Decoding Disaster: A Timewatch Guide

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Series looking at how the BBC has revealed and interpreted great moments in our history.

Series looking at how the BBC has revealed and interpreted monumental moments in our history. Using the BBC archive, the programmes examine changes in research covered in documentary television.

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A Timewatch Guide: Series 4: Episode 1: Decoding Disaster

Decoding Disaster

Episode 1

Episode 1: Decoding Disaster

Series 4

BBC Four - A Timewatch Guide, Series 4, Decoding DisasterSearch BBC

Danielle George looks at how disaster documentaries keep pace with scientific theories.

Professor Danielle George uses five decades of BBC archive to find out how well disaster documentaries keep pace with scientific theories that advance every day.

From earthquakes to tsunamis to volcanic eruptions, natural disasters are both terrifying and fascinating - providing endless fresh material for documentary makers. But how well do disaster documentaries keep pace with the scientific theories that advance every day?
 
To try and answer that question, Professor Danielle George is plunging into five decades of BBC archive. What she uncovers provides an extraordinary insight into one of the fastest moving branches of knowledge. From the legendary loss of Atlantis to the eruption that destroyed Pompeii, Danielle reveals how film-makers have changed their approach again and again in the light of new scientific theories.  
 
While we rarely associate Britain with major natural disaster, at the end of the programme Danielle brings us close to home, exploring programmes which suggest that 400 years ago Britain was hit by a tidal wave that killed hundreds of people, and that an even bigger tsunami could threaten us again.

A Timewatch Guide: Series 4

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