Discovery Show News

Vote for Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda to Win a Webby Award!

Jared Kaplan — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:26:57 -0400

Nik Wallenda's daring walk on a tight rope across the Grand Canyon not only drew more than 20 million viewers, but it's now picked up a prestigious Webby Award nomination in the "Online Film & Video - Live Webcast" category. Fans of Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda can vote until April 24 to select the "People's Choice" winner.

VOTE HERE: http://pv.webbyawards.com/2014/online-film-video/general-film-categories/events-live-webcasts

To complement the live broadcast, Discovery.com created a fully immersive and interactive web experience that featured multiple camera angles from the walk and a "Wired In" backstage show. Fans could also take a 360-degree tour of Nik Wallenda's view from the Grand Canyon and watch a series of videos showing his training.

Winners will be announced at the 18th Annual Webby Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian/actor Patton Oswalt, on April 29 in New York City.

The World Mourns the Passing of Nelson Mandela

Eileen Marable — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 10:30:31 -0500

Obituary by Alan Hamilton

Nelson Mandela, who died at age 95, was arguably the most influential political figure of this or any other era. From his rise to prominence as a member of the African National Congress (ANC) he became, for many, the archetypal freedom fighter, anti-apartheid campaigner and political prisoner; a rise that culminated in his election to President of South Africa 10^th May 1994.

Born Rolihlahla Mandela on 18^th of July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, he was the first member of his family to attend school. It was on his first day that he acquired the name ‘Nelson’ as it was colonial custom for teachers to give English, or ‘Christian’, names to each pupil.

The South Africa of Mandela’s youth was already a deeply segregated nation. And it was during his law training that the young Mandela came into contact with those already struggling in the cause of black self-determination and release from imperial rule. His involvement with the ANC was to define the rest of Mandela’s life.

The 1948 election saw the formal codification of segregation by the white-only government as they classified the population into three races and defined the rights of each. This legislation both introduced a new word to the world: apartheid, and saw the ANC and Mandela, feeling they had no choice in the face of such overwhelming state-sponsored discrimination, but introduce a defiance campaign .

Years of protest, resistance and incarceration followed; Mandela’s influence steadily growing within the ANC. This climaxed in Mandela’s arrest on 5^th August 1962, his trial for inciting workers’ strikes and his imprisonment for five years. However, it was while serving this sentence that new charges of sabotage and conspiracy to violently overthrow the government were formulated against Mandela and his co-accused. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The next twenty years of Mandela’s life were spent in the infamous Robben Island prison. From behind bars his activism was severely curtailed, but he was, as time went on, able to make contact with anti-apartheid campaigners around the world. In the subsequent eight years he was transferred first to Pollsmoor and then Victor Verster prisons, continuing his efforts to seek a workable solution to the apartheid situation with figures as diverse as South African Minister of Justice Kobie Coetsee and exiled ANC leader Oliver Tambo.

In 1989 the hardline South African president P.W. Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by F.W de Klerk. Against all expectations of the new conservative president he announced that he felt apartheid unsustainable and released all ANC prisoners, with one very notable exception: Mandela.

It was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 that de Klerk made the momentous decision to allow the legalisation of the ANC and the release of Mandela.

Millions around the world watched Mandela walk to freedom from Victor Verster prison hand in hand with wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

After 27 years of imprisonment rather than avenge himself against those who had kept him incarcerated he sought to change his country; firstly by working with the de Klerk government to end apartheid and usher in free multi-racial elections.

Mandela’s election to president followed, where he undertook a process of national reconciliation –exemplified by the sight of Mandela handing the rugby world cup trophy to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar, an Afrikaner, as South Africa beat New Zealand.

After only one term Mandela retired from frontline politics. He then went on to found the ‘Nelson Mandela Foundation’ to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. His tireless activism combatting the pandemic was remarkable as he was no longer a young man and the extreme prison conditions he had endured had taken a heavy toll on his health.

Finally, in 2004, he announced he was ‘retiring from retirement’ and spent the last few years of his life out of the public eye. Though he did, memorably, appear during the closing ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to a rapturous reception.

Mandiba, as he is commonly called in South Africa, was a statesman that all others aspired to, not only for his achievements as an indefatigable anti-apartheid activist and first black South African president but for his integrity, magnanimity and idealism. He changed the face of South Africa, African democracy and world politics.

He is survived by his wife Graça Machel and three children from previous relationships.

To honor his life, Discovery Channel will premiere THE MAKING OF MANDELA, an all-new documentary celebrating the remarkable life of the legendary South African leader Nelson Mandela, a symbol of hope and peace not only to his own country but to the world, on Sunday Dec. 8 at 12PM ET/PT.

Narrated by actor David Harewood (Homeland), THE MAKING OF MANDELA provides a true representation of Mandela's personal story and the crucial key decisions he made throughout his incredible journey to freedom. The film is also supplemented by Mandela’s own recordings for his book “A Long Walk to Freedom,” in which Mandela’s legacy is told through intimate and revealing interviews with those who knew Mandela best.

"I have cherished the ideal of a free society in which all persons live together in harmony...It's an ideal which I hope to live for...but if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
-Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013.

To see a slideshow of his life visit: Nelson Mandela: A Life In Pictures from Discovery Channel UK

Discovery News also remembers Nelson Mandela In Photos.

Discovery Goes Inside the Gridiron—In London!

Devin Pratt — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 14:58:58 -0400

Gridiron action goes international as Discovery takes to the road to chronicle four NFL teams as they face off at legendary Wembley Stadium in London.

NFL IN SEASON – Steelers vs. Vikings kicks-off the two-part series Friday, October 4 at 10/9c, followed by NFL IN SEASON – 49ers vs. Jaguars Friday, November 1 at 10/9c.

NFL In Season offers an all access, behind-the-scenes look at the week of preparation leading up to competing on an international stage, including team meetings, traveling to London, and exclusive footage of players being tourists in jolly old England.

Read the full press release below:

DISCOVERY SCORES A LOOK INTO THE NFL WITH TWO-PART SPECIAL
 NFL IN SEASON

--Two-Part Series Premieres Friday, October 4 and November 1 at 10/9c—

(NEW YORK, NY) — Discovery Channel is going on the road with the NFL as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars prepare for two critical regular season games across the pond in London. From the producers of Hard Knocks, this two-part special will chronicle each team’s week of preparation leading up to the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium. Viewers will get a look off the field and into the meeting rooms for an all access, behind-the-scenes look at how each team handles the rigors of the season on European soil. NFL IN SEASON – STEELERS VS. VIKINGS kicks-off Friday, October 4 at 10 PM ET/PT, followed by NFL IN SEASON – 49ERS VS. JAGUARS Friday, November 1 at 10 PM ET/PT.

This year marks the first time two regular-season games will be played in the UK as part of the NFL International Series. On Sunday, September 29, the Minnesota Vikings will host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then on Sunday, October 27, the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the San Francisco 49ers.

“We’re thrilled to work with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Discovery to create a compelling two-part special that showcases the unique storylines leading up to the NFL International Series,” said NFL Films producer Ross Ketover. “As the NFL takes this historic step in our international development with two games in London, we are excited to give fans back in the U.S. a behind-the-scenes look at these games.”

Discovery will capture each moment - from the teams traveling to England and the coaches drafting game plans to the players practicing and being tourists in London. Before, during and after the game, get a fly-on-the-wall look as players work hard to make history and teams come together to return back home with a win.

NFL IN SEASON is a NFL Films Production. Executive Producers for NFL Films include Howard Katz, Pat Kelleher and Ross Ketover. Executive Producers for Discovery Channel are Christo Doyle and Matthew Kelly

Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans, Simulcast on Discovery Wed 10/9c

Eileen Marable — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 18:14:06 -0400

The list of legendary actors-turned-racers is as short as it is iconic: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and James Garner. This summer, Velocity follows Patrick Dempsey’s attempt to join this elite group when he tackles the world’s oldest – and most grueling – automotive endurance race, France’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Patrick Dempsey may be well known for his role as Derek Shephard on the popular and long running drama Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick is also well known for his many accomplished film roles. He’s also a husband, father and even a mean juggler. He’s clearly a master of many talents, but many people may not know he is also a world class automobile racer.

For those who want an inside look at his life as a competitive racer, Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans will capture his life as a world class racer as he and his team, co-owned with Italian soccer superstar Alessandro Del Piero, prepare for the 90^th running of the legendary Le Mans. From sponsor recruitment, to time trials, to juggling his family and Hollywood career, the four-part series on Velocity offers unlimited access to Dempsey and his Porsche 911 GT3 RSR team as they prepare to risk everything on Europe’s most historic track.

Immerse yourself in Patrick’s journey to Le Mans in Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans simulcast on Velocity and Discovery, Wednesday at 10/9c and follow the rest of the series on Velocity each Wednesday at 10/9c.

Prepare with videos, exclusive photos and more all at Velocity.com!

MythBusters, Deadliest Catch Earn Emmy Nominations

Devin Pratt — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:41:44 -0400

It’s our favorite time of year—and for good reason! The 2013 Emmy nominations were announced this week and Discovery came up big, with MythBusters and Deadliest Catch earning nods for Outstanding Reality Program, while Deadliest Catch picked up additional nominations for Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming, Outstanding Picture Editing For Reality Programming, and Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming.

This marks the fifth Emmy nomination for MythBusters, which is now in its 10th season. Deadliest Catch has won eight Emmys to date.

Check out the full press release below, and don’t forget to catch the 65^th Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 22, to see if MythBusters and Deadliest Catch win top honors!

Discovery Communications Receives Eight Primetime Emmy® Nominations

--Discovery Channel’s DEADLIEST CATCH Leads with Four Nominations and One for MYTHBUSTERS—

--Science Channel’s THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN and OWN’s MASTER CLASS each Honored with Nominations --

Discovery Communications received eight Emmy^® nominations for the 65^th Primetime Emmy^® Awards, announced this morning by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Nominations for Discovery Communications include six for Discovery Channel and one each for Science Channel and OWN.

DEADLIEST CATCH leads Discovery Channel’s nominations with four: Outstanding Reality Program; Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming; Outstanding Picture Editing for Reality Programming; and Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming. A perennial Emmy^®nominee, 2013 marks the second time DEADLIEST CATCH was nominated in the Reality Program category. Since 2006, the series has received a total of 31 nominations in the Nonfiction and Reality categories. DEADLIEST CATCH, now it its ninth season, profiles men who risk everything to do the most dangerous job in the world.

Fresh off its 10-year an niversary of proving or disproving popular myths, misconceptions and legends, Discovery’s MYTHBUSTERS garnered an Emmy^®nomination for Outstanding Reality Program. Rounding out Discovery Channel’s Emmy^® nomination lineup was a nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN REVISITED, a collaboration of Discovery Channel and award-winning actor/director Robert Redford. The landmark television event looked back at Watergate and the iconic Redford-produced 1976 film All the President’s Men.

Science Channel’s THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN, one of the network’s top rated series, was honored with a nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Now in its fourth season, this is the first Primetime Emmy^®nomination for THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN.

Now in its third season, OWN’s popular series OPRAH’S MASTER CLASS, was honored with a nomination in Outstanding Informational Series or Special. The series features lessons with modern masters, handpicked by Oprah Winfrey, who share their triumphs and heartbreaks. The nominated season showcases masters such as Tom Brokaw, Alicia Keys, Cindy Crawford and Stevie Nicks.

The 65^th Annual Primetime Emmy^® Award winners will be announced live, Sunday, September 22^nd 8pm EST at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Airplane Repo Man Kevin Lacey Knows "No One Flies For Free"

Eileen Marable — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 18:30:58 -0400

When I sat down to interview Kevin Lacey, one of the pilots featured in Airplane Repo and veteran aviator, I had a lot of questions. Things like, just how do you repo a plane? Is it scary? What’s the hardest part? It turns out those questions were really only conversation starters with a man who’s been around the globe capturing airplanes since 1975. As he’s quick to point out, “every situation is different,” and he’s been in a lot of “situations.”

As for how you capture a plane, it turns out some detective work is involved before you get it back in the air. Here’s how Kevin describes it:

“First you have to figure out where it is, second, you have to figure out if it is safe to fly or not. Then you get your hands on the aircraft and the records. You want to know if the asset's been flying, or has it been sitting in a hangar for two years, or worse yet, sitting outside in the elements? “

“If it’s been sitting then you start saying ‘Well I don’t know about that…we might have an issue here.’ A lot of times you just get an instinct. I am a certified Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization on top of that, so with that experience and knowledge I can get a pretty good idea just wandering around the plane what condition it is in. You do a good look see. Is it leaking fuel? Is there a puddle of oil under the engines? Is it bleeding hydraulic fluid all over itself? But the most important thing to ensure its airworthiness is to get your hands on the aircraft records.”

That sounds simple right? But according to Kevin, there can be some shenanigans involved:

“Maintenance records are complete sets of records and log books put together for an aircraft from the day its built, every maintenance event is recorded so with the records you know its inspection and maintenance status. One of the biggest frustrations I have is when you have an aircraft belonging to John Doe who couldn’t afford to keep the airplane and he’s also kind of cheated the pilot. So the pilot gets his hands on the records and holds ‘em ransom inflicting a substantial diminution of value. He’ll track what happens to the plane and if it pops up for sale sometimes he’ll try to get $30K out of ya for the airplane records. That is illegal. The transfer of ownership of the airplane includes the transfer of the records.”

“Often times I’ll find myself in the battle with these pilots so you have to try and convince them that’s not the way to go about it. It depends on the legacy you want to leave behind. It’s about, “Do you want to be the guy that’s known as a cheat, liar, and a thief or as someone with a stellar reputation and someone who is upstanding and part of the aviation community?”

I asked Kevin if there was anything else that happens between when you feel confident you have the paperwork and the plane is airworthy, and when you can head back to your home base. His answer was simple:

“Yeah, someone’s going to show up and say ‘That’s my airplane.’ They don’t want to lose their asset so they will try to pick a fight.”

In other words, many times the person with the plane knows Kevin is coming and because planes are “movable assets,” a cat and mouse game begins to find the missing plane. Kevin describes one of his more infamous hunts:

“You know I chased a Canadair 604 Challenger down, we had initially located it in Ghana. I ended up capturing this one at Biggin Hill airport outside of London, I had the Emergency Terrorist Response team show up and the airspace around Heathrow and Gatwick shut down cause somebody made a call saying that someone is stealing a jet and has locked the pilot and owner in a closet… I had already gone to three different locations. I’d left the house here in Texas heading for Ghana and by the time I got to London, the airplane had moved to Geneva, so I went to Geneva instead. By the time I got to Geneva it moved three more times. I finally wound up catching it returning from Paris to London.”

I didn’t ask about the locked closet part, but it did get me starting to think about fear. What gets his heart racing? Kevin had to think about that.

“You know I think “Holy crap! How am I gonna answer that one?” I don’t have any idea how to answer these questions. You know, the anxiety is always high right before you make an initial assault on a target. But once you set yourself in motion all that goes away, you are going full tilt boogie and there aint no stopping until the mission is accomplished.

Being thrown in jail is always an interesting experience. Wondering whether you can get out, or whether your client will help you get out. Or whether a foreign country’s political nonsense will figure in it. Often times you don’t know whether you are over friendly territory.

When you ask what the scariest moment is, I can’t tell you that. I captured my first aircraft in 1975 so it’s been a long time and a lot of these things are blurs of the past though but I’ve managed to get a lot of them written down and I’m working on a book.”

Jail? Unfriendly foreign governments? Could there be more? Yep. There was one flight that he called “interesting”:

“I jumped in an airplane in South Texas that somebody else said was good to go. In the end one engine was barely running, and I lost the avionics – basically I had an electrical fire. I lost the turbocharger on one engine and the fuel pump on the other. Well, you know it was interesting; hindsight’s 20/20. Not to mention the plane had been sitting for a while and once I got airborne the air ducts began pelting me in the eyes with little particles of some kinda crud. So I’m flying trying to clear my eyes, thinkin’ what’s that smell, “oh crap, there is smoke coming from the circuit breaker panel” but it was hard to see as my eyes were scratchy and watering. Instinctively I “gang barred” the battery and alternator switches to the “OFF” position. When I did that, I realized that the right engine had been running on the electric fuel pump and not the engine driven pump as it should have and it starts to give up on me. The waste gate on the turbocharger on the left engine must be stuck as I am not getting all the manifold pressure I should get! I managed to get it back on the ground and I felt bad that I had to tell my guy at the bank that the best thing for this aircraft was to haul it off on a truck and trailer. I felt like I could’ve done him a favor by dropping it in the Bay for the insurance money, but I did not feel like going swimming in my boots that day.”

I wondered with all these interesting incidents whether anything really bothered him. There sure is –and it might surprise you:

“When you’re playing cat and mouse trying to catch up with a plane on the run, sometimes we’re (the repo men) are at the mercy of the airlines. You pretty much have to get a colonoscopy to get on an airline these days, and that’s probably the worst part of this end when your target can move faster.”

Listening to Kevin talk however, it’s clear that the airlines are just an annoyance and there is something consistent that really gets his goat. The cheaters in the aviation business and the lengths they’ll go to pocket some cash and run.

There are the owners that hold a banknote on a plane and lease it to another operator who pays them monthly fees; some dishonest folks pocket that money and default with the bank. The innocent people who were leasing the plane lose their money and their livelihood. There are also the owners that pay regular fees to maintenance companies to ensure when their extremely pricey engine maintenance checks are due they are paid up, which is a form of added equity in an aircraft. The dishonest ones will often transfer the engines with this added value along to another asset and a plane can be repo’ed with the wrong engines. The list goes on.

The bottom line is Kevin doesn’t want to take your plane, but if you are dishonest and cocky he will:

“Mind you I really, really do not like taking airplanes away from people who are honestly trying to make it. They are a pipeline patrol company, they’re crop dusters, or they’re charter airlines. I hate taking airplanes away from those folks. There could be any one of a number of reasons why things aren’t working out for them that is beyond their control, like the price of fuel. Like I said, sometimes these guys know you’re coming and they are good about it and they’ll give you a briefing on the airplane and hand you the keys. Some others it’s just a fight.

“Then there are those guys that when I turn around and look in the parking lot and see all these Mercedes Benz, Bentleys and whatnot and they’re talking about their third yacht three miles away in a harbor someplace, those guys that are taking it to the bank on their plane and those are the guys I really like taking the airplanes from.”

“There’s a lot of tricks the bad guys attempt to play out there; I was just recently talking to a client and I said it’s a recycle of the same old tricks. Same old stories and scams we’ve seen for years, just a different cast of characters. That cracks me up – some of these guys think they are pulling some new scam.”

When Kevin and I first started talking he told me the difference between a pilot and an aviator.

“A pilot,” he says “is the guy that flies sometimes on the weekend or has an airline job. An aviator is the guy that flies regular and is at the airport on a daily basis not because he has to be there but that is where he’s most comfortable.”

When he’s not on the hunt for a plane, that’s exactly where you’ll find Kevin. He’s at his home base in Texas flying a Taylorcraft airplane built in 1946 that he bought in 1976 and restored in 1984.

“I love that aircraft. It’s not fast or anything fancy. It’s covered in cloth and you have to turn a prop by hand to start it but it’s just a fun little airplane to fly around in.”

That’s a big difference from the Lear Jets and 747’s he’s wrangled, but it makes him happy. But for all those who are in trouble with the bank, when duty calls he’s philosophical about it and is ready to go:

“If you can write the check you can do pretty much what you want. But if you are going to write that check you better make sure you can afford all the other things that go along with it down the line. You can buy a million dollar airplane, but can you provide the care and feeding it requires – can you pay for maintenance, storage, fuel, insurance, and recurrent flight training?”

“No one flies for free.”

MORE: Airplane Repo Fansite

Discovery Saddened by the Loss of Storm Chasers Tim and Carl

Jason Robey — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 12:55:31 -0400

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Tim Samaras, his son Paul and their colleague Carl Young who died Friday, May 31st doing what they love: chasing storms.

Chasing storms had been a part of Tim Samaras's life for over 25 years. Ten years ago, Tim developed his own tornado probes to record meteorological data inside of tornadoes.

Inspired by a two-month adventure chasing storms across the Great Plains, Carl Young left a career in Hollywood to study tornado dynamics and ultimately earn a masters degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada, Reno.

While attending a meteorological conference, Carl met Tim, who encouraged him to collect meteorological data from inside tornadoes as the principal focus of his thesis research.

Every spring since 2003, the two headed out together and tracked down over 125 tornadoes. Their mission was to help understand why tornadoes form in order to increase warning times in Tornado Alley.

Tim and Carl's work was the subject of Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers series, which premiered on October 17, 2007 and ran for five seasons.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tim and Carl's friends and families.

Tonight's Mile Wide Tornado: Oklahoma Disaster, at 10|9C, will be dedicated to their memory.

Share your thoughts about Tim and Carl on the Storm Chasers Facebook page or in our comment section below (off-topic comments will be deleted).

A Message from Eileen O'Neill: Remembering Tim Samaras and Carl Young

PHOTO GALLERY: In Memory of Storm Chasers Tim Samaras and Carl Young

Gold Rush Drama Heads to Discovery in 2014 with Epic Mini-Series Klondike

Eileen Marable — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 04:55:13 -0400

For the latest news on Klondike visit the official page at Discovery.com/Klondike

The best stories are always the real ones. Stories of adventure, courage, adversity and maybe the
promise of an incredible windfall are the ones that keep us rooting for heroes and underdogs to find their fortune. That’s why Discovery Channel has painstakingly recreated a real frontier gold rush town and amassed an all-star cast including, Richard Madden of Game of Thrones fame and Abbie Cornish star of such films as Bright Star and Limitless, to tell the dramatic stories of the frontier spirit and mad rush for gold in the Klondike.

In the late 1800’s people from every walk of life converged on the Klondike, turning the town of Dawson (population 400) into a seething sea of humanity of some 30,000 people almost overnight. All these adventurers were focused on one thing: striking it rich. Whether it was finding the gold that was turning up in the rocky hills, or setting up businesses that supported the miners, everyone had that burning drive to succeed at all costs.

A portrait of these characters is captured in the book Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike by Charlotte Gray. Through letters, photos, newspaper clippings and oral histories, she tells the stories of a diverse crew of people – from gold diggers to newspaper men – and even one intrepid woman who became one of the most prominent business people in the territory.

To recreate the dramatic stories of the larger than-life characters inspired by Gray’s fortune hunters,
Discovery Channel has called upon a range of incredible talent. Richard Madden, well known for his role as the ever honorable Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, takes on the role of adventurer Bill Haskell. Abbie Cornish plays the wily, young Belinda Mulrooney who made a mint by providing goods and services to the ill-equipped miners. Veteran actors such as Sam Shepard and Tim Roth have also signed on to play pivotal roles.

Bringing it all together is Executive Producer Ridley Scott and veteran director Simon Cellan Jones,
with such acclaimed mini-series as Boardwalk Empire, Treme and The Borgias under his belt. He’ll bring together the epic drama of gold rush stories, top-tier actors, and a fully recreated frontier town in Alberta, Canada to create Discovery Channel’s first scripted series.

The grit, cold, and almost unbelievable stories of determination, greed, and hardship will almost leap off the screen and that’s exactly what Discovery Channel has in mind. Knowing that no stories are more engaging than the ones that spare nothing to tell real histories in real locations, Discovery Channel is thrilled to tell this dramatic tale.

Will the adventurers find the fortunes they seek? Check Discovery.com for more on Discovery Channel’s six part mini-series Klondike coming in 2014. Follow the production on Klondike's Facebook page and on Twitter @KlondikeTV, and get inspired by Charlotte Gray's stories in Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike.

Join Turtleman on Tonight's Call of the Wildman Marathon

Hillary Ossip — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:01:00 -0400

Discovery Channel presents back-to-back episodes of Call of the Wildman TONIGHT at 7|6c!

Meet Ernie Brown, Jr. -- the Turtleman -- who has been diving into murky Kentucky ponds in search of snapping turtles for nearly 40 years. Ernie devotes his time to rescuing and relocating wildlife and has caught over 12,000 turtles during his career while sustaining injuries 33 times in the process.

Tonight, in a special marathon event, Discovery Channel will be airing back-to-back episodes of Call of the Wildman, beginning at 7|6c. Starting off with a rescue in a dilapidated Kentucky home, join Turtleman as he braves rescues involving hogs gone wild, snake invasions and vicious raccoons staking out an old trading post.

Tune in tonight on the Discovery Channel for back-to-back episodes of Call of the Wildman beginning at 7|6c!

Do Mermaids Exist? Never-Before-Seen Video Revealed!

Hillary Ossip — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:50:09 -0400

Tune in to Mermaids: The Body Found - The Extended Cut on Monday, May 27 at 8|7c, followed by Mermaids: The New Evidence at 10|9c on the Discovery Channel.

Mermaids: The Body Found - The Extended Cut will take you into a world where the legend of mermaids is real. The film blends real-life events and phenomena with the story of two scientists who testify they found the remains of a never-before-identified sea creature. Spectacular CGI animates a world where mermaids really do swim below the water’s surface, cooperatively hunt with dolphins and may continue to survive in an intricate society where they stay hidden in fear of their Earth-bound relatives.

Do you believe in mermaids? VOTE NOW!

Dive even deeper into the legend with Mermaids: The New Evidence, which examines the startling, never-before-seen video evidence of aquatic hominids that has come forward since the documentary Mermaids: The Body Found first aired in 2012 with the original whistleblower on the Mermaid Conspiracy, Dr. Paul Robertson.

Discover the New Evidence: Never-Before-Seen Video

Tune in to Mermaids: The Body Found - The Extended Cut on Monday, May 27 at 8|7c, followed by Mermaids: The New Evidence at 10|9c on the Discovery Channel.