How a 1999 BBC series changed our view of the Mesozoic era forever
In short: Before 1999, dinosaurs were often depicted as lumbering movie monsters. Walking with Dinosaurs shifted the paradigm, treating extinct creatures like subjects in a traditional nature documentary. By blending cutting-edge computer graphics with rigorous scientific consultation, the series became a global phenomenon and the most costly documentary production of its time.
Conceived by producer Tim Haines in 1996, the series aimed to provide a window into a lost world. The production team, including Susan Spindler and Jasper James, spent 18 months crafting narratives based on extensive research. They consulted over a hundred experts, including palaeontologists like David Martill and Kent Stevens, to ensure the animals' movements and behaviours reflected current scientific understanding.
The visual spectacle was achieved through a collaboration with the graphics company Framestore. Because traditional filming could not capture extinct life, the team used clay maquettes scanned into computers to create 40 distinct species. To maintain realism, they filmed in locations resembling prehistoric environments, such as the redwood forests of California and the Labyrinth in Tasmania, while meticulously avoiding any shots of grass, which was believed to be absent during the Mesozoic.
The project was a high-risk financial venture, costing £6.1 million—or roughly £37,654 per minute—making it the priciest documentary series per minute ever produced at the time. Despite initial skepticism, it drew 15 million viewers for its premiere. While some critics noted that the narration occasionally blurred the line between established fact and creative speculation, the series was widely lauded for its ambition and its role in establishing a new genre of prehistoric natural history.
Its influence remains profound, spawning a franchise that included Walking with Beasts and Walking with Monsters. The series' success proved that audiences were hungry for scientifically grounded portrayals of ancient life. By 2009, an estimated 700 million people worldwide had watched the series, cementing its status as a landmark achievement in science communication and television production.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Walking with Dinosaurs
- Also: Wikidata — Walking with Dinosaurs · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Walking with Dinosaurs · CC0
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