TV Reviews - Part 2

Reviews, comments and feedback on television programmes featuring themes of interest to dinosaur fans and fossil collectors by Everything Dinosaur team members.

12 01, 2016

“Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur”!

By Mike|2023-04-11T18:43:09+01:00January 12th, 2016|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, TV Reviews|0 Comments

BBC Announces Date for TV Programme About “World’s Biggest Dinosaur”

Exciting news for dinosaur fans of all ages. The BBC has ended the embargo on a new documentary programme outlining the discovery and study of over two hundred giant dinosaur bones found in Argentina. The fossils represent a new species of enormous long-necked dinosaur (titanosaur) and when finally named and scientifically described, this could be the largest dinosaur known to science, surpassing the likes of Argentinosaurus (A. huinculensis) and Futalognkosaurus dukei, fossils of which also come from Argentina.

Sir David Attenborough Lies Alongside a Giant Femur (Thigh Bone)

Potentially the biggest terrestrial animal known to science.

Picture credit: BBC

The picture above provides a sense of scale for the huge animal, Sir David Attenborough is lying next to right femur (thigh bone) which measures 2.4 metres long. This is the largest thigh bone ever found from a terrestrial animal. Femora circumference data suggests a body mass in excess of seventy tonnes.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s report on the discovery of the fossil bones: The Biggest Dinosaur of All! A New South American Contender.

A Graveyard of Giant Dinosaurs

The television programme will be shown on BBC1 at 6.30pm on Sunday, 24th January. It tells the story of how the fossils (over 220 of them have been excavated and catalogued), were found and follows the scientific research from excavation, preparation and cleaning right up to the unveiling of a life-sized model of the new type of titanosaur. With such a large number of bones to examine, the scientists have been able to build up quite a detailed picture of this dinosaur. The fossilised bones represent a total of seven individual dinosaurs, the largest of which was the one that the Canadian and Argentinian team of model makers based their reconstruction on.

To conclude the programme, Sir David will unveil the new reconstruction of this enormous herbivore. The model measures 37 metres long, that’s almost the equivalent of tacking the playing surface of Wimbledon’s Centre Court onto the length of a basketball court. For comparison, “Dippy” the Diplodocus replica housed at the Natural History Museum (London), is only 26 metres long. The reconstruction of Argentinosaurus huinculensis, housed in the Museo Municipal Carmen Funes, Plaza Huincul (Neuquén Province, Argentina) is around 35 metres in length.

The Reconstruction of A. huinculensis (Museo Municipal Carmen Funes)

The largest dinosaur yet described, but under threat.

Picture credit: Museo Municipal Carmen Funes, Plaza Huincul

Giant Dinosaur

Recalling the problems associated with the excavation of such huge fossils, Dr Diego Pol, lead scientist heading up the research team based at the Museum of Palaeontology Egidio Feruglio, (Trelew, Argentina) stated:

“It was like a palaeontological crime scene, a unique thing that you don’t find anywhere else in the world with the potential of discovering all kinds of new facts about titanosaurs. According to our estimates this animal weighed 70 tonnes. A comparison of the back bones shows that this animal was ten per cent larger than Argentinosaurus, the previous record holder. So we have discovered the largest dinosaur ever known.”

The date when this animal roamed differs in the press release from that stated earlier when Everything Dinosaur first published details of the fossil discovery. The BBC press release suggests that this giant dinosaur roamed around 101 million years ago, whilst our data suggests that it lived slightly later, around 95 million years ago (Cenomanian faunal stage of the Cretaceous).

The heart of this huge beast would have weighed something like 200 kilogrammes and with a circumference estimated at two metres it would have pumped ninety litres of blood round the body with one huge beat. That’s more liquid than the average amount of water that people have a bath in.

“Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur” will broadcast on BBC1 on Sunday 24 January at 6.30pm. It will be available on the BBC catch up services and we at Everything Dinosaur are eagerly looking forward to watching the programme.

Sir David Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur Thigh Bone

That is a very big thigh bone!

Picture credit: BBC

Safari Ltd have introduced a range of titanosaur models and figures: Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Prehistoric Animal Models.

Not the End of the Story

A formal scientific paper will be published shortly and this new dinosaur will be given a scientific name, it is likely to be a record breaker and regarded as the largest land living animal known to science. However, readers of this blog know that Everything Dinosaur takes a keen interest in such matters, check out the link below that hints at the presence of even larger dinosaurs within the fossil record:

One hundred tonne titanosaurs?: Giant Fossil Titanosaur Tooth Hints at “Enormosaurus”.

2 09, 2015

Dinosaur Britain – Part 2 Reviewed

By Mike|2023-04-05T13:18:21+01:00September 2nd, 2015|Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, TV Reviews|0 Comments

A Review of Dinosaur Britain – Part 2

The second part of Maverick TV’s “Dinosaur Britain” aired on terrestrial television last night (ITV1). Once again, presenter Ellie Harrison was joined by palaeontologist and author Dean Lomax on an exploration of Britain’s dinosaur fauna. However, unlike the first programme with its emphasis very much on English dinosaurs, the two, intrepid investigators travelled into Scotland and Wales to help reveal some of the ancient animals that roamed these parts of the British Isles.

Dinosaurs from Britain

Plucky Ellie, who had coped with a very claustrophobic slate mine in programme one, was tasked with manning a row boat on Loch Ness. No Nessie to be seen, but an opportunity to introduce the idea that whilst dinosaurs dominated terrestrial habitats during the Mesozoic, the seas surrounding the land masses that were ultimately to become Britain, once teemed with marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs.

This had been touched upon in the first part of this two-part documentary series, when the idea of ichthyosaurs feeding on the carcases of drowned armoured dinosaurs was discussed and it was good to see the storyline brought up to the present when on the beach at Lyme Regis, the presenters were shown ichthyosaur vertebrae and a small bone, potentially from an Early Jurassic plesiosaur.

Dinosaur Britain – Fossil Hunting in the UK

A Typical Ammonite - but not all types of this Cephalopod had coiled shells

A typical Jurassic ammonite from Lyme Regis (Arnioceras – we think).

The Diversity of British Dinosauria

If the objective of the television programmes was to demonstrate the diversity of British Dinosauria and to encourage people to try fossil hunting for themselves, then appetites were certainly whetted when some of the children’s fossil finds were shown, Ellie Harrison seemed genuinely excited to have found some belemnite guards.

Back to the dinosaurs and viewers were treated to a view of a sauropod wandering around Edinburgh, part of a segment that explained the importance of the Isle of Skye in terms of its contribution to our understanding of the dinosaurs of the Jurassic.

Steve Brusatte, (University of Edinburgh) enthusiastically introduced more dinosaur fossils from the British Isles. Steve is an American and we teased him last night when tweeting about seeing him discussing dinosaurs from this side of the Atlantic, when it is usually the dinosaurs known from the United States that tend to grab all the attention. Dr Brusatte took our gentle teasing in good spirit and he reminded us that it is because of British dinos that Steve has such a fantastic job!

The Isle of Skye

On the Isle of Skye, Dean explained to Ellie that the tri-dactyl footprint he had located on the beach was very much a case of “walking with dinosaurs” and this led to a viewing of a tiny dinosaur footprint, less than two centimetres in diameter. The fossilised print was discovered in Score Bay (Isle of Skye) and is thought to be the smallest dinosaur footprint ever found in Europe. Slightly bigger prints were revealed on a visit to a beach on the southern side of the Isle of Wight.

These tracks were made by iguanodonts, we suspect that the ones shown were examples of the natural casts from the foreshore of Hanover Point. Cue an opportunity to introduce all-round good guy Darren Naish (vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer), who outlined some of the pathology found on the fossilised bones of the huge predator Neovenator and this dinosaur’s potential prey the ornithopod Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis.

Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis

The resulting CGI showed the Neovenator accumulating all its injuries in just a few seconds as it pursued its victim, a little unlikely, but the important message here for the viewer, so eloquently relayed by Darren, is that the fossilised remains of long extinct animals can provide scientists with an insight into potential predator/prey interactions.

Interpreting the Evidence – Dorsal Vertebrae Assigned to M. atherfieldensis

Forensic examination of dinosaur bones can help to tell the story of the lives of long extinct animals.

Picture credit: “Dinosaurs of the British Isles”

Dorsal Vertebrae

The picture above shows two fossil back bones (dorsal vertebrae) from the ornithopod Mantellisaurus found in association with the theropod Neovenator (N. salerii). The bone on the left shows normal morphology with a tall, rectangular shaped neural spine. The bone on the right shows a traumatic injury on the neural spine (see inset). Bone re-growth in the area indicates that this iguanodontid lived for some time after this injury.

These pictures come from the excellent “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” book written by Dean Lomax and Nobumichi Tamura. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the dinosaurs of the entire British Isles and is highly recommended.

To learn more about “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” and to purchase: “Dinosaurs of the British Isles”.

Presenters Ellie Harrison and Dean Lomax

Dean guides Ellie through a dinosaur dominated Britain.

Programme two – features Cetiosaurus, Proceratosaurus, Iguanodontids, stegosaurs, Neovenator and even little Echinodon is depicted.

Picture Credit: ITV

Dinosaur Britain

Just one small point that was noted by a colleague, many of the measurements provided for the dinosaurs were given in feet. Old timers like the staff at Everything Dinosaur are well used to this, but with this programme aimed at a family audience including children, would very young viewers appreciate the size and scale of these prehistoric beasties when imperial measurements were used in some cases? Perhaps not, although the CGI showing the armoured Dacentrurus wandering the galleries of the Natural History Museum and the tiny Echinodon attacking a sandwich at least gave viewers an opportunity to gauge size for themselves.

Earliest Members of the Tyrannosauroidea

Time to introduce one of the earliest members of the Tyrannosauroidea clade, Proceratosaurus a very distant relative of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. Ms Harrison was surprised to learn that this three metre long theropod once roamed around her home county of Gloucestershire.

To conclude the second programme, the viewer was brought right up to date and introduced to the very latest dinosaur to be added to the compendium of British dinosaurs. Found in Lower Jurassic rocks at Lavernock Point (Vale of Glamorgan, Wales), Dr Dave Martill (University of Portsmouth), showed off a remarkable fossil discovery, the partial skeleton of a small, agile meat-eating dinosaur that might turn out to be the oldest dinosaur specimen ever found in Jurassic aged strata. It was pleasing to see plenty of feathered Theropods throughout the two programmes.

A few days ago, Everything Dinosaur reported on the finding of more fossil bones associated with this specimen: Putting the Welsh Theropod on a Firmer Footing.

Dinosaurs Awaiting Discovery

It seems that there are more dinosaurs awaiting discovery in the rocks of the British Isles. Thanks to Maverick TV the British public has gained an appreciation of our rich dinosaur heritage. A quick nod to the schedulers, the earlier start time of 8pm would have been appreciated by mums and dads. Showing the programme an hour earlier than the first episode would have permitted more children to stay up and watch.

Commenting on Dinosaur Britain

Let’s leave the last word to Dean, who summed up this two-part documentary succinctly:

“Despite Britain playing a pivotal role in the development and understanding of dinosaurs and palaeontology worldwide, in a modern capacity Britain has somewhat been overlooked. Personally, I feel that Dinosaur Britain is a huge opportunity to put us on the map for dinosaur discoveries, tell the unique story it has and most importantly enthuse people of all ages to learn more about British palaeontology. Who knows, Dinosaur Britain may just be the very programme that inspires future British palaeontologists.”

Well said.

31 08, 2015

Dinosaur Britain – Part 1

By Mike|2023-04-05T13:07:00+01:00August 31st, 2015|Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, TV Reviews|0 Comments

Dinosaur Britain – Part 1 – Quick Review

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History might not be the same again after one of its most famous items in the collection, the Megalosaurus bucklandii came to life and pursued a cyclist down the high street. Just one of the scenarios acted out tonight in the very informative “Dinosaur Britain” which was aired on ITV1 this evening. This was the first part in a two-part documentary made by Maverick TV which sets out to explore the rich dinosaur heritage of the British Isles.

Dinosaur Britain – Bank Holiday Family Entertainment

Bringing British dinosaurs to life!

Picture credit: Maverick TV

Aimed very much at a family audience, the first programme sees presenter Ellie Harrison going on a tour of the United Kingdom to learn about some of the amazing dinosaurs that once roamed this part of the world. Even today, we at Everything Dinosaur estimate that, one in twenty of all the dinosaurs known to science is represented by fossils found in the British Isles, that’s about one hundred different species and what an eclectic bunch they are.

Dinosaur Britain

Ellie is guided on her tour of Britain’s dinosaurs by our chum Dean Lomax, a palaeontologist who has recently written an excellent book entitled “Dinosaurs of the British Isles”, so he is ably qualified to assist Ms Harrison on her quest to learn about these amazing reptiles.

For further information on “Dinosaurs of the British Isles”: Siri Scientific Press.

After a close encounter with Baryonyx in the Natural History Museum, Ellie meets up with a Megalosaurus, which does look a little out of place scavenging a council bin for a quick snack. After all, Oxfordshire has changed quite a bit in the 167 million years ago since Megalosaurus was around.

Megalosaurus on the Prowl

A new hazard for cyclists around the Oxford area.

Picture credit: Maverick TV

Crystal Palace Dinosaurs

Then it’s to South London to view the Crystal Palace dinosaur sculptures and to hand feed an Iguanodon, the CGI permitting viewers to see for themselves how our interpretations of the Dinosauria have changed since the time of the Great Exhibition. Britain’s own “raptor” Nuthetes destructor, the name means “destroyer monitor”, makes an appearance, strangely enough at Stonehenge, although the fossils were found on the Isle of Purbeck (Dorset), cue more running for Dean and Ellie. Good to see feathers on our turkey-sized dromaeosaurids.

Perhaps, for us the best part of the programme concerned the Early Jurassic armoured dinosaur Scelidosaurus. The fossil specimen, part of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery collection is truly remarkable and who better to talk to about it than David Sole, the Dorset fossil collector who discovered the fossils back in 2000. Professor Mike Benton is our guide at the Bristol Museum, he explains how this beautiful dinosaur fossil came to be preserved in such an amazing articulated state.

Scelidosaurus Model

Claim to fame for Everything Dinosaur, we supply the Scelidosaurus models for the Museum’s shop.

Scelidosaurus Model

A model of a Scelidosaurus.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To read more about Scelidosaurus: Britain’s Most Complete Dinosaur Fossil Discovered to Date.

A Dedicated Television Series “Dinosaur Britain”

The programme blended dinosaur facts and entertainment quite well in our opinion. The focus for part one was very much on English dinosaurs, expect other parts of the British Isles to get more of a look in with the second programme which is scheduled to be shown tomorrow at 8pm.

Our congratulations to the programme makers, it is good to see that “British dinosaurs” are getting a share of the limelight.

The Scelidosaurus model shown is part of the CollectA Deluxe model range: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric World Models.

25 08, 2015

Dinosaur Britain Scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday

By Mike|2023-04-05T12:04:12+01:00August 25th, 2015|Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, TV Reviews|0 Comments

Dinosaurs Come to ITV – “Dinosaur Britain”

When asked to think about dinosaurs, most people might imagine scientists searching for giant bones and teeth in the more remote parts of the world, places like the intriguingly named “Hell Creek” of Montana or the “Badlands” of South Dakota. What might surprise most members of the public, is, that once upon a time, dinosaurs roamed over the British Isles. Not only that but dear old “blighty”, plus Wales and Scotland, can lay claim to having one of the best dinosaur fossil records of anywhere in the world.

A New Television Documentary Series

Putting British dinosaur discoveries in the spotlight is the aim of a new, two-part television documentary that is being shown on ITV1 next week. Presenter Ellie Harrison accompanies palaeontologist Dean Lomax on a whistle stop tour of dinosaurs of the British Isles and thanks to some super-duper CGI, viewers will be able to see some examples of these amazing prehistoric animals wandering around the UK.

Presenter Ellie Harrison Encounters a Theropod Dinosaur

Presenter Ellie Harrison confronts a theropod dinosaur.

Picture credit: ITV

The first part of this documentary, “Dinosaur Britain” created by production company Maverick TV, will be shown on Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August at 9pm. In this episode, Ellie, who confesses to having an interest in dinosaurs ever since she first heard about them as a child, explores the very first scientifically described dinosaur (Megalosaurus) as well as learning all about the fearsome Baryonyx, whose fossils were found in a Surrey clay pit.

Dean Lomax

Helping Ellie to piece together the clues about Britain’s ancient past is talented palaeontologist and British dinosaur aficionado, Dean Lomax. Dean explains what fossils can tell scientists about prehistory and accompanies the naturalist and journalist on a journey around the British Isles exploring the country’s amazing dinosaur heritage.

Our Tour Guides to “Dinosaur Britain” Ellie Harrison and Palaeontologist Dean Lomax

Dean guides Ellie through a dinosaur dominated Britain.

Picture credit: ITV

Brave Ellie is likely to get chased by a few of the more dangerous dinosaurs to have once roamed our countryside, and we expect the camera crew to entice her into hand-feeding the occasional iguanodontid or two, but this documentary will also inform viewers about some members of the Dinosauria, whose fossils are unique to Britain. For example, travel to the beautiful Dorset coast and visit the location where amateur fossil hunter David Sole discovered the remarkable fossilised bones of one of the first armoured dinosaurs.

The dinosaur discovered by David, now resides in Bristol Museum, it is a Scelidosaurus and there is no record of it being found anywhere else in the world, it’s the “Jurassic Coasts” very own dinosaur.

Episode Two – (Isle of Skye, Isle of Wight and an Early Tyrannosaur)

Part two of “Dinosaur Britain” is due to be shown on the following evening (8pm ITV1). The intrepid duo travel to the Isle of Skye to learn about some of the biggest terrestrial animals ever to roam Europe. Some of the giant, herbivorous sauropods that thundered across our ancient landscape were as long as two London buses. Dean explains to Ellie how dinosaur footprints are important trace fossils, fossils which actually show behaviour of long extinct creatures.

Huge Sauropod Dinosaurs Once Roamed the British Isles

Ellie Harrison says hello to a sauropod.

Picture credit: ITV

Not all of Britain’s dinosaurs were enormous beasts. Some of the world’s smallest dinosaurs lived here too. Dean reveals a tiny footprint found on Skye, the smallest in the Western world, probably just twenty centimetres in length and a tiny meat‐eater. Next it’s a swift journey to the opposite end of the British Isles, to our very own “Dinosaur Isle”, the Isle of Wight, to learn all about predator/prey interactions. Vertebrate palaeontologist, Darren Naish (University of Southampton and Tetrapod Zoology fame), shows fossils of the herbivorous dinosaur called Mantellisaurus, a dinosaur named in honour of Englishman Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) who named Iguanodon, the second dinosaur to be scientifically described.

Mantellisaurus

The Mantellisaurus fossil material shows signs of an attack from or at least feeding by a carnivorous dinosaur. The likely culprit is the ferocious Neovenator which Dr Naish describes as being “quite a nasty, efficient predator.”

Dinosaur Britain

Dean and Ellie continue their journey around Britain, with a trip to Ellie’s home county of Gloucestershire, where in 1910, an ancient tyrannosaur fossil was found during the excavation of a reservoir. This beautifully preserved fossil, consisting of a nearly complete skull and jaws was named Proceratosaurus bradleyi. It may not have been as big as the more famous Tyrannosaurus rex but this fossil does prove that early tyrannosaurs roamed across Britain during the Bathonian faunal stage of the Middle Jurassic. Indeed, Proceratosaurus was not the only member of the tyrannosaur family known from the British Isles, two more are described in Dean’s fantastic book “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” published by Siri Scientific Press

Dinosaurs of the British Isles by Dean Lomax and Nobumichi Tamura

Dinosaur Britain - Dinosaurs of the British Isles.

A comprehensive guide to British dinosaurs over 400 pages.

Picture credit: Siri Scientific Press

To learn more about dinosaurs from Britain and to purchase this brilliant book: Siri Scientific Press.

160 Million Years of British History

Concluding their journey through 160 million years of British history, the documentary ends with a visit to Cardiff to view one of the most recently discovered dinosaurs. There were once real dragons in Wales, albeit little ones but the fossils of a theropod dinosaur discovered by brothers Nick and Rob Hanigan might turn out to represent the earliest dinosaur known from Jurassic aged rocks. Everything Dinosaur produced a short article announcing this discovery including pictures of the fossilised bones back in June.

To read more about this Welsh dinosaur: New Early Jurassic Theropod Dinosaur.

Looks like, thanks to Ellie Harrison and Dean Lomax (plus Darren Naish et al), British dinosaurs are going to be well and truly put on the map!

Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of dinosaur models fossils of which are known from the British Isles, dinosaurs such as Iguanodon, Megalosaurus and Proceratosaurus.

To view this range: CollectA Prehistoric World Figures.

6 05, 2015

Dinosaurs and More Dinosaurs in 2015

By Mike|2023-03-27T07:29:38+01:00May 6th, 2015|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, TV Reviews|0 Comments

“Dinosaur Britain” Documentary Commissioned by ITV

By now it could not possibly have escaped your notice that “Jurassic World”, the fourth in the “Jurassic Park” movie franchise opens next month (June 12th). Another teaser trailer has just been put out and the film is certainly one of the most eagerly awaited cinema events of this year. However, you don’t have to visit Isla Nublar to view dinosaurs, travel back in time and “dear old blighty” was home to a huge range of prehistoric animals including three types of tyrannosaurs*.

New Television Documentary

The very first scientific descriptions of dinosaurs in the early to mid 19th century were all based upon fossil discoveries made in the UK. To mark the United Kingdom’s contribution to this sub-division of vertebrate palaeontology, ITV has commissioned the production company Maverick Television to transport Britain back to the Mesozoic to depict how this part of the world was once home to a myriad of prehistoric animals.

“Dinosaur Britain” A New Television Documentary

Different dinosaurs and approximate locations.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Over one hundred different species of dinosaur have been identified so far from fossils found in the British Isles. This includes those three tyrannosaurs as mentioned above* [Eotyrannus lengi (Isle of Wight), Proceratosaurus bradleyi (Gloucestershire) and Juratyrant langhami (Dorset)]. Back in 2014, Everything Dinosaur reported on the first formal survey of British dinosaurs undertaken by a group of scientists, which included the very talented Darren Naish, a vertebrate palaeontologist from the University of Portsmouth. In August of last year, we reviewed the excellent “Dinosaurs of the British Isles”. This book provided a comprehensive guide to the different types of Dinosauria that once roamed around Britain.

Dinosaur Britain

To read Everything Dinosaur’s review of “Dinosaurs of the British Isles by Dean Lomax and Nobumichi Tamura: “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” Reviewed.

“Dinosaurs of the British Isles”

A comprehensive guide to British dinosaurs over 400 pages.

Picture credit: Siri Scientific Press

For further information on this fantastic book and to order a copy: Siri Scientific Press.

Britain = Dinosaur Island

Not entirely accurate as for much of the Mesozoic, this part of the world was underwater and when dry land did occur in the past, it formed part of a much larger continental landmass, but that’s not the point, for the last eight thousand years or so, Britain has been an island and there is a wealth of dinosaur and other prehistoric animal fossils to be found in the British Isles, so much so, that it has inspired the commissioning of a new two-part television documentary series.

ITV has commissioned Maverick Television (creators of programmes such as “Embarrassing Bodies” and television make-over shows such as “How to Look Good Naked”), to make two, one-hour long documentaries examining the types of different dinosaur that existed in the British Isles. Everything Dinosaur understands that the working title for this series is “Dinosaur Britain” and CGI techniques will be used to place ancient creatures in modern-day settings. So if you fancy seeing an iguanodont wandering around Kent or a Megalosaurus taking a stroll through the centre of Oxford then this new television series might just float your boat!

Attempting to Educate Viewers

Director of Factual Output for ITV, Richard Klein has ordered the programmes which will attempt to educate viewers not only on the types of dinosaur that once existed in the UK, but also to provide information about the habitats and ecosystems of the UK during the Age of the Dinosaurs. Dinosaur fans can expect lots of hunting and fighting sequences too.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:

“Britain has a rich fossil heritage, of which the Dinosauria makes up only a small part. However, with more than one hundred different dinosaurs identified from fossils found in the British Isles, documentary makers have a huge cast list to choose from. Giants like Pelorosaurus and Brachiosaurs to fearsome predators like Becklespinax and Megalosaurus, which was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named and described.”

At the time of writing we are not sure when these programmes will be shown, but one thing is for sure, with all the hyperbole surrounding “Jurassic World”, we can expect dinosaurs to have a much bigger media footprint (even bigger than usual), over the next couple of years.

To view the CollectA Prehistoric Life range with its assortment of models representing “British Dinosaurs”: CollectA Prehistoric Life Models.

12 09, 2013

David Attenborough’s Rise of the Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates

By Mike|2023-02-23T18:47:37+00:00September 12th, 2013|Famous Figures, TV Reviews|0 Comments

David Attenborough on Television Screens Once Again

For those of us in the United Kingdom, look out for David Attenborough’s new television series which starts on Friday 20th September and is being shown on BBC 2 (9pm). This two-part documentary series which has the same format as the 2011 documentary series called “David Attenborough’s First Life” takes viewers through the evolution of the vertebrates.

The evolution of animals with backbones is one of the greatest stories in natural history. Brand-new discoveries of fossils, including some amazing fossil discoveries from China, combined with stunning CGI and cinematography enable Sir David to tell this fascinating story and reveal that humans (Homo sapiens) are just part of an amazing lineage of animals that dates back some 500 million years or so.

David Attenborough

In the first episode, entitled “From The Seas To The Skies”, David Attenborough uses new fossil evidence to unlock nature’s most extraordinary story, the incredible ascent of the animal group that now dominates our planet, the vertebrates. The origins of the vertebrates lie in primitive fish that once swam in ancient seas but remarkable advances allowed them to make the radical move onto land, and then take to the skies with the advent of flight.

David Attenborough’s Rise of the Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates

Sir David tells the story of the vertebrates.

Picture credit: BBC

Team members at Everything Dinosaur have rated this series ten out of ten, we highly recommend watching either on the television or via other channels such as online.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the help of BBC Media Centre for the compilation of this article.

20 05, 2013

BBC Series “Ice Age Giants” Episode 1 Reviewed

By Mike|2023-02-17T13:23:26+00:00May 20th, 2013|TV Reviews|2 Comments

Episode One of “Ice Age Giants” Focuses on the Laurentide Ice Sheet

The BBC have put together a television series featuring the Mammalian “megafauna” of the Pliocene and the Pleistocene Epochs with a focus on the Ice Age – hence the title of the three-part series “Ice Age Giants”. The first episode was entitled “Land of the Sabre-Tooth” and focused on the impact of the immense Laurentide ice sheet on North America. With the assured Professor Alice Roberts, an anatomist (human anatomy that is), by training at the helm and undertaking the presenting duties the programme was up to the high standards expected of the BBC.

“Ice Age Giants”

A Replica of a Smilodon

Rebor Smilodon Stray Cat (Ice Age colour scheme)

The Rebor Smilodon populator Stray Cat model in the Ice Age colour scheme. The model is shown in an oblique, lateral view and the figure has the mouth-closed head attachment. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Ice Age Megafauna

The first episode focused on a number of the large mammals that lived south of the two mile high Laurentide ice sheet that covered much of the continent, over thousand of years the ebbs and flows of the ice sheets led to the creation of some very rich and verdant plains and swamplands, these were home to an array of bizarre mammals, with only a few remnants of the Ice Age megafauna left today, animals such as the bison and the elk.

The Sabre-toothed cat, (Smilodon fatalis) was the star of the first programme with a focus on the latest theories about how those huge canines could have been used to kill prey. The CGI was not overplayed, although the scene in which a single cat chases down and catches a horse did not look particularly authentic to our team. Smilodon fatalis had immensely powerful arms and shoulders, this point was made in the documentary, however, the impact on this cat’s ability to run was not explored fully.

Most certainly, these apex predators specialised in big game, but they probably were not out and out pursuit predators, but more likely to have been ambush predators having to get very close to any potential victim before launching an attack.

It is incorrect to refer to these members of the Felidae as “Sabre-Toothed Tigers” to read Everything Dinosaur’s explanation: Sabre-Toothed Cats not closely related to Extant Tigers.

The astonishing degree of preservation of the dung of the Shasta Ground Sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) and what the metre thick sediments found in caves in the Grand Canyon walls can tell us was the highlight. Dating techniques have permitted scientists to plot exactly when these cow-sized sloths abandoned the Grand Canyon area and when they returned. These results tie in very nicely with known ice age extensions and warmer inter-glacial periods. It is amazing what you can learn from a 20,000 year old ball of dung.

It was pleasing to see that a South American immigrant, a glyptodont was featured. Once thought of being a creature of the open plains, it seems that a substantial population thrived in the swamplands that once covered much of Arizona. The explanation as to why most glyptodont fossils are found upside down was interesting as was the the theory that these distant relatives of anteaters, sloths and armadillos may have had trunks.

An Illustration of a Typical Glyptodont

Bizarre armoured giant with a furry underside, a shell on top and a bony tail often with a club on the end.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The polished faces of boulders being presented as evidence of these rocks being used as giant scratching posts as herds of giant Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), was something new to us, we had not read about this in any literature. Most probably many animals used these outcrops as scratching posts over millennia, but the fourteen-foot-high polished areas could only have been made by something as big as a Columbian Mammoth.

That said, this part of California has been subjected to sizeable earthquakes and the land may have been raised somewhat, especially with the retreat of the heavy ice sheets, so it has to be presumed for the Columbian Mammoth theory to be accepted then these rocks would have had to remain somewhat “in situ”.

Smilodon Species

Interesting to see the many fossils from La Brea Tar Pits, a part of Los Angeles that team members at Everything Dinosaur have been lucky enough to visit. The pathology, suspected sceptic arthritis on a pelvis and its potential implications on the social nature of Sabre-Tooths was very well explained. Intriguingly, there was no mention of the proposed Californian sub-species of Sabre-toothed cat. The tar pits at Rancho La Brea in Los Angeles have produced a lot of fossil material relating to the Smilodon genus (mainly S. californicus and not S. fatalis).

Everything Dinosaur has followed the work on the material removed due to the building of the underground library car park with great interest since excavations began back in early 2011. We refer to the crates of sediment taken out as part of the ground works for the library as “box cart palaeontology”.

To read more about the “box cart” excavations at Rancho La Brea: Huge Haul of Ice Age Fossils from La Brea.

All in all, a promising start to this series and we are already looking forward to episode two.

To view the large range of prehistoric mammals models and figures stocked by Everything Dinosaur: Models of Prehistoric Mammals.

22 08, 2012

BBC Planet Dinosaur “Ultimate Killers”

By Mike|2023-02-04T11:34:21+00:00August 22nd, 2012|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur videos, TV Reviews|0 Comments

High Definition, Three Dimensional Dinosaur Programme from the BBC

As part of the BBC’s continued research into optimising their programme quality using high definition and 3-D technology, the UK based broadcaster has put together a new dinosaur documentary. The fifty minute programme uses footage taken from the six-part BBC television series “Planet Dinosaur” that was first shown in the autumn of 2011.

“Planet Dinosaur”

The documentary has proved to be very popular with both young and old dinosaur fans.

Technicians at the BBC are using this programme to test how viewers perceive some of the new programme technology on various platforms.

The Front Cover of the Book that Accompanied the Television Series

The front cover of the book "Planet Dinosaur"

Dinosaurs help out with BBC research.

Picture credit: Ebury Publishing.

So, to watch a documentary featuring the likes of Spinosaurus, abelisaurids and the allosaurids as well as learning about the latest tyrannosaur research take a look at the BBC’s Ultimate Killers documentary.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur’s Award-winning Website.

16 08, 2012

BBC Test Dinosaur Programmes in 3-D

By Mike|2023-02-04T10:47:19+00:00August 16th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, TV Reviews|0 Comments

“Ultimate Killers” Documentary to air in 3-D

Technicians at the BBC are preparing to test a number of 3-D viewing platforms by showing a dinosaur themed documentary entitled “Ultimate Killers”. This hour long programme has been compiled using footage from the six-part BBC television series “Planet Dinosaur” that aired last autumn. The broadcast will take place on Sunday the 19th of August with the programme starting at 5.35pm BST.

To view the original trailer for the BBC television series “Planet Dinosaur” check out YouTube.

Planet Dinosaur

The programme being shown on Sunday evening is only going to be available in 3-D so the technicians at the BBC will be testing the “Watch in 2-D” applications on the Freeview and Freesat platforms. Andy Quested, the Head of BBC’s 3-D and high definition projects is asking for feedback from viewers with regards to the “Watch in 2-D” option.

Dinosaurs – TV Programme Helps Out the BBC

Dinosaurs help out with BBC research.

Picture credit: Ebury Publishing

This documentary will also be available on the BBCiPlayer format. A number of different encoded versions will be available for download depending on which platform the viewer is on. Not all the devices used to show the programme will be able to accommodate the 3-D images, but the idea at this stage is to gauge people’s reactions to the different formats and platforms and gather opinions.

Specifically the BBC technicians need to obtain information about the platform used to view the programme, Freeview, via PC or via the iplayer function, as well as the approximate speed of your broadband connection and the make/model of your TV or set top box.

3-D Television Projects

Sources close to Everything Dinosaur have been informed that the BBC is currently working on a number of 3-D projects including a new, feature length adaptation of the “Walking with Dinosaurs” franchise that is due to be aired in 2013.

Suggest you log onto the BBC Internet Blog for more information. Team members at Everything Dinosaur worked on a cast of characters for the original BBC television series and advised CGI staff on some of the dinosaurs featured as well as writing a review of the book that accompanied the television programmes.

Who would have though it – dinosaurs such as Mapusaurus, Allosaurus, Daspletosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus helping the BBC with their research into 3-D technology.

For models and scale figures of Mapusaurus, Allosaurus and Daspletosaurus (whilst stocks last): Dinosaur Theropods and Prehistoric Animals (CollectA Models).

24 01, 2012

Survivors: Natures Indestructible Creatures

By Mike|2023-01-26T07:31:48+00:00January 24th, 2012|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, TV Reviews|0 Comments

Exciting Science Programme Tonight on BBC 4 (UK)

Tonight on terrestrial television, at 9pm (BBC 4) there is the first episode of a new science series that explores extinction events. The first programme in this three-part series deals with the period in Earth’s history known as the Permian mass extinction, a time when over a million years or so, life on Earth suffered a series of cataclysms that resulted in an estimated 95% of life becoming extinct. The Permian mass extinction took place approximately 250 million years ago, one of five major mass extinction events recorded in the known fossil record.

Permian Mass Extinction

Palaeontologist Richard Fortey (long association with the Natural History Museum – London) investigates why some of Earth’s species have survived for millions of years, and explores the characteristics that gave them the ability to endure events that led to the extinction of other creatures. As Richard’s love of trilobites is well-known, we can expect to hear about these amazing invertebrates as well as horseshoe crabs – arthropods that have survived nearly unchanged for millions of years.

A Model of One of Nature’s Great Survivors – A Horseshoe Crab

CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Size Horseshoe Crab.

CollectA have produced a number of models and replicas of ancient arthropods including horseshoe crabs, trilobites and ammonites.

To view this range: CollectA Preshistoric Life (Age of Dinosaurs Popular Range).

“Survivors: Natures Indestructible Creatures”

The second programme in the series is to be shown next week (31st January). It deals with the events and consequences of perhaps the most famous mass extinction event of all – the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous. This programme is to be called “Fugitive from the Fire”.