National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 261) has greenlit a more extensive series of its "Drain the Oceans" franchise, with a 10-episode Drain the Oceans series that will be produced for broadcast on the channel and shown in 172 countries later this year.
Drain the Oceans, a co-production between Mallinson Sadler Productions in the United Kingdom and Australia's Electric Pictures, will use underwater scanning technology to remove the water from the Earth's oceans in a special effects "draining" effect to show what lies beneath.
The hour long episodes of Drain the Oceans will combine scientific data with state-of-the-art reconstructions to examine shipwrecks, sunken cities, geology and technology on the floor of lakes, seas and oceans around the world.
The China Seas, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, the Nile, the Pacific Rim, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea will be among the sea beds explored throughout the series.
Putting water’s influence aside, Drain the Oceans aims to explain how vessels sank, how modern tech operates in challenging climates, what ancient geological formations can tell us about life on Earth, where Nazi secrets may reside and why the search for Atlantis is still on.
Drain the Oceans is an international commission from Hamish Mykura, executive vice president and head of international content for National Geographic, in London.
"We had several successful stand-alone Drain The Oceans specials that, one after the other, resonated with audiences all over the world, so we're very proud to be diving into a full-series commitment," says Hamish Mykura.
Crispin Sadler and Mark Fielder will executive produce for Mallinson Sadler with Phil Craig, Andrew Ogilvie and Andrea Quesnelle executive producing for Electric Pictures. Carolyn Payne is executive producer for National Geographic.
"I am thrilled to be joining Crispin Sadler, the team at Mallinson Sadler and National Geographic to produce this landmark series," says Andrew Ogilvie of Electric Pictures.
"By combining resources, we are able to harness the skills and experience of some of the most talented television professionals in both the United Kingdom and Australia to produce a very high-quality series that will delight audiences wherever it is shown."
"It is a truly global project that takes the 'draining' technique of using CGI to peel back the ocean, and other large bodies of water, to reveal what lies below and applies it on a much larger scale than has been seen before."
"I am thrilled to be joining Crispin Sadler, the team at Mallinson Sadler and National Geographic to produce this landmark series," says Andrew Ogilvie of Electric Pictures.
"By combining resources, we are able to harness the skills and experience of some of the most talented television professionals in both the United Kingdom and Australia to produce a very high-quality series that will delight audiences wherever it is shown."
"It is a truly global project that takes the 'draining' technique of using CGI to peel back the ocean, and other large bodies of water, to reveal what lies below and applies it on a much larger scale than has been seen before."
