Walking With Beasts

Walking With Beasts is a captivating six-part docudrama series that aired on the BBC in 2001. Directed by Nigel Paterson and Jasper James, the show filled a significant gap in the popular portrayal of the Earth's history by exploring the world after dinosaurs, from 49 million to 1.2 million years ago. It combined cutting-edge technology and breakthroughs in palaeontology, creating an enthralling exploration of past life forms in high-end computer-generated visualizations and animatronics.

The series sequel the acclaimed Walk With Dinosaurs, and it's also known as Walking With Prehistoric Beasts in North American releases. In a similar vein to its predecessor, each episode of Walking With Beasts takes the viewer on a prehistoric journey, recreating habitats that no longer exist and bringing extinct species back to life. The creators uniquely and effectively used modern-day locations to mirror the ancient habitats of these beings, both of which offered spellbinding authenticity to the lives of these creatures.

The series is narrated by Kenneth Branagh, whose engaging and richly textured narration adds to the series' appeal, immersing viewers into the world of prehistoric beasts. The storyline is based on actual scientific data and research known at the time of production, making it not only interesting but also educational. The series speaks to a wide audience, making it an attractive watch for both children and adults alike.

Walking With Beasts provides the viewers with a profound sense of time travel, bringing the Cenozoic era, often known as the age of mammals, to the screen. The series places a special focus on mammals who, after the demise of the dinosaurs, developed and adapted into a stupendous variety of shapes and sizes and eventually dominated the Earth.

Each episode showcases different epochs and species, exploring a vast time scale – from the early Eocene's lush subtropical forests home to the primordial primate Leptictidium to the Pleistocene's icy tundras which saw the reign of the enormous woolly mammoth. The creatures are portrayed in their habitats, interacting with each other, hunting and feeding, raising their young, and struggling for survival.

Many of the animal behaviors and scenarios portrayed in the show are based on fossils and correlated with the behavior of modern analogues. The series often showcases the struggles and constant fight for survival these vastly diverse creatures faced, employing exciting narrative tools to add drama while still respecting the integrity of the historical and scientific material.

Beauty lies in the details, and this series does not disappoint. From developing imagined behaviors for these creatures to integrating accurate environmental sounds, the creators of the series have given meticulous attention to detail, giving the series a realism that enthuses and engrosses.

Riding on the success of Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking With Beasts managed to meet the high expectations that were set. It not only continued this ambitious style of documentary-making but also pushed boundaries even further, providing audiences with deeper insight and perspective into Earth's distant past. Despite using CGI and animatronic effects, the feats of storytelling and immersive reenactments are where this series truly shines.

Walking With Beasts presents a lively combination of traditional nature documentary, computer-generated recreations, and good old-fashioned storytelling to bring the viewer piercingly close to the reality of life during our planet's forgotten past. It's an artistic endeavor that reflects devotion and commitment to bringing the past alive with profound authenticity.

Apart from being an entertainment series, Walking With Beasts also holds significant educational value. Each episode is supplemented with a 'Making of' half-hour documentary, presenting the detailed research and complex work behind the stunning visuals on screen.

In conclusion, Walking With Beasts remains a notable entry in BBC's catalogue of nature documentaries. It's a series that combines education with entertainment, representing the fruits of extensive research, painstaking artistry, and innovative storytelling techniques. From tiny insects to gigantic mammals, from the familiar to the bizarre, the series provides a mesmerizing and compelling look into the Earth's post-dinosaur history. Add in the award-winning team of experts who meticulously crafted these extinct life forms, and you have a series that will continue to captivate audiences for many years to come.