Emmy winning indie, Bigger Bang is to bring back the iconic history series Connections, with broadcaster and science historian James Burke for Curiosity Stream.
The series first aired in 1978 with James Burke taking an “entirely new, ‘connective’ look at history, to reflect the nature of the world at that time.”
James Burke says: “Increasingly today, change happens too fast for most of us to handle. Connections shows how this happens: because when things come together in new ways, 1+1=3. The connective approach offers a way to second-guess that process. And predict the future.”
In the new series (6×60’), James links a start-point in the past with the future, taking us on a journey of discovery through the interlocking threads of knowledge running through history, using state-of-the-art CGI and virtual reality to unlock the power of his extraordinary imagination. These steps – or connections – show how seemingly unrelated ideas bounce off one another, building a pathway through time that leads to a major, technologically-related issue that will profoundly change what lies ahead. Each programme reveals an aspect of our future we urgently need to be thinking about now.
Iain Riddick, Co-founder, Bigger Bang, says: “The original Connections was perhaps the most influential documentary series of its era, greatly inspiring my desire to become a filmmaker. James is a hero of mine, so collaborating with him to bring Connections back to the screen has been an incredible thrill. Today, Connections feels more relevant than ever as we stand at a major inflection point, with technology on the verge of transforming our lives profoundly. This time round James wanted his Connections to explore not only how we arrived at today, but also how we can shape the future we desire.”
Riddick adds: “At Bigger Bang, our aspiration is always to go big and bold. So when considering how to revive such a legendary broadcaster and extraordinary series, we knew we had to tell each of the six mind-blowing stories in a unique way. The virtual world we named ‘MindSpace,’ helps James to conjure up any crucial moment or significant idea from history. I’m thrilled by what we’ve created with James and look forward to sharing it with audiences worldwide. His foresight remains legendary.”
“The stakes we’re facing are high – AI, limitless energy, genetically-engineered superhumans – and there is no better guide through this universe of connected people and ideas than the iconic science historian James Burke,” said Rob Burk, Head of Content for Curiosity. “We are thrilled to be working, once again, with our colleagues at Bigger Bang to bring back this groundbreaking series and reimagine it for a modern age.”
Connections (6 x 60 mins) is Executive Produced by Iain Riddick for Bigger Bang and was commissioned by Rob Burk, Head of Content at Curiosity. John Cavanagh is the executive producer for Curiosity.
Jon Creamer
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