Big, Bigger, Biggest | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Created by | Carlo Massarella |
Narrated by | John Michie |
Theme music composer | Alasdair Reid Rohan Stevenson |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 20 ( list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Ian Duncan (Series 1 & 2) [1] Carlo Massarella (Series 3) [2] |
Running time | 45–50 minutes 1 hour (inc. commercials) |
Production companies | Windfall Films
SBS Kompas TV |
Original release | |
Network |
Five
[3] National Geographic Channel |
Release | 1 April 2008 2 August 2011 | –
Related | |
Monster Moves |
Big, Bigger, Biggest is a British documentary television series which began airing in 2008. A total of 20 episodes have been produced across three series. [4]
Each episode explores the engineering breakthroughs that have made it possible to develop the largest structures of today. Episodes describe the landmark inventions that have enabled the engineers of today to construct the world's biggest structures, including computer generated imagery. The imagery shows the size of the object in meters, the various designs that were considered, and what might have happened if the engineers had made a mistake, complete with animated figures running in panic.
It is also available on DVD: [5]
Series | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. and E.U.) | Originally aired (Australia) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | First aired | Last aired | ||
1 | 4 | 1 April 2008 | 28 October 2008 | 6 November 2010 | 27 November 2010 |
2 | 10 | 28 July 2009 | 29 September 2009 | 4 December 2010 | 12 February 2011 |
3 | 6 | 5 July 2011 | 9 August 2011 | N/A | N/A |
# | Title | Original (Five) air date | Alt air date | SBS air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Skyscraper" | 1 April 2008[4] | 1 April 2008 [4] | 27 November 2010 [8] | |
This episode looks at the history of
skyscraper breakthroughs, culminating in the construction of the 828-metre (2,717 ft) tall Burj Dubai (now
Burj Khalifa). The other buildings discussed are the
Equitable Life Building, the
Flatiron Building, the
United Nations Headquarters, the original
World Trade Center towers, the
Sears Tower and
Taipei 101. | |||||
2 | "Aircraft Carrier" | 15 April 2008[9] | 15 April 2008 [4] | 20 November 2010 [10] | |
One of the largest
warships in the world,
USS Nimitz (CVN-68), would not have been possible if it weren't for seven landmark inventions. The other aircraft carriers discussed were
USS North Carolina,
HMS Ark Royal,
USS Hornet,
USS Midway,
USS Forrestal and
USS Enterprise. | |||||
3 | "Bridge" | 8 April 2008[11] | 17 April 2008 [12] | 6 November 2010 [13] | |
This episode reveals how several
suspension bridge breakthroughs (
The Iron Bridge,
Menai Bridge,
Niagara Bridge,
Brooklyn Bridge,
Golden Gate Bridge and
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge) made it possible to construct the 2-mile (3.2 km) long
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. | |||||
4 | "Airport" | 25 March 2008[14] | 28 October 2008 [4] | 13 November 2010 [15] | |
Heathrow Airport is the busiest international airport in the world. This episode follows the construction of
Terminal 5, an additional terminal to cater for an additional 30 million passengers, and contributions of its forerunners -
Croydon,
Gatwick,
Chicago O'Hare,
Dallas Love Field,
Atlanta International (actually the busiest international airport in the world) and
Los Angeles International. |
# | Title | Original air date | SBS air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Tunnel" | 28 July 2009[4] | 15 January 2011 [16] | |
The world's longest tunnel at 57 kilometres (35 mi) in length is the
Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps. The episode lists
Thames Tunnel,
Box Tunnel,
Mersey Railway Tunnel,
Simplon Tunnel and
Channel Tunnel as its predecessors. | ||||
2 | "Submarine" | 4 August 2009[4] | 4 December 2010 [17] | |
The biggest submarine in the
U.S. Navy is the
USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) at 171 metres (561 ft) in length. Her predecessors explored in the episode are
Turtle,
H. L. Hunley,
U-66,
USS Nautilus (SSN-571) and
USS George Washington (SSBN-598). | ||||
3 | "Aircraft" | 11 August 2009[4] | 29 January 2011 [18] | |
The
Antonov An-124 is one of the largest aircraft in the world with the ability to carry 50 family-sized cars. The episode also discusses
Sikorsky Ilya Muromets,
Junkers G.38,
Boeing Clipper,
Messerschmitt Gigant and
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. | ||||
4 | "Oil Rig" | 18 August 2009[4] | 5 February 2011 [19] | |
The
Perdido oil platform is located in an area of water that is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) deep. From first offshore drilling at
Grand Lake through Grand Isle platform and
Beryl Alpha platform to
Cognac platform and
Auger, the episode follows the evolution of
oil-drilling platforms. | ||||
5 | "Ferris Wheel" | 25 August 2009[4] | 19 February 2011 [20] | |
The tallest
Ferris wheel in the world was the
Singapore Flyer (at the time of this airing), standing 165 metres (541 ft) high. From the original
Ferris Wheel, followed by
Earls Court Gigantic,
London Eye and
Star of Nanchang, the episode explores technical breakthroughs related to growth of Ferris wheels. | ||||
6 | "Space Station" | 1 September 2009[4] | 18 December 2010 [21] | |
This episode reveals the technological inventions –
Salyut 1,
Skylab,
Apollo–Soyuz,
Mir – that made the construction of the
International Space Station possible. | ||||
7 | "Dam" | 8 September 2009[4] | 11 December 2010 [22] | |
The world's first hydroelectric power station,
Debdon Dam, followed by
Marèges Dam,
Hoover Dam,
Grand Coulee Dam and
Krasnoyarsk Dam, led to construction of the largest
hydroelectric dam – the
Three Gorges Dam in China. | ||||
8 | "Cruise Liner" | 15 September 2009[4] | 8 January 2011 [23] | |
Independence of the Seas is a 160,000-metric-ton (160,000-long-ton; 180,000-short-ton) cruise liner, succeeding
Great Western,
SS Great Britain,
Conte di Savoia,
SS Normandie and
Queen Mary. | ||||
9 | "Dome" | 22 September 2009[4] | 12 February 2011 [24] | |
The dome roof evolution is explored via
Pantheon,
Florence Cathedral,
West Baden Hotel,
Astrodome,
Georgia Dome and the
Ōita Stadium. | ||||
10 | "Telescope" | 29 September 2009[4] | 22 January 2011 [25] | |
The
Large Binocular Telescope would not have been possible if it weren't for a variety of breakthroughs in the construction of
telescope:
Newton's reflector,
Parsons' telescope,
Hooker telescope,
Hale Telescope and
Bolshoi telescope. |
# | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Canal" | 5 July 2011[4] | |
Features the
Panama Canal
expansion project. Explores the technological development of canals including the
Briare Canal,
Bridgewater Canal and
Manchester Ship Canal | |||
2 | "Icebreaker" | 12 July 2011[4] | |
Starting from
Eisbrecher I [
de;
fi], through
Lenin and
Polarstern to building the
Timofey Guzhenko. | |||
3 | "Metro" | 19 July 2011[4] | |
From
City and South London Railway to
New York City Subway,
Paris Métro and finally
London Underground again. | |||
4 | "Prison" | 26 July 2011[4] | |
From
Tower of London to
Eastern State Penitentiary,
Alcatraz and building the most advanced prison in the USA - the
North Branch Correctional Institution | |||
5 | "Tower" | 2 August 2011[4] | |
Washington Monument,
Eiffel Tower and
CN Tower made possible building of
Canton Tower, the world's tallest tower (currently
2nd tallest). | |||
6 | "Train" | 9 August 2011[4] | |
Big, Bigger, Biggest | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Created by | Carlo Massarella |
Narrated by | John Michie |
Theme music composer | Alasdair Reid Rohan Stevenson |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 20 ( list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Ian Duncan (Series 1 & 2) [1] Carlo Massarella (Series 3) [2] |
Running time | 45–50 minutes 1 hour (inc. commercials) |
Production companies | Windfall Films
SBS Kompas TV |
Original release | |
Network |
Five
[3] National Geographic Channel |
Release | 1 April 2008 2 August 2011 | –
Related | |
Monster Moves |
Big, Bigger, Biggest is a British documentary television series which began airing in 2008. A total of 20 episodes have been produced across three series. [4]
Each episode explores the engineering breakthroughs that have made it possible to develop the largest structures of today. Episodes describe the landmark inventions that have enabled the engineers of today to construct the world's biggest structures, including computer generated imagery. The imagery shows the size of the object in meters, the various designs that were considered, and what might have happened if the engineers had made a mistake, complete with animated figures running in panic.
It is also available on DVD: [5]
Series | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. and E.U.) | Originally aired (Australia) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | First aired | Last aired | ||
1 | 4 | 1 April 2008 | 28 October 2008 | 6 November 2010 | 27 November 2010 |
2 | 10 | 28 July 2009 | 29 September 2009 | 4 December 2010 | 12 February 2011 |
3 | 6 | 5 July 2011 | 9 August 2011 | N/A | N/A |
# | Title | Original (Five) air date | Alt air date | SBS air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Skyscraper" | 1 April 2008[4] | 1 April 2008 [4] | 27 November 2010 [8] | |
This episode looks at the history of
skyscraper breakthroughs, culminating in the construction of the 828-metre (2,717 ft) tall Burj Dubai (now
Burj Khalifa). The other buildings discussed are the
Equitable Life Building, the
Flatiron Building, the
United Nations Headquarters, the original
World Trade Center towers, the
Sears Tower and
Taipei 101. | |||||
2 | "Aircraft Carrier" | 15 April 2008[9] | 15 April 2008 [4] | 20 November 2010 [10] | |
One of the largest
warships in the world,
USS Nimitz (CVN-68), would not have been possible if it weren't for seven landmark inventions. The other aircraft carriers discussed were
USS North Carolina,
HMS Ark Royal,
USS Hornet,
USS Midway,
USS Forrestal and
USS Enterprise. | |||||
3 | "Bridge" | 8 April 2008[11] | 17 April 2008 [12] | 6 November 2010 [13] | |
This episode reveals how several
suspension bridge breakthroughs (
The Iron Bridge,
Menai Bridge,
Niagara Bridge,
Brooklyn Bridge,
Golden Gate Bridge and
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge) made it possible to construct the 2-mile (3.2 km) long
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. | |||||
4 | "Airport" | 25 March 2008[14] | 28 October 2008 [4] | 13 November 2010 [15] | |
Heathrow Airport is the busiest international airport in the world. This episode follows the construction of
Terminal 5, an additional terminal to cater for an additional 30 million passengers, and contributions of its forerunners -
Croydon,
Gatwick,
Chicago O'Hare,
Dallas Love Field,
Atlanta International (actually the busiest international airport in the world) and
Los Angeles International. |
# | Title | Original air date | SBS air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Tunnel" | 28 July 2009[4] | 15 January 2011 [16] | |
The world's longest tunnel at 57 kilometres (35 mi) in length is the
Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps. The episode lists
Thames Tunnel,
Box Tunnel,
Mersey Railway Tunnel,
Simplon Tunnel and
Channel Tunnel as its predecessors. | ||||
2 | "Submarine" | 4 August 2009[4] | 4 December 2010 [17] | |
The biggest submarine in the
U.S. Navy is the
USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) at 171 metres (561 ft) in length. Her predecessors explored in the episode are
Turtle,
H. L. Hunley,
U-66,
USS Nautilus (SSN-571) and
USS George Washington (SSBN-598). | ||||
3 | "Aircraft" | 11 August 2009[4] | 29 January 2011 [18] | |
The
Antonov An-124 is one of the largest aircraft in the world with the ability to carry 50 family-sized cars. The episode also discusses
Sikorsky Ilya Muromets,
Junkers G.38,
Boeing Clipper,
Messerschmitt Gigant and
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. | ||||
4 | "Oil Rig" | 18 August 2009[4] | 5 February 2011 [19] | |
The
Perdido oil platform is located in an area of water that is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) deep. From first offshore drilling at
Grand Lake through Grand Isle platform and
Beryl Alpha platform to
Cognac platform and
Auger, the episode follows the evolution of
oil-drilling platforms. | ||||
5 | "Ferris Wheel" | 25 August 2009[4] | 19 February 2011 [20] | |
The tallest
Ferris wheel in the world was the
Singapore Flyer (at the time of this airing), standing 165 metres (541 ft) high. From the original
Ferris Wheel, followed by
Earls Court Gigantic,
London Eye and
Star of Nanchang, the episode explores technical breakthroughs related to growth of Ferris wheels. | ||||
6 | "Space Station" | 1 September 2009[4] | 18 December 2010 [21] | |
This episode reveals the technological inventions –
Salyut 1,
Skylab,
Apollo–Soyuz,
Mir – that made the construction of the
International Space Station possible. | ||||
7 | "Dam" | 8 September 2009[4] | 11 December 2010 [22] | |
The world's first hydroelectric power station,
Debdon Dam, followed by
Marèges Dam,
Hoover Dam,
Grand Coulee Dam and
Krasnoyarsk Dam, led to construction of the largest
hydroelectric dam – the
Three Gorges Dam in China. | ||||
8 | "Cruise Liner" | 15 September 2009[4] | 8 January 2011 [23] | |
Independence of the Seas is a 160,000-metric-ton (160,000-long-ton; 180,000-short-ton) cruise liner, succeeding
Great Western,
SS Great Britain,
Conte di Savoia,
SS Normandie and
Queen Mary. | ||||
9 | "Dome" | 22 September 2009[4] | 12 February 2011 [24] | |
The dome roof evolution is explored via
Pantheon,
Florence Cathedral,
West Baden Hotel,
Astrodome,
Georgia Dome and the
Ōita Stadium. | ||||
10 | "Telescope" | 29 September 2009[4] | 22 January 2011 [25] | |
The
Large Binocular Telescope would not have been possible if it weren't for a variety of breakthroughs in the construction of
telescope:
Newton's reflector,
Parsons' telescope,
Hooker telescope,
Hale Telescope and
Bolshoi telescope. |
# | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Canal" | 5 July 2011[4] | |
Features the
Panama Canal
expansion project. Explores the technological development of canals including the
Briare Canal,
Bridgewater Canal and
Manchester Ship Canal | |||
2 | "Icebreaker" | 12 July 2011[4] | |
Starting from
Eisbrecher I [
de;
fi], through
Lenin and
Polarstern to building the
Timofey Guzhenko. | |||
3 | "Metro" | 19 July 2011[4] | |
From
City and South London Railway to
New York City Subway,
Paris Métro and finally
London Underground again. | |||
4 | "Prison" | 26 July 2011[4] | |
From
Tower of London to
Eastern State Penitentiary,
Alcatraz and building the most advanced prison in the USA - the
North Branch Correctional Institution | |||
5 | "Tower" | 2 August 2011[4] | |
Washington Monument,
Eiffel Tower and
CN Tower made possible building of
Canton Tower, the world's tallest tower (currently
2nd tallest). | |||
6 | "Train" | 9 August 2011[4] | |