London UK, XXX - National Geographic Channel UK and Channel 4 have commissioned Pioneer Productions to produce a new series that shows the extraordinary and fiery birth of Britain.

Hosted by Britain’s foremost face of popular history, well-known comedy icon and award winning author, the 3 x 60 series, Birth of Britain with Tony Robinson will get its UK premiere on National Geographic Channel on Monday 1st September at 9pm.

Tony Robinson hosts the epic story of this country’s birth from molten rock, volcanic explosions, ice and seismic upheaval. He travels Britain’s spectacular primal landscapes to investigate just how the land came to be the place we live today.

The series will subsequently air internationally on National Geographic Channels from November and on Channel 4 later this year.

Venturing into the country’s tumultuous and ancient past, Birth of Britain with Tony Robinson reveals how our islands were forged during periods of extreme fire and ice, and how this explosive past is connected to the rocks beneath our feet.

The series covers megavolcanoes that rained down firebombs and pumped out massive clouds of burning gas, the numerous ice ages that left the land uninhabitable and locked under ice sheets over a mile deep, and also follows the British gold gush, revealing that Wales produces some of the purest gold known on Earth.

On his journey, Tony reveals the Grampian Mountains were once taller than Everest, Devon was once a burning hot desert, and lions and rhinos roamed the banks of the Thames. He also discovers the origins of our very own bling – and visits Britain’s only working gold mine in Northern Ireland before panning for the nuggets in Scotland.

Simon Bohrsmann, General Manager National Geographic Channel UK who commissioned the series comments, "We're delighted to be working with Tony Robinson and Pioneer Productions on this new series. Tony is a brilliant enthusiast for the past and he knows how to get the best stories. This is so much more than a history series.”

Tony adds, "I’m proud to have collaborated with National Geographic Channel and Pioneer Productions on this series.  Not only has it been fun and awe-inspiring but it has also taught me how much evidence of our island’s very ancient past still lies within our landscape."

Stuart Carter, Pioneer Productions Managing Director, said: "This series will be the definitive story of the creation of Britain. Tony Robinson is the perfect person to engage the audience with his passion together with some astonishing and little known facts about our fascinating country."

Birth of Britain with Tony Robinson is produced by Pioneer Productions with Stuart Carter as Executive Producer and William Hicklin is Series Producer.

“The Rockies celebrate outstanding television programming, and in this case exceptional non-fiction programming,” said Georges Leclere, executive producer of the Banff World Television Awards.

Chosen from 900 entries from more than 43 countries, the Banff World Television Awards, also known as the Rockies, is one of the world’s most prestigious events acknowledging outstanding work by international TV creators responsible for the continuing evolution and originality in the industry.

"We're delighted that this series has been recognized at Banff" said Jeremy Dear, Pioneer's Head of Development. "The story of how our planet was made - and how those geological events continue to shape our present - is a fascinating one that really works for audiences worldwide. The series has recently finished its second run for History Channel and to win such a prestigious award is great for the team."

For further information please contact Louise Plank on 0208 995 3936 or lou@plankpr.com

The co-production, High – How Drugs Work (working title) is a three-part series that will reveal the chemical impact on the body of the most frequently used drugs – cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy.

The three hour-long films will use state-of-the-art visual effects and CGI to take the viewer on a trip through the human body, following each of these popular drugs through arteries, organs and muscles. The use of recreational drugs is widespread and growing, this series is an honest and non judgmental look at drugs and the impact they have on the human body.

The series will feature a variety of interviews with young people from those who enjoy using the drugs to those who have been addicted to these drugs offering first-hand accounts from the casualties of long-term substance abuse. Some of Britain and America’s top toxicologists and doctors will also explain the surprising bio-chemical effects of these popular drugs – as well as their unintended consequences, from nasal collapse due to cocaine abuse, through to schizophrenia believed to be triggered by smoking super-strains of cannabis. The films will also explore the origins and role of drugs in popular culture.

Pioneer Productions has won many awards for their ‘in-body’ visual effects – recent hits include Channel 4’s and National Geographic Channel’s Emmy award-winning Inside The Living Body and Animals In The Womb.

Alex Williamson, Pioneer Development Executive, says: “Drug use is fairly endemic at all levels of society but very few users actually understand the biological processes at work when they smoke a joint or pop a pill. This series uses visual effects to explain the science behind the shock headlines and to show how drugs work – it’s a fascinating and necessary new take on an urgent social issue.”

Note to Editors

National Geographic Channel
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington D.C. the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and the Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD, which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation’s major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available in more than 70 million homes. For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com

BBC Three High – How Drugs Work (working title) will form part of a Dangerous Pleasures season on BBC Three, a popular returning season next year exploring the darker sides of what some people will do for fun. The last Dangerous Pleasures season featured five documentaries, including Nicola Roberts – The Truth About Tanning.

BBC Three has a unique role to play in public service television. It is the only youth-focused channel with a regular commitment to News, Current Affairs and serious Documentaries. We are the only channel tackling politics for the young through our General Election coverage, and documentary subjects for 2010 on the Channel include the war in Afghanistan, child trafficking, autism, the use of rape as a weapon of war in the Congo, bullying, globalisation, and the life of Nelson Mandela.

No other youth-focused British channel makes programmes like these on a consistent basis. And with the channel growing 48% in the last three years we know that young people appreciate the ways in which we approach these subjects, and find them thought-provoking and stimulating.

On average 29 million people watch the channel each month and BBC Three now reaches more young people in its broadcast hours than any other digital channel.

For further information please contact:

Louise Plank on behalf of Pioneer Productions on 020 8995 3936 or lou@plankpr.com

The Premier Television award went to episode one of the series which was made for Channel 4, Creation with presenter Howard Jacobson. The judges particularly admired the openness of its Jewish born presenter when confronting his own loss of faith.

Executive Producer, Jeremy Dear, said: “It’s very gratifying to win this award in what was a very strong year for this genre. I think this film, and the series as a whole, showed that religious programmes can be exciting and contemporary in feel, whilst not neglecting the traditions from which they spring.

“Personal engagement and passion for the subjects was very much the hallmark of these films – they were ‘essays’ in the true sense of the word, trials in which the ethics and ideas of thousands of years ago were examined in the light of modern morality and intellectual progress.”

The episode was broadcast on Channel 4 on 24 January 2010 (Pioneer Productions). Producer/director was Richard Sanders; Series Producer, Leonie Jameson and Executive Producer: Jeremy Dear.

Creation was part of a series exploring the origins, ideas and influence of seven sections of the Scriptures, tracing how they came into existence and how they have shaped the world we live in today. Each film was written and presented by a prominent figure with a particular interest or experience relevant to the part of the Bible being examined.

For further information please contact Louise Plank on 0208 995 3936 or lou@plankpr.com

The acquisition will mean that Pioneer will join Tinopolis' current portfolio of production companies, which includes other acclaimed UK production companies such as Mentorn Media, Folio, Daybreak Pictures, Fiction Factory, POP 1 and Sunset + Vine - a leading supplier of sports programming to broadcasters around the world.

The deal will mean that Pioneer, already a strong and successful indie in its own right, will now become part of Tinopolis' community of diverse production companies. Being a member of this community will allow Pioneer to build on its success, giving it the opportunity to grow and expand in the future.

Pioneer will retain its name and will continue to deliver on its core business. Stuart Carter will remain as MD, and the management of Pioneer will continue to run the company, with Jeremy Dear as Head of Development, Kirstie McLure as Head of Production, and Peter Dunkerley as Head of Finance.

Stuart Carter, MD, Pioneer Productions added: "This is an exciting opportunity for us, at the right time in the growth of our company, and we are looking forward to being part of the Tinopolis family. This deal proves that the TV sector - especially the UK market - is a vibrant one; large groups, encompassing a variety of indies, continue to prove themselves as a strong and successful business model."

• In The Womb: Extreme Animals won Special Jury Award (Nature & Environment)
• Journey To The Edge Of The Universe won Most Innovative (Nature & Environment) Award

The Unsinkable Titanic was also a winner in this year's Film and Documentary Maritime Media Awards’.

Pioneer is thrilled to announce a double win at the Emmy’s this year! Hard work certainly
paid off for How the Earth was Made – which tells the epic 4.5 billion year story of our planet – and came away with an ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award for editing. In addition,
the groundbreaking Inside the Living Body, which combines state of the art CG, special effects photography and the latest medical imagery scooped an award for Art Direction and Computer Graphics.

A TV documentary about Climate Change: Global Warming. As the first person to suggest that the Planet’s climate is regulated by life – his acclaimed Gaia theory – there is no one better placed to comment on what has finally come to be widely accepted: that this mechanism established for eons is now being corrupted by the activity of man.

With a contemporary insight and eloquence that belies his 88 years, he answers some of the trickiest questions regarding global warming, such as have we reached the tipping point? And not shying from controversy, or the angst of the old-school Green lobby, he deftly dismisses alternative energy and throws his weight behind nuclear.

Discover his reasoning, his fears and his hopes for mankind’s ingenuity in this FirstScience.tv exclusive.