks to cutting-edge science, experts can reveal how these prehistoric creatures lived, hunted, fought, and died more accurately than ever before.
As the dinosaur’s bones emerge from the ground, the series will bring these prehistoric stories to life with state-of-the-art visual effects — making each episode a gripping dinosaur drama based on the very latest evidence.
Across the six episodes, audiences will meet a range of spectacular dinosaur species in an array of prehistoric landscapes. These include a Spinosaurus — the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever walk the earth — roaming the rivers of ancient Morocco; a youthful Triceratops battling a ravenous T. rex in North America; and a lonely giant Lusotitan risking it all for a love in Portugal.
There’s never been a better time to travel back to the prehistoric. We are living through a golden age of paleontology that is transforming our understanding of dinosaurs. Around 50 new species are being identified every year, and science is revealing extraordinary new details about dinosaur biology and behavior. Across the globe, hundreds of dinosaur experts are currently scouring the wilds for new dig sites, and this series has exclusive access to some of the very best.
“Twenty-five years ago, Walking With Dinosaurs changed the way we viewed the prehistoric world. With this exciting reimagining, we’re proud to partner with the BBC and invite viewers to witness the awe-inspiring lives of these incredible creatures once again,” said Sylvia Bugg, PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming.
“With groundbreaking science and state-of-the-art visual effects, the dramatic life stories of these ancient giants will be seen like never before.”
“Walking With Dinosaurs was a game-changer when it first aired, and this new series takes it to the next level,” says Jack Bootle, BBC Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. “Produced with our partners at PBS, and featuring cutting-edge science and stunning visuals, it’s a celebration of everything factual television can be.”
“We are incredibly excited to be bringing Walking With Dinosaurs to a whole new generation of audiences around the world,” said Andrew Cohen, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Science Unit. “Brought to life with the very latest cutting-edge science, world-class VFX, and the world’s best science storytellers, this is the ultimate dinosaur show. Partnering with PBS and our other co-producers around the world, ZDF and France Télévisions, this is ambitious, entertaining, factual television that will have audiences having their hearts in their mouth one moment and their minds blown the next.”
“I am beyond thrilled to be a part of this exciting new reimagining of Walking With Dinosaurs,” said Carvel. “The BBC is a world leader in creating groundbreaking and innovative science programming, which I’ve admired all my life, so I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the team bringing the stories of these prehistoric creatures to life.”
Double Olivier and Tony award-winning actor Carvel is no stranger to flagship television. His work includes notable credits such as Tony Blair in The Crown, Prince Baelor Targaryen in HBO’s upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the BBC’s Doctor Foster. Also, a star of the West End, Carvel received an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical playing Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical.
Walking With Dinosaurs was commissioned for BBC One and iPlayer by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. Bill Gardner is the Editorial Consultant for PBS. Diana El-Osta is the Executive in Charge for PBS. It is a BBC Studios Science Unit Production co-produced with ZDF and France Télévisions for BBC and PBS.
The Executive Producers are Andrew Cohen and Helen Thomas; the Showrunner is Kirsty Wilson; the Producer/Directors are Stephen Cooter, Tom Hewitson, and Owen Gower; and the Line Producers are Max Brunold and Libby Hand. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney.
