Discovery Commissions New Richard Hammond Series

Discovery has ordered Richard Hammond’s BIG!, a ten-part series that will see the award-winning host embark on a global adventure to explore the world’s biggest structures and machines.

Produced by Chimp Productions, the series will see Hammond (Top Gear, The Grand Tour, Brainiac: Science Abuse) go behind the scenes of the world’s engineering behemoths to learn how they are built, maintained and used. Each episode takes Hammond to a different location, where he will conduct a series of experiments to delve into the science behind the megastructures.

Locations for the show include the U.K., U.S., Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, and on the schedule for Hammond are visits to the world’s longest underground railway tunnel and a massive cargo ship, among others.

Discovery will commission, produce and distribute the series globally. Richard Hammond’s BIG! will air on Discovery Channel in the U.K., Netherlands and France; Science Channel in the U.S.; and channels including DMAX Italy, Spain and Germany across EMEA.

Fulvia Nicoli, executive VP and head of product at Discovery International, said, “At the heart of Discovery is high-quality storytelling told through the most passionate and knowledgeable voices. As a world-renowned talent that audiences across the globe love, we’re delighted to welcome Richard and his infectious brand of curiosity to the Discovery family.”

Simon Downing, senior VP and head of factual and sport at Discovery UK, said, “Richard is an iconic motoring talent whose passions span science, engineering and cars. In his first production with Discovery, fans can expect an informative, entertaining and original series of truly epic proportions.”

Hammond added, “I can’t wait to get out there and explore some truly huge examples of engineering genius in action. I love engineering and the science behind it. And the bigger the better. It’s going to be fact-filled and huge fun. It’s going to be big! This is a fantastic commission for Chimp, and I look forward to showing what we can bring to it.”