The National Geographic Television International Slate - Key programming for MIPTV 2005

Published: 4 March 2005

National Geographic Television International arrives at MipTV this year with an extensive range of new programmes. In addition to a strong showing in natural history and history/civilisations, NGTI has increased its range of science programming for 2005 with milestone shows such as the headline-grabbing Tiny Humans: Finding Hobbits in Flores and DNA Mysteries: The Search for Adam.

NGTI has seen a growing demand for science programming in recent months, especially as people look for new explanations and angles on popular stories.

SLATE HIGHLIGHTS:

DNA MYSTERIES: THE SEARCH FOR ADAM - 1 x 52

Where did we all come from? Could we all be descendants of Adam? And if he existed, who was he, where did he live and what did he look like?

It is a mystery that intrigues us all and questions like these have been asked time and time again, but nobody has got close to the answer - until now. Spencer Wells, a leading geneticist and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, is setting out on a quest to discover if there was an "Adam" from whom all humans are descended.

Wells uses the latest in DNA testing technology to take us on an extraordinary journey across the globe as he traces humanity's family tree. Following the Y-chromosomes backwards through the generations the branches begin to coalesce into a single trunk, pointing to a single Adam. Is every man in the world related?

A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TELEVISION & FILM PRODUCTION
PRODUCER: SIMON BOYCE

TINY HUMANS: FINDING 'HOBBITS' IN FLORES - 1 x 52

In the autumn of 2004 headline news was made around the world with one of the most important fossil discoveries in over half a century - the
excavation of a species of tiny prehistoric humans called Homo
floresiensis. Nicknamed Hobbits by the scientists who discovered them,
these early humans stood just three and a half feet tall - the size of a
modern four-year-old - and began to fundamentally challenge our perception of who we are and where we come from.

An international team of scientists has been hard at work, both trying to
decipher the secrets of this tiny human and refute the speculation that has
arisen since this exciting discovery was made last year - and they have
reached some fascinating conclusions about the life and death of these tiny
humans. They're also using state-of-the-art forensic techniques to date skeletal remains and give us a glimpse of what a Hobbit would have looked like.

A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TELEVISION & FILM PRODUCTION. A CO-PRODUCTION WITH CHANNEL 4 (UK), CANAL PLUS (FRANCE) AND ZDF (GERMANY)

PRODUCER: DAVID HAMLIN

KING TUT'S CURSE - 1 X 90 OR 1 X 52

It is perhaps the most intriguing story to have ever emerged from ancient Egypt, a story linked to the deaths of many men, both ancient and modern, a source of intrigue, mystery, and now, amazing scientific discovery - all of which is explored in King Tut's Curse, a major new event programme from National Geographic Television & Film.

For the first time since the mummy was discovered, King Tutankhamen is removed from his tomb in order to undergo a CT scan, in the hope that it will reveal what happened in his final hours. Stunning new footage will show the legendary mummy in its entirety, internally and externally. Wire frame computer animation is used to reconstruct a 3D version of his actual face, to see for the first time what he looked like. These tests may also reveal whether he was murdered - as has been speculated - and at precisely what age he died.

And is there actually some element of truth to that legendary curse? A team of international scientists in Cairo begins a major investigation, using state of the art technology, to look at a whole host of possible factors from toxic mould and deadly spores to micro-organisms - that could lie at the root of the curse.

A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TELEVISION & FILM PRODUCTION. A CO-PRODUCTION WITH CHANNEL 4 (UK) AND FRANCE 5.

PRODUCERS: JOHN BREDAR & BRANDO QUILICI

VIOLENT PLANET - 1 X 52

The number of natural disasters seems to be increasing. By some estimates, known natural disasters such as the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean have more than doubled in the past 30 years. Floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves have injured, killed or rendered homeless more than a billion people in the past decade. Is the world spiraling out of control? If so, is there anything we can do about it? Or does the increase merely reflect the fact that today we have better, more comprehensive data than we've had in past decades?

In this terrifying and sobering new programme we'll look at how disasters are causing major damage throughout the world. We'll visit cities scientists have deemed the world's most vulnerable, where major disasters are said to be not a matter of "if" but "when." And we'll talk to scientists who are trying not only to predict disasters, but to stop them as well by actually altering climate and topography.

A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TELEVISION & FILM PRODUCTION
PRODUCER: JEFF SWIMMER

THE MONKEY HUNTERS - 1 X 52

Lions rarely hunt baboons. These large monkeys are armed with dangerous teeth, they are hard to catch and usually not worth the risk or effort. But there is one place in Africa's Great Rift Valley where baboons are plentiful and lions have learned to catch them.

Baboons are vulnerable at night so they sleep well out of the reach of hungry cats. Some clamber up tall trees, others climb a huge rock kopje. The sides are sheer, the ascent is tough but clinging to tiny toe-holds the monkeys somehow make it to the top. No lion or leopard can scale such heights. By late afternoon, the baboons head for their sleeping areas. The coast looks clear but the local lions have learned where to hide and ambush these wily monkeys...

A NATURE CONSERVATION FILM FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TELEVISION & FILM AND NCRV

PRODUCERS: EVERT VAN DEN BOS & CAROLINE BRETT

EMPERORS OF THE ICE - 1 X 52

In the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, where oceans ice over and just staying alive is an achievement, one creature has perfected the art of survival - the emperor penguin.

Parts of Antarctica are warming, giving birth to huge icebergs - some the size of a small country - and the consequences could be catastrophic for this majestic animal. Emperors of the Ice follows two veteran researchers who return to the coldest place on the planet to see for themselves if the emperors can weather the storm. Employing the Crittercam technology, our researchers follow the penguins and their world from their perspective. They watch them search for food, rear their young and dodge predatory leopard seals. This and the gathering of environmental data helps the researchers understand these amazing animals and take a view on their future as the balance of life in the Antarctic continues to change.

A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FILM & TELEVISION PRODUCTION

PRODUCER: BIRGIT BUHLEIER & PAUL SPILLENGER