Latest news with #HelenThomas
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Stunning Scottish isle used as setting for BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs
The isle stands in for prehistoric Alberta in Walking With Dinosaurs, home to deadly predators from 71 million years ago. Scotland's Isle of Skye, best known for its dramatic cliffs, medieval castles and fishing villages, has taken on a more ferocious role, as the ancient hunting ground of a pack of deadly predators from 71 million years ago. The rugged Hebridean landscape stands in for prehistoric Alberta, Canada in an episode of BBC One's recent hit series Walking With Dinosaurs . In episode four, titled The Pack, viewers met Rose, a young Albertosaurus brought to life using cutting-edge CGI, forensic science and some surprisingly low-tech tools. Albertosaurus, a distant and faster relative of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex, is believed to have hunted in packs, making it one of the most formidable carnivores of the late Cretaceous period, Express reports. Palaeontologists uncovered Rose's fossilised remains in Drumheller, Alberta, and CT scanning was used to digitally reconstruct her brain and build a scientifically accurate model. But not all the production magic happened in high-tech labs. Behind the scenes, Skye stood in as the dramatic backdrop for Rose's on-screen adventures, offering terrain strikingly similar to that of ancient Alberta. 'There's a 'making-of' chapter in the book and what may be of interest is a lot of the background in what is shown as Alberta, Canada, was actually filmed on the Isle of Skye,' said Helen Thomas, senior executive producer of the series and co-author of the official companion book. Filming prehistoric giants amid Scotland's raw and windswept scenery came with its own challenges, not least the unusual sight of crew members wielding tennis balls and broomsticks to help visualise the dinosaurs. 'You take blue cut-outs of the heads of these creatures, which are quite large, and then a member of the production team will have a tennis ball or something representing the other end,' Helen explained. She added: 'You have people dressed all in blue and you've got them holding blue heads, and then you get somebody else with a broom pole with a blue tennis ball on top, that's there for the tip of the tail. "And the director of photography and the cameraman have to imagine what's in between and how that's moving.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. This inventive mix of imagination and science is at the heart of the BBC's ground-breaking series. Every detail is crafted to bring viewers as close as possible to the prehistoric world, while remaining rooted in scientific evidence. 'They have to have the most amazing imaginations and we have to make sure it's scientifically accurate,' said Helen. In the third episode, Band of Brothers, audiences met George, a heavily armoured juvenile Gastonia, who forms a herd with fellow youngsters in a bid to survive the looming threat of Utahraptor attacks. The companion book, Walking With Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secret Stories of Prehistoric Life by Andrew Cohen, Helen Thomas and Kirsty Wilson (DK, £25), is available now.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Chelmsford revealed as BBC Radio 2 in the Park 2025 location
BBC Radio 2 has announced this year's location for its flagship live music festival will be Chelmsford in 2 in the Park will take place in Hylands Park, just outside the city, from 5 to 7 September. The announcement was made on The Scott Mills Breakfast Show with the artist line-up to be revealed on the same show on Tuesday. Tickets go on sale on Thomas, head of Radio 2, said it was to be the "biggest part of the year" while leader of Chelmsford City Council, Stephen Robinson, added it was a "fantastic opportunity" for the city. The announcement came as Mills was speaking to fellow Radio 2 presenter and comedian, Ellie Taylor, who hails from was live on air at Hylands House within the park alongside Rylan Clark, also from Essex, to reveal the location. "We've been busy booking some of the world's most loved artists to perform to thousands of revellers in Hylands Park, as well as to millions of listeners and viewers at home or on the move," Ms Thomas said. "We can't wait to bring our family of Radio 2 presenters to Essex."Robinson added that Hylands House was "no stranger to music festivals", having previously hosted V Festival, Creamfields South and Country Calling."BBC Radio 2 in the Park is a fantastic opportunity for Chelmsford – one that will lift our local economy and boost the city's position as a top events destination," he said."We're looking forward to welcoming world-famous music acts and thousands of Radio 2 fans from across the UK to our brilliant city this summer, for this unrivalled three-day celebration of music."In recent years the festival has been held in Preston in Lancashire and in Leicester. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Walking with Dinosaurs BBC: what time is it on TV today?
Walking with Dinosaurs is returning to the BBC this evening 🐱🐉 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Walking with Dinosaurs is stomping back onto our screens. The iconic series is returning for a brand new series. But what time will it be on TV? After two decades the iconic Walking with Dinosaurs will be stomping onto our screens again. The stunning documentary first wowed audiences back in 1999 by bringing the prehistoric world to life. Across the six episodes audiences will meet a range of spectacular dinosaur species in an array of prehistoric landscapes in this reimaging of the legendary series. The BBC adds: 'Thanks to cutting-edge science, experts can reveal how these prehistoric creatures lived, hunted, fought and died more accurately than ever before.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But what time will it be on and what can you expect? Here's all you need to know: How to watch Walking with Dinosaurs? The six-part series is set to be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer. It will air weekly on the Beeb's main channel on Sunday evenings from today (May 25). Clover, a triceratops, in Walking with Dinosaurs | BBC/PBS/ZDF/France Télévisions What time is Walking with Dinosaurs on TV? Dinosaur lovers will want to make sure they know exactly what time the show starts. It is set to begin at 6.25pm today and the episode is due to run for 50 minutes - finishing at approximately 7.15pm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If you can't watch it live, it will be available on catch up via BBC iPlayer. What to expect from Walking with Dinosaurs today? The first episode will introduce audiences to Clover, an orphaned baby Triceratops, in Laramidia, a lush, subtropical landscape 66 million years ago. Helen Thomas, Executive Producer, said: 'The story of Clover is so fascinating because, like the whole series, it is based on the real finds from a unique dig site. In the case of Clover, finding the bones of a very young Triceratops is rare in itself as so many ended up as lunch for the many predators roaming north America in the late Cretaceous. 'But Clover's story was something even more special - close to her dig site the team found remains of the most infamous predator of them all – T. rex. Unearthing the bones of predator and prey so close together enabled us to reveal the latest science of these iconic species and tell their extraordinary stories.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The following week will focus on a Spinosaurus called Sobek. But more on that next week! Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
Scotsman
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Walking with Dinosaurs BBC: what time is it on TV today?
Walking with Dinosaurs is returning to the BBC this evening 🐱🐉 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Walking with Dinosaurs is stomping back onto our screens. The iconic series is returning for a brand new series. But what time will it be on TV? After two decades the iconic Walking with Dinosaurs will be stomping onto our screens again. The stunning documentary first wowed audiences back in 1999 by bringing the prehistoric world to life. Across the six episodes audiences will meet a range of spectacular dinosaur species in an array of prehistoric landscapes in this reimaging of the legendary series. The BBC adds: 'Thanks to cutting-edge science, experts can reveal how these prehistoric creatures lived, hunted, fought and died more accurately than ever before.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But what time will it be on and what can you expect? Here's all you need to know: How to watch Walking with Dinosaurs? The six-part series is set to be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer. It will air weekly on the Beeb's main channel on Sunday evenings from today (May 25). Clover, a triceratops, in Walking with Dinosaurs | BBC/PBS/ZDF/France Télévisions What time is Walking with Dinosaurs on TV? Dinosaur lovers will want to make sure they know exactly what time the show starts. It is set to begin at 6.25pm today and the episode is due to run for 50 minutes - finishing at approximately 7.15pm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If you can't watch it live, it will be available on catch up via BBC iPlayer. What to expect from Walking with Dinosaurs today? The first episode will introduce audiences to Clover, an orphaned baby Triceratops, in Laramidia, a lush, subtropical landscape 66 million years ago. Helen Thomas, Executive Producer, said: 'The story of Clover is so fascinating because, like the whole series, it is based on the real finds from a unique dig site. In the case of Clover, finding the bones of a very young Triceratops is rare in itself as so many ended up as lunch for the many predators roaming north America in the late Cretaceous. 'But Clover's story was something even more special - close to her dig site the team found remains of the most infamous predator of them all – T. rex. Unearthing the bones of predator and prey so close together enabled us to reveal the latest science of these iconic species and tell their extraordinary stories.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The following week will focus on a Spinosaurus called Sobek. But more on that next week!
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC drops first look at Walking With Dinosaurs as the legendary TV show returns after 25 years off screens
It was 25 years ago that the terrifying T-Rex, the spiny Stegosaurus and the dizzyingly-tall Diplodocus were brought to life on our TV screens. Walking With Dinosaurs used cutting-edge technology to bring the prehistoric world right into living rooms across the UK. Now, the BBC is reimagining the brand once again through a new six-part series. The first episode showcases Clover, a three-year-old orphaned Triceratops who lived 66 million years ago. Alone and vulnerable without a herd for protection, she's stalked by the fearsome T-Rex. The episode flips between her fight for survival and palaeontologists painstakingly uncovering her fossils. She was found in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, not far from the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex. An adult Triceratops would have reached eight tonnes and nearly nine metres in length, and was the largest and most iconic of the horned dinosaurs. With two one-metre-long horns over its eyes, and a giant frill behind its head, it would have been an imposing sight. But youngsters like Clover would have been nothing more than a snack for larger predators. The episode – due to be broadcast on Sunday - showcases her day-to-day life as she looks for her herd and tries to survive. Helen Thomas, Executive Producer, said: 'The story of Clover is so fascinating because, like the whole series, it is based on the real finds from a unique dig site. 'In the case of Clover, finding the bones of a very young Triceratops is rare in itself as so many ended up as lunch for the many predators roaming north America in the late Cretaceous. 'But Clover's story was something even more special - close to her dig site the team found remains of the most infamous predator of them all – T-Rex. 'Unearthing the bones of predator and prey so close together enabled us to reveal the latest science of these iconic species and tell their extraordinary stories.' While the original Walking With Dinosaurs series – first broadcast in 1999 – focused purely on the prehistoric world, this time producers decided to include footage from real dinosaur digs. 'This allowed us to tell the most amazing dinosaur stories, but also viewers will literally be able to see the scientific evidence these narratives were based on emerging from the dust for themselves,' showrunner Kirsty Wilson said. One stand-out moment from the first episode involves the palaeontology team analysing an enormous piece of dinosaur excrement. Team leader Eric Lund and fossil restorer Aubrey Knowles, from The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in eastern Montana, measure the prehistoric excrement – protected in plaster – and look at its composition. 'The team has tracked down a remarkable fossil with a chilling tale to tell,' narrator Bertie Carvel says. 'It may look like a non-descript bit of rock but the shape and texture tell the experts this is a coprolite – fossilised faeces. The pair work together to examine the prehistoric poo, declaring it measures 26.5 inches. 'Most coprolites can't be attributed to any specific species and bone fragments within the dino dung reveal this was the waste product of a meat eater. 'Then, there's the matter of size.' Lund gets his tape measure out again and determines it is 6.2 inches across. 'The only large carnivorous dinosaur that could have possibly dropped this would be a T-Rex,' he says. 'So very, very cool.' The duo continue to analyse the fossilised poo to reveal small bones – from the predator's victims - still in the remains. The team behind the remake say advances in science and technology have been at the heart of the series. Other episodes will feature a Spinosaurus, a predator even bigger than a T-Rex, the 'spikiest dinosaur known' called Gastonia, and a Jurassic giant, the Lusotitan. The episode will air on Sunday 25th May at 6:25pm on BBC One and iPlayer. HOW THE DINOSAURS BECAME EXTINCT AROUND 66MILLION YEARS AGO Dinosaurs ruled the Earth around 66million years ago, but suddenly disappeared in what is known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction. It was believed for many years that the changing climate destroyed the food chain of the huge reptiles. However, in the 1980s paleontologists discovered a layer of iridium - an element that is rare on Earth but found in vast quantities in space. When this was dated, it coincided precisely with when the dinosaurs disappeared from the fossil record. A decade later, scientists uncovered the massive Chicxulub Crater at the tip of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, which dates to the period in question. Scientific consensus now says that these two factors are linked and they were both probably caused by an enormous asteroid crashing to Earth. With the projected size and impact velocity, the collision would have caused an enormous shock wave and is likely to have triggered seismic activity. The fallout would have created plumes of ash thought to have covered the whole planet, making it impossible for dinosaurs to survive. Other animals and plant species had a shorter time-span between generations which allowed them to survive. There are several other theories as to what caused the demise of the dinos. One early theory was that small mammals ate dinosaur eggs and another proposes that toxic angiosperms (flowering plants) killed them off.
