Over the years Sky has picked off a number of brands associated with the terrestrial broadcasters, but the most defining has to be its work with Sir David Attenborough, which has now resulted in a fourth 3D collaboration.
Following the BAFTA award winning Flying Monsters 3D and Bachelor King 3D, to be screened on New Year’s Eve, Sir David is working on a three-part natural history series which tells the story of the remote Galapagos islands. A third programme, Kingdom of Plants, will air during 2012.
Galapagos 3D, which is scheduled to air on Sky 3D in late 2012, will be written and presented by Sir David and is the first film to be produced by Colossus Productions – the production company formed by Sky and Atlantic Productions this summer.
“Galapagos is one of the most wonderful places in the world. There are extraordinary creatures living there that live nowhere else – a whole slew of marvellous animals,” commented Sir David.
“But one of the things that make them even more extraordinary is that because the islands were not discovered by human beings until relatively recently, and they had remained isolated for so long, the animals still haven’t become frightened of human beings. You can walk among them carrying your own snap shot cameras or even carrying a 3D rig and they won’t go away. They continue behaving in just the way that they would do naturally. Galapagos is full of drama, full of charismatic creatures which you can film; it is a natural for 3D.”
Since its launch in October 2010, Sky 3D has broadcast a variety of genres in the format, including a number of music festivals, ballet, Kylie Minogue live from the O2, Got to Dance, the 3D TV world premieres of Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and the Toy Story Trilogy as well as more than 150 live sports broadcast spanning a range of domestic and international sports.
The breadth of content is however something that is emerging across Sky’s entertainment channels as part of a £600 million programming commitment. Sky One has added original British comedy, while Sky Atlantic, originally conceived as the home for the HBO output deal, is emerging as a Channel 4-style channel.
