Actuality Productions

Antarctica: A Frozen History takes a look at the history and stories of the human explorations in the Antarctic. Although quite slow paced and relatively old, the documentary film successfully incorporates reconstructed film material and original Antarctic expedition footage to fully illustrate the hardships of the heroic and extreme arctic explorations. Human endurance is tested to the maximum, as the documentary takes a look back at those who have tried, failed and conquered this most unforgiving landscape. Some of these stories entail Robert Falcon Scott, a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913. Scott reached the South Pole in January 1912 only to find he had been beaten to the spot by 33 days. His entire party died on the return journey; eight months later, a search party discovered some of their bodies, diaries and photographs.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution stands as one of the most important discoveries in the history of science. Yet in his lifetime, Darwin was reluctant to reveal what he had learned for fear that it would make outcasts of him and his family. This fascinating installment of A&E's popular "Biography" series profiles the life and times of the controversial naturalist, presenting excerpts from his journals and opinions from expert scholars.