MISSION JURASSIC: BBC ANNOUNCE NEW SPECIALIST FACTUAL SERIES
The weather-beaten ravines of the ‘Badlands’ of Wyoming, USA conceal an ancient secret.
In a closely guarded location lies a mass dinosaur graveyard that could become one of the biggest collections of bones ever discovered. Could this site provide new insights into the Jurassic, often considered the golden age of the dinosaurs?
Biologist Liz Bonnin is on a mission to find out. With three years of access to this unique dig site, this special joins an international team of leading palaeontologists on a mission to uncover the giants of the Jurassic - some of the largest beasts ever to walk the earth, from giant herbivores like Diplodocus to the fearsome Allosaurus, forerunner of T-Rex.
What makes this dinosaur treasure trove so exciting is that these huge creatures were buried with a wealth of other evidence, from the footprints they left, to the plants they ate - and evidence of ferocious carnivorous behaviour.
But digging conditions are harsh. Sandstorms and thunderstorms threaten to destroy the fragile bones before they are even out of the ground. So Liz has joined the team for a crucial fortnight, as they race to uncover as many precious fossils as possible before the site must be shut for winter.
Liz Bonnin says: “Helping to uncover the fossils of giants from 150 million years ago, along with the extraordinary amount of other evidence all around them, was an opportunity I simply couldn’t turn down...
"Thanks to the tireless work and passion of the palaeontologists I teamed up with, the Jurassic came to life in ways I could never have imagined - a once-in-a-lifetime adventure I’ll never forget!”
Using the very latest science and technology, the team begin to piece together the life stories of each dinosaur, finally solving the mystery of what drew them to this spot, to reveal not only how these dinosaurs lived - but how they died.
Mission Jurassic, a 2x60’, was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual.