When the BBC said its continued partnership with Discovery would yield "ambitious" programming, it wasn't kidding: The networks announced Monday the new series "History of the World."
The eight-part series, narrated by British journalist and political commentator Andrew Marr, will feature crucial moments over 20,000 years of history, including Cleopatra's encounter wih an asp, Marie Antoinette's arrest, and the assassination that started the first World War. It will be broadcast on BBC One in 2012.
The BBC, Discovery Channel US, the U.K.'s Open University and BBC Worldwide are all involved in the production.
It is the first announced collaboration since BBC and Discovery Communications said last week they were renewing their partnership. The networks announced that they would extend their agreement through 2014 — and that BBC was selling its stake in Animal Planet and Liv networks to Discovery for $156 million.
Jana Bennet, director of BBC Vision, said at the time that the deal "enables us to continue producing the most ambitious and creative landmark factual programming for viewers."
The networks are also collaborating on a David Attenborough's series about the cycle of seasons, "Frozen Planet," for 2011.
