BBC, Bob Geldof Team to Create Map of Mankind

CANNES, April 17: At MIPTV today, the BBC, BBC
Worldwide and Bob Geldof announced plans for the Dictionary of Man, a
multiplatform initiative intended to record every human society on the planet.

The project will use every available medium to
create the largest ever living record of films, photographs, anthropological
histories, philosophies, theologies, economies, language, art, and documented
accounts from people of every society across the globe. It aims to serve as a
definitive record of mankind at the beginning of the 21st century.

The Dictionary of Man website will feature a digital
catalogue of all current human existence. The BBC will also produce an
eight-part series, entitled The Human Planet,
tapping into three of the broadcaster’s divisions: the Natural History Unit,
BBC Bristol Features and Documentaries and BBC Wales.

Announcing the Dictionary of Man project at MIPTV,
Geldof, who is working in partnership with award-winning producer/director John
Maguire, said, "This will be an A to Z of mankind which will catalogue the
world we live in now, the people who share this planet, the way we live and the
way we adapt to face common and different challenges. Mankind is the world's
most extraordinary animal. In an age of globalization and increasing
connection, we face the growing homogenization of cultures and the disappearance
of extraordinary and diverse mechanisms that man has invented in order to
survive in whichever environment he has found himself. Culture is a function of
survival."

The director of BBC Vision, Jana Bennett,
commented: “Coming from joint production teams with this pedigree, The Human
Planet promises to be spectacular television. It will
give us the chance to meet and understand the people who share our planet in a
way we’ve never seen them before. In joining forces with Bob Geldof, we have
one of the world’s foremost humanitarians as an ally as we create a legacy for
both current and future generations. More importantly, this is not just about
television, it’s about 360 degree media on a scale we’ve never seen before.
Public service—why the BBC exists.”