Stephen Fry Fronting Dinosaur Series for Channel 5

Channel 5 is set to launch Dinosaur—with Stephen Fry, a four-part factual series led by the actor, writer and dinosaur enthusiast.

The docuseries will chronologically tell the story of 165 million years on Earth—from the dawn of the dinosaurs to their extinction. It will immerse audiences in the dinosaur world, constructed with help from CGI experts and scientists from the Natural History Museum.

Dinosaur—with Stephen Fry is to be produced by Mentorn Media and co-produced by Krempelwood. It will be distributed by Passion Distribution.

Working with specialist Manchester-based production studio Dock10, the series will be anchored in a specially created space that allows the freedom to roam around an accurate representation of a prehistoric environment. Based on the latest research, Dock10 has designed accurate dinosaur species to populate the dinosaur world. Each creature is brought to life by behind-the-scenes animators to move, walk, hunt and roar. The graphics run on Unreal Engine technology. It is all brought to life in real-time while Fry is in the studio, so he can see and interact with the dinosaurs.

In Dinosaur, Fry will entertainingly inform audiences about each creature and will take viewers on a journey through different prehistoric eras. Experts will also step into the photorealistic environment, tracking down dinosaurs across the landscape to reveal the secrets of the prehistoric world.

Fry said: “Dinosaurs have always been a passion of mine, so I jumped at the opportunity to lend my excitement and curiosity to immerse audiences back in time 250 million years. The attention to detail and technology in this series allows us to really delve deep into some exciting new scientific discoveries about these majestic creatures. It is exciting to be working with Mentorn and Dock10 to bring this world to life, and Channel 5 for the very first time, as their factual landmarks are known for cutting through and resonating with new audiences across the U.K.”

Guy Davies, commissioning editor of factual for Channel 5 and P+, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Stephen on such a groundbreaking series. Dinosaur offers everything audiences have always wanted to know in one entertaining and information-packed TV event. It will be specialist-factual content, but with an accessible and entertaining twist, using cutting-edge technology to really immerse the viewers in the magical and awe-inspiring world of the dinosaurs.”

Tayte Simpson, executive producer at Mentorn Media, said: “Using the virtual technology like this has been really exciting, working with Doc10 to push it in ways that it’s not been used before. We’re delighted to be producing this series for Channel 5 and working with Stephen Fry, the perfect host to help provide an entertaining take on specialist factual.”