Galápagos (TV series)

"Galápagos" is a three-part BBC nature documentary series exploring the natural history of the Galápagos Islands and their important role in the formation of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution . It was first transmitted in the UK on BBC Two in September 2006. The series was filmed in high definition, produced by Mike Gunton and Patrick Morris of the BBC Natural History Unit and narrated by actress Tilda Swinton.

Episodes

The episodes, each 50 minutes in length, are as follows:
* "Born of Fire" - an introduction to the volcanic islands
* "Islands that Changed the World" - reveals how the islands helped shape the theory of evolution
* "Forces of Change" - how life has evolved to cope with climatic and volcanic changes

Some of the endemic wildlife featured in the series includes frigatebirds, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, Galápagos tortoises, Galápagos finches and blue-footed boobies.

The opening episode "Born of Fire" won 4 awards at the 2007 International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula. [cite web|url=http://www.wildlifefilms.org/festivals/iwff/index.html|title=IWFF Award Winners 2007|work=International Wildlife Film Festival|accessdate=2007-07-01] . It won "Best of Festival" at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 2007 and won a prestigious Peabody Award 2007. It was also BAFTA nominated for cinematography and won an "Award for Excellence" from the Guild of Television Cameramen as well as "Best Underwater Photography" at the Japanese Wildlife Film Festival 2007.

Merchandise

A DVD, Blu-ray, and book were released to accompany the TV series:

* A Region 2, 2-disc DVD set (BBCDVD1997) featuring all three full-length episodes was released on 30 October 2006. The DVD includes the specially-commissioned 60 minute documentary, "Lonesome George", originally broadcast alongside "Galápagos" on BBC Four.

* A Blu-ray disc is also available. This disc shows the film in a 1080i picture.

* The accompanying paperback book, "Galápagos: The Islands that Changed the World" by Paul D. Stewart, with a foreword by Richard Dawkins, was published by BBC Books on 7 September 2006 (ISBN 0-563-49356-9).

References

External links

* [http://www.galapagos.coberturadigital.com GalapagosTV: the video blog]