MUMBAI: Discovery Channel?s series Body Bizarre, moves across the globe in hunt of extraordinary individuals living with some of the planet?s most inexplicable, remarkable and thought-provoking medical anomalies that have even mystified the world?s finest doctors and experts.

The six-part special series, Body Bizarre, will hit the television screens every Monday to Friday at 10 pm starting 13 May only on Discovery Channel.

From India to Indonesia, China to Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Texas Body Bizarre reveals the real human stories behind the headlines and brings to light what life is really like for these people whose lives have been afflicted by physically and emotionally horrifying syndromes.

The series covers the anomalies of five Indians from Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

A woman who constantly cries and sweats blood, Indonesia?s infamous cigarette-smoking toddler, a little girl who is a human octopus in India, a werewolf girl in Thailand, a 31 year old woman trapped in the body of a baby, a footless football sensation, a furry monkey girl in China, an Indonesian boy with snake-like skin, a man with a hole in his face and an Ethiopian girl born with an extra body are some of the individuals whose rare unpleasant conditions have made them shy away from human contact.

Body Bizarre features stripped down interviews with these individuals, their family, friends and doctors who analysis and attempts to treat their rare conditions. Sometimes, they require surgery so complicated and demanding that the odds of survival are stacked against them.

Despite the massive challenges they face, with modern medicine, the dedication of medical teams, the love of their family and friends and most importantly, their powerful passion for life, these strong individuals push themselves not only for the purpose of survival, but to shine and inspire as well.

MUMBAI: Non-fiction broadcaster Discovery Networks International (DNI) has announced the return of survival expert and global phenomenon Bear Grylls with a new series: ?Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors?.

This six episode one hour series - commissioned by DNI creative director, head of production, development Julian Bellamy and DNI VP development, factual programming Sarah Davies will air on Discovery Channel internationally, available in 217 markets across the Asia-Pacific Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Grylls said, "I am super excited to be working with Discovery again - the channel where the ?Man Vs Wild? journey began. ?Bear Grylls: Ultimate Surviviors? and any future endeavours will be intense-but that?s where the fun is! ?Man Vs Wild? took me to some of the toughest climates and terrains out there, and this new series is an exciting evolution of that. The aim is to follow incredible real-life survival stories and demonstrate dynamic life-saving know-how along the way."

DNI chief content officer, executive VP Luis Silberwasser said, "We are thrilled to welcome Bear back to the Discovery fold. He is a true game-changer in the survival genre, integral in shaping it into the programming powerhouse that it is today. We are now poised to push the limits even further for our international audience."

Bellamy said, "We are hugely excited about Bear?s new series, which brings a fresh take to what he does best: survival extremes. ?Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors? will pair Bear?s unique brand of survival knowledge and techniques with some of the most mind-blowing survival stories ever documented. This show will prove to be a must-see for adventure lovers around the world."

In the show, Grylls takes his survival expertise one step further as he reveals the stories of ordinary people stranded in devastatingly dire situations. Coupled with archive footage and interviews with the survivors, he will pit himself against the very same dangers and scenarios, re-living their journeys through first-hand experience, and showing us how to survive through some of the world?s most desolate landscapes.

From a plane crash in the Amazon, to the remote crevasses of the European Alps, to the unforgiving North African desert, Grylls navigates through ever more hostile terrain to show the skills needed to make it back to civilization. The show aims to go beyond mere endurance skills. It aims to offer insight into the human spirit under pressure. It marries emotion and real experience that celebrates instinct, endeavor, and the will to survive in the face of dangers.

 
MUMBAI: Infotainment channel Discovery Channel will kick off on 9 September a ten-part series of ?Coal? every Sunday at 7 pm.

The show will go underground to explore the workings of a modern coalmine and meet the people who undertake the potentially lethal, complex task of extracting this vital natural resource.

Every aspect of the job will be covered, from the dangers behind the super-charged explosions needed to open surface mines, to the well-publicised daily dangers of working in the dark recesses of the earth?s crust in a traditional shaft mine.

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, "Discovery Channel?s series ?Coal? will explore the daily lives and the communities spawned by an industry that?s been around for centuries."

The miners work long shifts, often hunched over - the size of the mine limited to the size of the coal seam, some as small as 32 inches. Men toil in cramped spaces doing a job their fathers and grandfathers did before them. At any moment a pillar could collapse, the makeshift roof could cave-in, or trapped methane gas could cause an explosion killing everyone in the mine.

Each episode will feature different members of the crew. From the workers at the mine, to the shift bosses who oversee the whole operation, the series will focus on both their work and personal lives. The series will delve into the lives of workers - the mine operators, who do the actual drilling; the roof bolters, who reinforce the ?top? after each cutting away of the coal; the buggy runners, who haul away the load; and the scoopers, who pick up the excess.

The programme will also feature some of the first coalmines that existed in the 1800s, towns sprung up and thrived creating a culture of coalminers that still exists today.

MUMBAI: Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey captures her experience in India in a two-part show, ?Oprah?s Next Chapter?, that will simulcast on Discovery Channel, TLC and Discovery Channel Tamil from 20-21 July at 8 pm.

In Oprah?s Next Chapter, she discloses her emotional link that she could feel for the people and culture during her visit to first India this year.

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, ?Discovery Channel takes viewers to rediscover India with one of the most iconic television personalities in the world. Oprah has connected with audience through her chat shows and in Oprah?s Next Chapter, she transitions to a new phase in her life. Audience will see her embrace Indian culture through in-depth conversations with people from different walks of life.?

Upon arrival in Mumbai, Oprah accompanies Australian author Gregory David Roberts of bestselling novel Shantaram to make a trip to the slums and to meet a family of five members living on a meagre salary. She is moved by the aspirations of the family which lives, eats, cooks and sleeps in a 10-foot-by-10-foot concrete room.

Oprah also gets enthused by the close-knit Indian families when she is invited to visit an upper-middle-class family which has four generations living happily under one roof. She also dines her first traditional Indian meal in a thali.

Oprah is invited to a party hosted by industrialist Parmeshwar and Adi Godrej and is pleasantly surprised by the grandeur of the night which has celebrated guests from Mumbai?s glitterati and Bollywood including A.R. Rahman, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and others. On her way to the party, Oprah halts to meet leading Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai and the Bachchan family. She also reveals her favourite fit as she is draped in a traditional saree designed by leading designer Tarun Tahiliani.

In the second episode, Opray travels to Taj Mahal in Agra to see the epitome of love. Her next destination is Jaipur, where she is mesmerised by the land of extremes to see camels wandering along other vehicles on its metropolitan city streets. She sits down with spiritual guru Deepak Chopra for a thought-provoking conversation on spirituality, karma, aging and meditation.

Oprah is invited to the Palace walls of Jaipur where the Royal Family gives her a traditional Indian regal welcome. She travels to Vrindavan and goes inside a shelter run by Dr. V. Mohini Giri?s Guild for Service, which provides safe haven, job training and dignity to more than 100 displaced women.

Oprah gets inspired by the spirituality and harmony and draws her views on the paradox realities.

It is after 25 years of her stint with television and having interviewed over 28,000 guests that Oprah has stepped out of the studio to have conversation with newsmakers, celebrities and ordinary people.

Oprah said, "After 25 years I got myself out of the studio chairs. I moved into the next chapter, and I am having more fun than ever - moving around the country and the world talking to people I?m really interested in getting to know and I think viewers will be, too. It is so energising to be out and about in the world exploring new people, new places and new ideas."

Meanwhile, Discovery will air a four part special on the Olympic Games every Sunday at 7 pm from 8 July. This will show the amount of preparation that London has done to get ready for the sporting spectacle in terms of things like logistics, engineering and preparing various facilities.