Hidden Kingdoms
Hidden Kingdoms | |
---|---|
Also known as | Mini Monsters (Discovery Channel Version) |
Genre | Factual |
Narrated by | Stephen Fry Peter Dinklage (US version) |
Composer | Ben Foster |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 3 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Mike Gunton (Original Version) Robert Zakin (Discovery Channel Version) |
Producers |
|
Editor | Stuart Napier (episode 1) |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production companies | R.T.I S.p.A |
Original release | |
Network |
|
Release | 16 January 30 January 2014 | –
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, and Japanese rhinoceros beetle.[3]
In United States, the series was shown under the alternative title Mini Monsters, which aired at Discovery Channel on 31 May 2014.[4]
Production
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.[9]
Episode list
# | Title | Original air date | Overnight UK viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Under Open Skies" | 16 January 2014 | 3.41 |
2 | "Secret Forests" | 23 January 2014 | 3.52 |
3 | "Urban Jungles" | 30 January 2014 | 2.74 |
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.[10] The second and third episodes attracted 3.52m (15.5%) and 2.74m (12.4%) respectively.[11][12]
Some reviewers criticised the show's use of staged scenes and digital editing, stating that the depicted events and locations are "astonishing if true, but frustrating and worthless if merely a digital effect".[13]
Home media
In United Kingdom, a single DVD disc was released on 27 January 2014 by BBC Worldwide.[14]
In United States and Canada, DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released on 8 July 2014.
In Germany, DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released on 19 December 2014.[17][18]
In Japan, both DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released on 3 November 2015.[19][20]
Soundtrack
Hidden Kingdoms | |
---|---|
Ben Foster | |
Released | 11 March 2014 |
Genre | Soundtrack, Classical music |
Length | 1:18:44 |
Label | Silva Screen Records |
Producer | BBC Worldwide BBC Earth |
The musical score and songs featured in the series were composed and conducted by
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hidden Kingdoms Opening Titles" | 1:49 |
2. | "Africa" | 2:24 |
3. | "Lizard Attack" | 3:18 |
4. | "Exploring the Trail" | 1:10 |
5. | "The Dung Beetles" | 1:50 |
6. | "Fire" | 1:27 |
7. | "Life" | 2:52 |
8. | "The Wild West" | 1:02 |
9. | "Scorpion Mouse" | 2:22 |
10. | "The Jaws of Death" | 0:55 |
11. | "In the Rain" | 0:55 |
12. | "The Flood" | 0:55 |
13. | "Run Mouse, Run!" | 1:38 |
14. | "Tom vs The Lizard" | 1:26 |
15. | "Running Free" | 4:13 |
16. | "Meeting Chip" | 2:53 |
17. | "A Burglar" | 1:12 |
18. | "You Naughty Moose!" | 1:01 |
19. | "It's a Fight!!" | 0:54 |
20. | "The Dark, Dark Wood" | 0:37 |
21. | "Forest of the Owl" | 1:24 |
22. | "Winter Approaching" | 1:00 |
23. | "Do or Die" | 0:55 |
24. | "Fight Fight Fight!" | 1:34 |
25. | "Life in the Trees" | 2:14 |
26. | "The Forest" | 1:20 |
27. | "Three Little Pigs" | 2:21 |
28. | "Forest Giants" | 1:33 |
29. | "Pitcher Plant" | 1:21 |
30. | "Fluorescence" | 1:48 |
31. | "Snake Attack / The Leap" | 1:31 |
32. | "The Season Change" | 3:07 |
33. | "Urban Jungle" | 0:44 |
34. | "The Streets of Rio" | 2:22 |
35. | "Marmoset Investigates" | 1:31 |
36. | "Ant Colony" | 1:48 |
37. | "Cat on the Prowl" | 1:50 |
38. | "Tokyo Nights" | 0:47 |
39. | "Beetle Rock" | 0:53 |
40. | "Beetle Roll" | 1:50 |
41. | "Bright Lights" | 3:00 |
42. | "Ghek Off the Wall" | 1:33 |
43. | "Praying Mantis" | 0:54 |
44. | "Flight to the Temple" | 1:44 |
45. | "Beetle Beetle" | 1:31 |
46. | "Living Side by Side" | 1:27 |
47. | "Everywhere, A Hidden Kingdom" | 0:40 |
48. | "Hidden Kingdoms Closing Titles" | 1:09 |
Total length: | 78:44 |
References
- ^ "Fry to narrate Hidden Kingdoms". Belfast Telegraph. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Stephen Fry to be the voice of new BBC natural history show". Radio Times. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Stephen Fry to narrate BBC One Natural History Unit series Hidden Kingdoms". BBC. 21 November 2013. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Mini Monsters: About the Show". Discovery Channel. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "BBC Worldwide and CCTV9 unveil Hidden Kingdoms in new co-pro". BBC. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ Paoli-Lebailly, Pascale (30 September 2013). "France Télévisions co-produces BBC Worldwide's Hidden Kingdoms". Rapid TV News. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ a b "BBC Worldwide announces pre-sales for Hidden Kingdoms and Wild Brazil". BBC. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "BBC Worldwide signs deals with key players in South Korea". BBC Worldwide. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ Conlan, Tara (11 December 2013). "BBC to air on-screen warnings of re-enacted elements in Hidden Kingdoms". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ^ Eames, Tom (17 January 2014). "Birds of a Feather edges Silent Witness on Thursday evening". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ Eames, Tom (24 January 2014). "Birds of a Feather bounces back to top Thursday ratings". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Eames, Tom (31 January 2014). "Birds of a Feather down but still top on Thursday". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Lawson, Mark (8 January 2014). "BBC telling us it staged sequences makes Hidden Kingdoms hard to watch". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (DVD)". BBC Shop. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (DVD)". Amazon.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (Blu-ray)". Amazon.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms - Im Königreich der kleinen Tiere (DVD)". Amazon.de.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms - Im Königreich der kleinen Tiere (Blu-ray)". Amazon.de.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (DVD)" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (Blu-ray)" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms-Soundtrack by Ben Foster". Silva Screen Records.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (Soundtrack)". Amazon. 2014.
- ^ "Hidden Kingdoms (Original Television Soundtrack) by Ben Foster". iTunes Store US.
External links
- Hidden Kingdoms at BBC Online
- Hidden Kingdoms at BBC Earth
- Hidden Kingdoms at IMDb
- Mini Monsters at Discovery Channel website
- Radio Times, Hidden Kingdoms