New on
National Geographic in July, 2008:
NEW SHOWS
Long Way Down
Premiere date: Sunday, 20 July 2008 at 21h00
Two hour-long episodes back to back.
The sequel to 2004's Long Way Round.
Award-winning actor Ewan McGregor and best friend Charley Boorman are hitting the road on their motorcycles again, travelling from the most northern part of Scotland to the very bottom of Africa in this new 10-part series.
Traversing more than 24,000 kilometres of tough terrain, the intrepid travellers are on the adventure of a lifetime as they negotiate their way through countries including Libya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda and Malawi.
Ewan and Charley push themselves to the limit, both physically and mentally. Biking through a Libyan sandstorm, travelling with armed guards in Egypt, flying over the plains of Kenya, hiking in the Ugandan mountains and riding along the South African coastline, the boys experience Africa up close.
While the landscape is undoubtedly breathtaking, the trip is riddled with potholes - on and off the road. Through video diaries and helmet cameras, ride alongside Ewan and Charley and experience the journey through their eyes.
SPECIALS
Titanic: The Final Secret
On: Monday, 21 July 2008 at 21h00
Renowned oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard stunned the world in 1985 when he discovered the wreck of the famed Titanic but the story we thought we knew is just the tip of the iceberg, Ballard was acting as a secret agent on a classified intelligence operation for the US Navy.
His mission: to investigate two Cold War tragedies from the 1960s, the loss of the US nuclear submarines, Thresher and Scorpion. As a cover story to ward off Soviet suspicions, the Navy allowed Ballard to search for Titanic, if there was time left after his mission.
The Final Secret covers the clandestine operation that brought one of the greatest ever nautical mysteries to the surface.
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Shipwreck Graveyard
On: Monday, 21 July 2008 at 22h00
At the bottom of the Black Sea, an archaeological treasure trove has been discovered. During an expedition in 2000, renowned marine geologist Robert Ballard and his team of specialists came across a 1,500-year-old Byzantine ship.
Owing to the lack of oxygen and presence of hydrogen sulfide in the sea's depths, which keeps organic material from rotting and being devoured by other organisms, the wreck was in near pristine condition. Without the time and necessary tools, the team was unable to investigate further.
Ghosts Of The Black Sea joins them seven years later when they return to the site with the very latest in underwater exploration technology to help excavate the ancient trade ship.
Ballard and his team are using state-of-the-art remotely operated underwater vehicles to get to a depth of 300 metres to try and free the 18-metre long wreck from the silt and reveal the secrets within.
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Silence Of The Bees
On: Thursday, 31 July 2008 at 22h00
If the honey bee wasn’t around to pollinate the planet’s flowers, we would have few fruits and vegetables and many of our most important crops would disappear.
But disappear is exactly what the world’s bees are doing.
In the US alone, one-third of the honey bee population has vanished, seemingly into thin air. Bees are in crisis and scientists, beekeepers and farmers alike now face a race against time to figure out what to do about it.
Featuring close-up footage of these amazing insects at work, this documentary attempts to get to the bottom of what is happening to the world’s bees.
This documentary was previously broadcast on Nat Geo Wild in April, 2008.
TVSA's Silence Of The Bees Minisite.
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