View source for Walking with Beasts

{{short description|2001 British television documentary series}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Walking with Beasts DVD cover.png
| caption            = Cover of the original UK DVD release
| alt_name           = ''Walking with Prehistoric Beasts''
| first_aired        = {{start date|df=yes|2001|11|15}}
| last_aired         = {{end date|df=yes|2001|12|20}}
| num_episodes       = 6
| channel            = [[BBC]], [[Discovery Channel]], [[ProSieben]], [[TV Asahi]]
| company            = [[BBC Studios Science Unit|BBC Science Unit]]<br />[[Impossible Pictures]]
| creator            = [[Tim Haines]]<br />[[Jasper James]]<br />Andrew Wilks
| budget             = £4.2 million<ref name=":11" />{{efn|name=budget|Some sources give alternate figures. According to behind-the-scenes material from the later series ''[[Walking with Monsters]]'' (2005), ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''Walking with Beasts'' and ''Walking with Monsters'' cost a total of £15 million to make.<ref name=":52">''Walking with Monsters'' DVD - ''Trilogy of Life'' featurette</ref> ''Walking with Monsters'' had a budget of around £3 million<ref name=":52" /> and ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' had a budget of £6.1 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Most expensive television documentary series per minute |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-expensive-television-documentary-series-per-minute |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-gb}}</ref>}}
| runtime            = 30 minutes
| language           = English
| country            = United Kingdom
| genre              = [[Nature documentary]]
| cinematography     = John Howarth<br />Michael Pitts
| editor             = Greg Smith<br />Andrew Wilks
| director           = Jasper James<br />Nigel Paterson
| composer           = [[Ben Bartlett]]
| narrated           = [[Kenneth Branagh]]<br />[[Stockard Channing]] (US)<br />[[Christian Slater]] (''[[Prehistoric Planet (2002 TV series)|Prehistoric Planet]]'')
| executive_producer = [[Tim Haines]]
| producer           = Jasper James<br />Nigel Paterson
}}'''''Walking with Beasts''''', marketed as '''''Walking with Prehistoric Beasts''''' in North America, is a 2001 six-part [[nature documentary]] television [[miniseries]] created by [[Impossible Pictures]] and produced by the [[BBC Studios Science Unit|BBC Science Unit]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Støen |first=Michael |date=2022 |title=1999: The BBC simulates prehistoric wildlife |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09636625211068944 |journal=Public Understanding of Science |volume=31 |issue=4 |language=en |pages=524–529 |doi=10.1177/09636625211068944 |pmid=35062833 |s2cid=246165620 |issn=0963-6625|url-access=subscription }}</ref> the [[Discovery Channel]], [[ProSieben]] and [[TV Asahi]]. The sequel to the 1999 miniseries ''[[Walking with Dinosaurs]]'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gibson |first=Owen |date=2001-10-09 |title=Digital evolution for BBC Beasts |url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/oct/09/newmedia.broadcasting |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web |date=22 November 2001 |title=A beastly look at ourselves |url=http://www.reporter-archive.mcgill.ca/34/06/bisson/index.html |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=McGill Reporter}}</ref> ''Walking with Beasts'' explores the life in the [[Cenozoic]] era, after the [[extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs]], particularly focusing on the rise of the [[mammal]]s to dominance. The UK version of the series is narrated by [[Kenneth Branagh]], who also narrated ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', and the US version is narrated by [[Stockard Channing]].

Like ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''Walking with Beasts'' recreated extinct animals through a combination of [[computer-generated imagery]] and [[animatronics]], incorporated into [[live action]] footage shot at various locations. It was more challenging to create convincing effects, both computer graphics and animatronics, depicting mammals owing both to fur and more moving bits and to audiences being more familiar with how mammals look and move than they were with [[dinosaur]]s. The visual effects of ''Walking with Beasts'', like those of ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', received praise. The series won numerous awards, including a [[BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards|BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award]], a [[Monitor Award]], a [[RTS Television Award]] and a [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Award]].

''Walking with Beasts'' was accompanied by a companion book, ''Walking with Beasts: A Prehistoric Safari'', written by the executive producer [[Tim Haines]], and a two-part behind-the-scenes companion series, ''The Science of Walking with Beasts''. Also released were several children's books and the video game ''Walking with Beasts: Operation Salvage''. In 2007–2011 an exhibition based on the series featuring fossils, life-sized models and behind-the-scenes information was held at different locations throughout the UK.

== Premise ==
''Walking with Beasts'' follows the previous series ''[[Walking with Dinosaurs]]'' (1999) in showcasing prehistoric life in a [[nature documentary]] style. Beginning in Germany 49 million years ago (in the [[Eocene]]), ''Walking with Beasts'' tracks animal life, particularly the rise of the [[mammal]]s to dominance, in the [[Cenozoic]] era. The series also gives some insight into [[human evolution]], with ''Next of Kin'' (episode four) being devoted to ''[[Australopithecus]]'' and ''Mammoth Journey'' (episode six) including both [[Neanderthal]]s and [[anatomically modern humans]].

== Production ==

=== Pre-production, research and writing ===
[[File:Sheep Slot Rapids, Firth River, Ivvavik National Park, YT.jpg|thumb|The final episode of ''Walking with Beasts'', ''Mammoth Journey'', was filmed in [[Yukon]], Canada<ref>{{Citation |title=Walking with Beasts |url=https://worklizard.com/walking-with-beasts/ |work=Worklizard |language=en-US |access-date=2022-04-29}}</ref>]]
After the success of ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', the executive producer [[Tim Haines]] conceived ''Walking with Beasts'' as a sequel. The intended goal of the series was to introduce the general public to the fascinating mammals (and other animals) of the Cenozoic era, typically less represented in popular culture [[Dinosaurs in popular culture|than dinosaurs]].<ref>{{cite video |title=Tim Haines Production Interview |date=2002 |people=Tim Haines |medium=DVD featurette |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The budget of ''Walking with Beasts'' was £4.2 million,<ref name=":11" />{{efn|name=budget}} one of the most expensive documentaries ever made<ref name=":11" /> but much lower than a feature film with comparable visual effects needs. Tim Haines attributed the completion of the series despite this to solid planning.<ref>{{cite video |title=Tim Haines Production Interview |date=2002 |people=Tim Haines |medium=DVD featurette |publisher=BBC |quote=The budget for this was between seven and eight million, but in terms of what we were trying to do, that is bargain basement. To give you some idea, when you see films like ''Jurassic Park'' ... they have effects budgets that run into many tens of millions of pounds. They have to, that's what they're selling. Seven to eight million for what is massively more effects shots and effects material is very, very cheap. But that's because we know exactly what we're doing and what we want from those effects and we're very targeted in our approach. We don't waste any effects at all.}}</ref>

Research in preparation for ''Walking with Beasts'' was conducted full-time for nearly two years by the geologist Paul Chambers and the zoologist Alex Freeman. Like ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''Walking with Beasts'' was set to consist of six episodes which meant that six suitable settings had to be chosen for the programme.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - Research |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/research/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011221070512/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/research/ |archive-date=2001-12-21 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Chambers and Freeman picked the six settings of the programme based on the amount of good fossil evidence, position in the time line and number of interesting animals.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - TV Production |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/prod/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011223144053/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/prod/index.shtml |archive-date=2001-12-23 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The settings of some episodes had been picked already before any research was required, such as doing an episode on [[woolly mammoth]]s and an episode on [[indricotheres]]. For much of the process, Chambers and Freeman were considering more than six settings, which meant that some potential episode ideas were forced to be abandoned. Among the abandoned ideas were an episode set in Australia, based on fossils from the [[Riversleigh World Heritage Area]].<ref name=":5" /> After the selection had been narrowed down to six settings, selecting which animals would appear in each episode was a straightforward process.<ref name=":1" />

After Chambers and Freeman had decided upon suitable settings for the programme, the filming locations for ''Walking with Beasts'' were chosen by the assistant producer Annie Bates over a nine-month period. Bates first spoke with [[Paleobotany|palaeobotanists]] to figure out suitable locations that were sufficiently similar to the intended ancient landscapes. After determining a comprehensive enough selection of possible filming locations, Bates traveled to the different sites with a video camera to shoot test footage, which was then viewed by the producers to get an idea of the terrain.<ref name=":5" /> Filming locations for ''Walking with Beasts'' included [[Florida]], [[Mexico]], [[Java]], [[Arizona]], [[Brazil]], [[South Africa]] and [[Yukon]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - Animatronics |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/anim/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011221070809/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/anim/ |archive-date=2001-12-21 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

In order to write the storylines for the series, producers Jasper James and Nigel Paterson watched numerous nature documentaries on modern animals. They wanted to avoid episodes simply becoming "lists of animals and how they lived" and instead wanted them to draw viewers in and make them want to know what would happen to the animals next.<ref name=":1" /> Chambers and Freeman also worked on the storylines, with the goal of ensuring that as much inferred behaviour as possible of each animal was showcased in the series.<ref name=":5" /> In the end, each episode of ''Walking with Beasts'' ended up with a different type of story. ''Next of Kin'' (episode four) for instance follows a group of ''Australopithecus'' going through rough times and ''Land of Giants'' (episode three) follows a young ''[[Indricotherium]]''{{Efn|name=indric|''[[Indricotherium]]'' is today generally considered synonymous with the genus ''[[Paraceratherium]]''.}} for the first few years of its life. Details of the plot and how animals behaved were guided by fossil evidence; James maintained in behind-the-scenes material that no details in the storylines of ''Walking with Beasts'' were based on fiction.<ref name=":1" />

=== Special effects and filming ===
[[File:Walking With Beasts models, Horniman Museum.jpg|left|thumb|[[Maquette]]s of ''[[Deinotherium]]'' (left) and ''[[Australopithecus]]'' (right), used to create the computer models in ''Walking with Beasts'']]
Chambers and Freeman worked with sculptors to create accurate reconstructions of the animals in the series. Relevant specialist [[palaeontologists]] and other researchers were consulted for each animal to gather advice on behavior and appearance. For some of the animals featured in ''Walking with Beasts'', no models had ever been made before.<ref name=":5" /> The model makers also worked based on drawings and photographs of fossil material. Each [[maquette]] took several weeks to create. The finished maquettes were scanned into computers with 3D.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - Model Making |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/models/index.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011214114548/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/models/index.shtml |archive-date=2001-12-14 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The textures of the animals were designed by skin designers, with advice from researchers. For some of the animals in ''Mammoth Journey'' (episode six), cave paintings could give an idea of real life colors but for most others the patterns were educated guesswork.<ref name=":5" />

As in ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', the computer graphics for ''Walking with Beasts'' were created by the visual effects company [[Framestore]].<ref name=":3">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - Computer Graphics |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/cg/index.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011221074333/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/cg/index.shtml |archive-date=2001-12-21 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Animators worked closely with researchers; experts were brought in to look at the movements of each animal to ensure that they moved accurately and advice was gathered on what behaviours each creature could have exhibited.<ref name=":5" /> Animating the animals in ''Walking with Beasts'' was more difficult than in ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' owing to mammals having more moving bits than dinosaurs, such as whiskers, eyebrows and various floppy and wobbly parts. Additionally, the production team believed audiences would be more critical of the movements of mammals than they had been of dinosaurs since viewers would be more familiar with how mammals move; it would thus be easier to spot inaccurate movement.<ref name=":3" /> The most difficult creature to animate in the series was ''Australopithecus'', which in terms of their movement had to appear "more than an ape but less than a human".<ref name=":3" />[[File:Walk With Beasts exhibition.jpg|thumb|Puppet heads of various animals used for certain shots in the series]]Filming ''Walking with Beasts'' took four or five weeks.<ref name=":1" /> Filming was usually a matter of gathering location shots where the computer-generated animals would then be inserted later. Sometimes it was necessary to replicate the impact the animated animals would have on their environment—such as footprints left in the snow by a woolly mammoth. Not all parts of filming the series were entirely imaginary, as ''Walking with Beasts'' also made extensive use of [[animatronics]] and puppets for close-up shots.<ref name=":1" /> The animatronics and puppets in ''Walking with Beasts'' were created by special effects company [[Crawley Creatures]], the same company responsible for the animatronics in the preceding ''Walking with Dinosaurs''. On account of many of the animals in ''Walking with Beasts'' having fur or hair and requiring more complex facial expressions, creating the animatronics for ''Walking with Beasts'' was more difficult than for the previous series. During production, the animatronics team grew from seven to eighteen and additional support was brought in through hiring specialist out-workers.<ref name=":2" />

As with the computer graphics, experts were also consulted for some of the practical effects. Among the scientists consulted were archaeologist and anthropologist Michael Bisson, an expert on [[Middle Paleolithic|Middle Palaeolithic]] tools, who helped craft some of the tools shown being used by Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans in the series.<ref name=":11" />

The animatronics were created and used over a period of one-and-a-half years. In total there were over 40 different animatronic elements used, most of which were animatronic heads of animals. The broad movements of the animatronics were controlled by puppeteers, while their more subtle movements were remote-controlled and operated via [[servo motor]]s.<ref name=":2" /> ''Australopithecus'' was in some close-ups portrayed by actors with prosthetics. Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans were consistently portrayed by actors also in non close-up shots, the Neanderthal actors wearing prosthetics.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite video |title="The Beasts Within" |date=2002 |medium=DVD featurette |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The prosthetics used by the actors were also made by Crawley Creatures.<ref name=":2" />

=== Sound design and music ===
The sound design for ''Walking with Beasts'' was done by Kenny Clark. Clark and his partner Jovan Ajder began the process by recording [[foley sound effects]], such as footsteps. Then, Clark and Ajder began constructing a sound library through recording their own sounds and contacting web-based FX companies as well as companies around the world. After a great collection of different animal sounds had been assembled, different sounds were mixed together, cut up or played backwards to create creature sounds. The noises of ''[[Leptictidium]]'' were [[otter]] noises, pitch shifted and reversed, and the sounds of ''[[Gastornis]]'' were made by a [[monkey]] and a [[rattlesnake]], slightly edited. ''[[Megatherium]]'' was voiced through goat noises, though considerably lowered in pitch, ''[[Embolotherium]]'' were voiced by [[walrus]]es and [[rhino]]s, ''[[Macrauchenia]]'' by donkeys, ''Indricotherium'' by bears and rhinoceroses and ''[[Chalicotherium]]'' by a [[hippopotamus]]. ''[[Australopithecus]]'' was initially planned to be voiced through harmonised human voices, an idea that was abandoned in favour of [[monkey]] sounds. The ''[[Woolly Mammoth]]s'' were voiced by [[elephant]]s and ''[[Smilodon]]'' were voiced by [[lion]]s and [[tiger]]s. The final sound mixing was done by [[Chris Burdon]], who combined a total of 64 sound tracks (including narration, music, animal sounds and background noises) to produce one final [[stereo mix]] for the series.<ref name=":23">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - Sound |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/sound/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011221070809/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/sound/ |archive-date=2001-12-21 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

[[Ben Bartlett]], who had previously worked on ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', composed the music for ''Walking with Beasts''. The composition process began with Bartlett and the directors (Jasper James and Nigel Paterson) viewing the different episodes together without sound and determining specific scenes that stood out as especially requiring music. Bartlett approached ''Walking with Beasts'' differently than he had ''Walking with Dinosaurs''; the score in the previous series often included sophisticated themes and orchestral sweeps to reflect the grandeur of the dinosaurs. When it came to the Cenozoic, Bartlett found the era much harder to characterise, concluding that the "beasts" were less "refined" than the dinosaurs before them. As a result, the score of ''Walking with Beasts'' intentionally disobeys standard rules of sophisticated harmony, focusing on simplicity but also at times having "big blocks of sound [crashing] in uninvited".<ref name=":22">{{cite web |date=2001 |title=Making Of - Music |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/sound/music/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011221070809/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/makingof/sound/music.shtml |archive-date=2001-12-21 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

== Episodes ==

=== ''Walking with Beasts'' ===
{{Episode table |background=#9790BB |overall= |title= |aux1= |director= |airdate= |viewers= |country=U.K. |aux1T=Epoch and location |episodes={{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 1
| Title=New Dawn
| Aux1= [[Messel pit|Germany]], 49 mya ([[Eocene]])
| DirectedBy= Jasper James & Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|11|15|df=y}}
| Viewers= 13.99<ref name="barb">https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-30/ Weekly top 30 programmes ''BARB'' Web. Retrieved 2018-09-19.</ref>{{Efn|The viewing figures are 7-day data, including the original Thursday broadcast and Sunday repeat for the six main episodes.}}
| ShortSummary= The first episode is set sixteen million years after the extinction of the non-avian [[dinosaur]]s. Birds, a surviving lineage of archosaur, such as ''[[Gastornis]]'',{{efn|''[[Gastornis]]'' is today generally believed to have been herbivorous}} rule the world, and mammals remain very small. The episode explores the forerunners of later lineages of Cenozoic animals and centers on a family of shrew-like ''[[Leptictidium]]'' living upon the [[volcanic lake]] of [[Messel pit]]. Other creatures featured in this time include ''[[Propalaeotherium]]'', an early forerunner of horses, ''[[Ambulocetus]]'', an amphibious ancestor of the whales, and ''[[Godinotia]]'', an early primate.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 2
| Title=Whale Killer
| Aux1= [[Tethys Sea]]/[[Pakistan]], 36 mya (Eocene)
| DirectedBy= Jasper James & Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|11|22|df=y}}
| Viewers= 11.34<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= The second episode is set during a cooling period in the late [[Eocene]], which drastically changed the ocean currents and climate. Climate change impacts different animals in different ways. On land, the giant predatory animal ''[[Andrewsarchus]]'' is driven to the beach to feed on sea turtles and a herd of ''[[Embolotherium]]'' struggle to survive. In the ocean, a mother ''[[Basilosaurus]]'' struggles to keep herself and her newborn calf fed, failing to hunt both ''[[Moeritherium]]'' and ''[[Apidium]]'' after being forced to swim into a [[mangrove swamp]] in search for food. The ''[[Dorudon]]'' also makes an appearance.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 3
| Title=Land of Giants
| Aux1= [[Mongolia]], 25 mya ([[Oligocene|Late Oligocene]])
| DirectedBy= Jasper James & Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|11|29|df=y}}
| Viewers= 9.27<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= The third episode takes place in the late Oligocene in Mongolia, where seasonal rains are followed by long periods of drought. It follows a mother ''[[Indricotherium]]'',{{Efn|name=indric}} an enormous hornless rhinoceros, and her young male calf. The mother struggles to raise her calf, fending off threats such as ''[[Hyaenodon]]'' and trying to teach the calf to survive on its own. The episode also follows other animals in the surroundings, including ''Hyaenodon'', ''[[Entelodon]]'' and ''[[Chalicotherium]]'', and the hardships they endure as the drought drags on.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 4
| Title=Next of Kin
| Aux1= [[Hadar Formation|Ethiopia]], 3.2 mya ([[Pliocene]])
| DirectedBy= Jasper James & Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|12|6|df=y}}
| Viewers= {{Unreported UK viewers|5.92}}<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= The fourth episode is set in the [[Great Rift Valley]] in Ethiopia and follows a tribe of ''[[Australopithecus]]'', small early hominins and among the first apes to be able to walk upright. The social bonds and hierarchy of the tribe are explored, as are the means of communication of ''Australopithecus'', relations between different tribes, and how they survive among dangerous animals such as the elephant ancestor ''[[Deinotherium]]'' and the ''[[Dinofelis]]''. Certain ''Australopithecus'' are given names, such as the dominant male "Grey", his rival "Hercules", and the young orphan "Blue".
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 5
| Title=Sabre Tooth
| Aux1= [[Paraguay]], 1 mya ([[Pleistocene]])
| DirectedBy= Jasper James & Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|12|13|df=y}}
| Viewers= 5.87<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= The fifth episode explores the strange fauna of South America, by this point isolated for millions of years, and the effects of the [[Great American Interchange]], which happened about 1.5 million years earlier. Among the strange animals inhabiting South America are the giant armored ''[[Doedicurus]]'', the trunked and camel-like ''[[Macrauchenia]]'', the giant ground sloth ''[[Megatherium]]'' and the [[terror bird|gigantic terror bird]] ''[[Phorusrhacos]]''. The episode particularly focuses on the ''[[Smilodon populator|Smilodon]]'', following a ''Smilodon'' nicknamed "Half Tooth" and his efforts to reclaim his clan and territory after being defeated and driven away by two rival male ''Smilodon''. It also focuses on how ''Smilodon's'' 8-inch-long upper canines were too fragile to bite into bone, and how ''Smilodon'' could therefore eat only the more tender parts of its kill. Afterwards, ''Phorusrhacos'' would scavenge the remains of ''Smilodon'' kills.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 6
| Title=Mammoth Journey
| Aux1= [[Belgium]], 30 ka (Pleistocene)
| DirectedBy= Jasper James & Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|12|20|df=y}}
| Viewers= 9.48<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= The sixth episode takes place during the [[last ice age]], beginning in the peak of summer when the [[North Sea]] has become a grassy plain, grazed by [[woolly mammoth]]s, [[saiga antelope]]s and [[bison]]. Also present are [[Early European modern humans|anatomically modern human]]s. The episode focuses on the migration of a herd of woolly mammoths, as they march from the North Sea to the [[Swiss Alps]] for the winter and then back again for the summer. On their journey, the mammoth herd encounters further ice age animals, such as the giant deer ''[[Megaloceros]]'', [[woolly rhinoceros]]es and another human species [[Neanderthal]]s.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
}}
[[BBC One]] aired the series weekly on Thursday nights, with a regular of repeats the following Sunday afternoon. In 2010, the series was repeated on [[BBC Three]] in [[Omnibus (broadcast)|omnibus]] format, as three-hour-long episodes.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sndkw Walking with Beasts -  Compilations - Episode 1] ''bbc.co.uk.'' Web. Retrieved 19 September 2018.</ref>

=== ''The Science of Walking with Beasts'' ===
A two-episode companion documentary, ''The Science of Walking with Beasts'', aired in November 2001 on BBC One. This series featured interviews with palaeontologists and explanations of how the fossil record and modern day descendants have informed what is known about the animals depicted in ''Walking with Beasts'', as well as brief sections showing the development of the CGI and animatronic animals used in the series.

{{Episode table |background=#9790BB |overall= |title= |director= |airdate= |viewers= |country=U.K. |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 1
| Title=Triumph of the Beasts
| DirectedBy= Kate Bartlett
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|11|21|df=y}}
| Viewers= {{Unreported UK viewers|5.86}}<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= An explanation of how mammals evolved to be larger and more prevalent, eventually taking the dinosaurs' place as some of the most successful creatures on the planet. The [[Messel pit]] fossil site and fossil discoveries of [[Roy Chapman Andrews]] are featured.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 2
| Title=The Beasts Within
| DirectedBy= Nigel Paterson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|11|28|df=y}}
| Viewers= {{Unreported UK viewers|5.96}}<ref name="barb" />
| ShortSummary= An explanation of how prehistoric apes evolved into modern man, and which attributes made human ancestors so successful. The [[La Cotte de St Brelade]] site is featured.
| LineColor = 9790BB
}}
}}

== Reception ==
The first airing of ''New Dawn'', the first episode of ''Walking with Beasts'', on BBC One attracted 8.5 million viewers and an 81% audience share. Though this fell short of the first airing of ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' (15 million viewers), it was considered a major success owing to 2001's more competitive broadcasting environment and due to being 3.6 million viewers above the average audience of BBC One during the time slot.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-11-16 |title=Beasts walk in with a roar |url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/nov/16/overnights |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

=== Reviews ===
''Walking with Beasts'' was praised for its effects. Both [[Paul Hoggart]], writing for ''[[The Times]]'', and [[Nancy Banks-Smith]], writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', concurred that the series showed technical brilliance and stunning computer reconstructions. Banks-Smith however criticised the narration, writing that it had not "advanced beyond chalk and blackboard" and that it was "so clearly addressed to a clever but cloth-eared child that you felt yourself dwindle and shrink". Jennifer Selway, writing for the ''[[Daily Express]]'', noted that although the technology and effort that went into ''Walking with Beasts'' was "breathtaking", its subject matter did not hold the same appeal as the dinosaurs and that the production team perhaps should have made "Walking with More Dinosaurs" instead.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-11-16 |title=First night: walking with beasts |url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/nov/16/firstnight.broadcasting |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

=== Awards ===
''Walking with Beasts'' won a [[BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards|BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award]] for Enhancement of Linear Media, a [[Monitor Award]] for Film Originated Television Specials - 3D Animation, a [[RTS Television Award]] for Multi-Media and Interactive and a [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour of More).<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Walking With Beasts Awards |url=https://www.tvgeek.com/se/title/walking-with-beasts/awards_nominations |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=TVGEEK}}</ref> ''Walking with Beasts'' was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special and [[Bafta TV Awards|BAFTA TV Awards]] for Best Sound (Factual) and Best Visual Effects & Graphic Design.<ref name=":10" />

== In other media ==

=== Books ===
A companion book to the series, titled ''Walking with Beasts: A Prehistoric Safari'' (titled just ''Walking with Prehistoric Beasts'' in the United States), was authored by Haines and released in 2001. The book is a coffee-table book which explores life in the Cenozoic through the same settings and animals as in the series itself and it contains sidebars with facts and is illustrated with stills from the series. ''A Prehistoric Safari'' was positively reviewed in the book review magazine ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-11-01 |title=Nonfiction Book Review: Walking with Prehistoric Beasts by Tim Haines |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780563537632 |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Publishers Weekly}}</ref>

In addition to the larger companion book, there were also several children's books released to accompany the series: ''Walking with Beasts Annual 2002'' (a longer hardback book),<ref>{{Cite web |last=ThriftBooks |title=Walking with Beasts Annual 2002 book by Anonymous |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/walking-with-beasts-annual-2002_anonymous/19192957/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=ThriftBooks |language=en}}</ref> ''Walking with Beasts: 3-D Beasts'' (with [[3D Image|3D images]])<ref>{{Cite web |last=ThriftBooks |title=Walking with Beasts- 3D Beasts(Pb) book by BBC |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/walking-with-beasts--3d-beastspb_bbc/19111909/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=ThriftBooks |language=en}}</ref> and ''Walking with Beasts: Survival!'' by [[Stephen Cole (writer)|Stephen Cole]], with pictures from the series.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ThriftBooks |title=Walking with Beasts: Survival! book by Stephen Cole |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/walking-with-beasts-survival_stephen-cole/3083848/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=ThriftBooks |language=en}}</ref> ''Walking with Beasts: Survival!'' was released in the United States under the title ''Walking with Prehistoric Beasts: Photo Journal''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ThriftBooks |title=Walking with Prehistoric Beasts: Photo Journal book by D.K. Publishing |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/walking-with-prehistoric-beasts-photojournal_dk-publishing_stephen-cole/1028523/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=ThriftBooks |language=en}}</ref> There was also a ''Walking with Beasts'' [[sticker book]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=ThriftBooks |title=Walking with Prehistoric Beasts: Sticker... book by BBC Wildlife Magazine |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/walking-with-prehistoric-beasts-sticker-book-walking-with-prehistoric-beasts_bbc-wildlife-magazine/2286650/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=ThriftBooks |language=en}}</ref>

=== Exhibition ===
[[File:Gastornis Walking With Beasts.jpg|thumb|''[[Gastornis]]'' models from the ''Walking with Beasts'' exhibition]]
[[File:Woolly Rhinoceros Hunt.jpg|thumb|[[Woolly rhinoceros]] models from the ''Walking with Beasts'' exhibition]]
An exhibition based on ''Walking with Beasts'' was launched by the BBC in 2007. The exhibition featured life-sized models of many of the animals that appeared in the series,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Take a walk with beasts |url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1169958.take-a-walk-with-beasts/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=News Shopper |date=5 February 2007 |language=en}}</ref> information on the science behind ''Walking with Beasts'',<ref name=":7">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090307112723/http://www.satrosphere.net/index.php?p=112 Satrosphere Science Centre - What's on 2009]</ref> original animatronics and puppets from the series,<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Mike |title=Walking with Beasts Unleashed in Coventry |url=https://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2011/06/24/4845062.html |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Everything Dinosaur Blog |date=24 June 2011 |language=en-US}}</ref> real fossils,<ref name=":8" /> as well as various activities for visitors.<ref name=":6" />

The exhibition was first held at the [[Horniman Museum]] in London from 10 February to 4 November 2007.<ref name=":6" /> It was later at the [[Aberdeen Science Centre]] in [[Aberdeen]], Scotland, from 23 March to 30 September 2009<ref name=":7" /> and then at the [[Herbert Art Gallery and Museum]] in [[Coventry]], England from 2 July to 30 October 2011.<ref name=":8" />

=== Video game ===
''Walking with Beasts: Operation Salvage'' is a [[CD-ROM]] [[video game]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] developed by Absolute Studios and published by [[BBC Worldwide|BBC Worldwide Ltd.]] on 23 November 2001 as a tie-in to the series. A [[top-down shooter]], ''Operation Salvage'' is set in 2036 after mankind's discovery of [[time travel]]. Players take the role of an agent of the World Wildlife Bionetwork (WWB), travelling back in time throughout the Cenozoic, observing different animals and fighting an organisation that is trapping the different creatures.<ref>{{cite web |date=2001-10-05 |title=65 Million Years of Strategy |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/05/65-million-years-of-strategy |website=IGN}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=Walking with Beasts: Operation Salvage for Windows (2001) |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/walking-with-beasts-operation-salvage |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=MobyGames}}</ref> The game received mixed reviews: [[7Wolf Magazine]] gave it 4.5 out of 10 and [[Absolute Games]] gave it 44 out of 100.<ref name=":9" />

=== Interactive version ===
''Walking with Beasts'' aired as an interactive programme during its original UK broadcast, the first time the BBC had developed an interactive service for a non-sports programme. Among the various interactive features accessible through viewers' remote controls were the possibility to switch between narration by [[Kenneth Branagh]] and Dilly Barlow, to access figures and facts through pop-ups, and to view behind-the-scenes material.<ref name=":0" />

=== Website ===
An accompanying website to the series was launched in 2001. The ''Walking with Beasts'' website featured extensive behind-the-scenes information on the production of the series, information on the fossil evidence used to reconstruct the animals and their environments, fact files for the animals, numerous articles on palaeontological topics such as climate throughout the Cenozoic and the [[extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs]], as well as various games. Games included the "Shoot the Fish experiment", where players could experiment with evolution through a simulated fish population, games dealing with topics such as camouflage and fossilisation, as well as [[jigsaw puzzle]]s with different animal skeletons.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011216035407/http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/ Archived ''Walking with Beasts'' website]</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{BBC programme}}
*''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/tv_radio/wwbeasts/ Walking with Beasts - BBC Science & Nature]''
*{{IMDb title|0286285|title=Walking with Prehistoric Beasts}}
*''[https://web.archive.org/web/20050527095948/http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/ Walking with Beasts]'' at [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]

{{Walking with}}
{{EmmyAward AnimationLessThanHour 2001–2025}}
{{Impossible Pictures}}

[[Category:2001 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:2001 British television series endings]]
[[Category:BBC television documentaries]]
[[Category:Discovery Channel original programming]]
[[Category:Documentary films about prehistoric life]]
[[Category:Television series about mammals]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (television series)]]
[[Category:Walking with...]]