BBC Scotland to show “Britain Beneath Our Feet”

December 9, 2011 by Adam Benzine

Britain Beneath Our Feet

UK net BBC Scotland is lining up Britain Beneath Our Feet, a four-part series exploring British landscapes and the people who live in them, as well as how they have been shaped by the country’s varied geological history.

The series is being made in-house by the public broadcaster, which has tapped Bristol-based, Parthenon Media-owned animation and VFX company 422 South to produce its CGI and graphics. It will air on BBC1 in Scotland.

The 4 x 60-minute program will be presented by Hugh Dennis (Outnumbered, Mock The Week) and Julia Bradbury (Countryfile, Canal Walks), and will focus on different areas of Britain, featuring the South Downs, Yorkshire, Devon & Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands.

Each episode will include specially shot images of the present-day scene and then resolve into a photo-real construction of how the landscape was, in the geological past. This will be facilitated by data visualization technology based on data from a range of geological experts helping with the series.

“This is a chance to enjoy great stories behind some of the greatest landscapes the UK has to cover with an exciting twist – the chance to get a flavor of them as they once were,” said Fiona Pitcher, executive producer at BBC Scotland.

Andy Davies Coward, creative director at 422 South, added: “Whilst everyone is familiar with many of Britain’s best loved landscapes, there is very little evidence to demonstrate how these same landscapes would have looked like over thousands and even millions of years ago. This series will be the first to demonstrate this technology.”

Tags: 422 South, BBC, BBC Scotland, Britain Beneath Our Feet, Hugh Dennis, Julia Bradbury, Parthenon Media