Eyewitness (TV)

infobox Television
show_name = Eyewitness


caption =
format = Nature documentary
runtime = 47 minutes
rating = TV-G
creator = Jill Matthews
narrator = Martin Sheen (Series 1-2)
Andrew Sachs (Series 3)
country = UK
network = BBC
first_aired = 1995
last_aired = 1997
num_episodes = 39
num_series = 3

"Eyewitness" is a natural history television series produced by BBC and DK Vision.cite web | url=http://us.dk.com/static/cs/us/11/about/history.html | published=DK | title=History of DK | accessdate = 2008-01-06 ] The series is based on the Dorling Kindersley "Eyewitness Guides" series of children's books. Disney Channel UK

Format

Each half-hour episode focuses on a single subject in the field of natural science, such as the Solar System or the various functions of the human body. The information is presented in the "Eyewitness Museum," a computer-generated science museum. Various exhibits are shown, and stock video footage is usually seen through large windows or other depressions in the wall. The book series and the show share a striking visual style making notable use of the color white. During the newly-produced content (as opposed to stock footage) a background is almost never used in favor of a stark white backdrop, presumably to make the presented object stand out better. In addition, almost every episode features a "Hero." The Hero is a character or object which drives the action of the show and is continually referred back to. These include the weathervane chicken from "Weather", the claymation Tyrannosaurus from "Dinosaur", and the robotic Human mime artist from "Human Machine".

When the series was released on video, episodes from the first two seasons featured brief behind-the-scenes clips after the main program. As of January 2008, the series has yet to be released on DVD.

There are also four "Eyewitness Virtual Reality" softwares based on the show, which include "Cat", "Bird", "Dinosaur Hunter", and "Earth Quest". "Shark", "Dinosaur", and "Earth" were featured in the elevator (which you use to switch to another Eyewitness Virtual Reality software), but none of them existed.

Episodes

eries 1 (1994)

* Amphibian
* Bird
* Cat
* Dinosaur
* Dog
* Elephant
* Fish
* Horse
* Insect
* Jungle
* Reptile
* Shark
* Skeleton

eries 2 (1996)

* Ape
* Arctic and Antarctic
* Butterfly and Moth
* Desert
* Mammal
* Pond and River
* Prehistoric Life
* Rock and Mineral
* Seashore
* Shell
* Tree
* Volcano
* Weather

eries 3 (1997)

* Bear
* Flight
* Human Machine
* Island
* Life
* Monster
* Mountain
* Natural Disasters
* Ocean
* Planets
* Plant
* Sight
* Survival

Reception

The series was nominated for awards in two categories at the 1996 Emmy Awards. It won several other awards.

* 1996 NEA AwardFact|date=January 2008
* 1996 and 1997 Golden Gate AwardsFact|date=January 2008
* Chicago International Children's Film Festival Excellence in Children's MediaFact|date=January 2008

Following its release on video and the end of its run on PBS, however, the show faded into relative obscurity.Fact|date=January 2008 By contrast the book series which inspired the program has continued, and about 150 unique titles are now available.Fact|date=January 2008

References