Supervolcano (Scripted, English)
Genres: Drama, Action, Thriller
Status: Ended
Premiered: 2005-03-13
Ended: 2005-03-13
Network: BBC One
Country: GB
Airs on: Sunday
Runtime: 60 minutes
Molten lava bulging against the Earth's crust beneath America's Yellowstone Park will explode through with devastating effect - it's just a question of when, say scientists. This factual drama set in the near future depicts such an outcome based on evacuation procedures and predictions by volcanologists and futurologists. The year is 2020 and the world faces the ultimate threat. Not nuclear war or a terrorist attack, but the eruption of a gigantic 'supervolcano' simmering beneath Yellowstone Park. The last eruption of this kind plunged the world into darkness for six years, triggered the last Ice Age and reduced the human population to just 2,000 people. Scientists know that the molten lava bulging against the Earth's crust in Yellowstone will explode; it's just a question of when. This powerful, reality-based thriller explores the environmental, political, economic and social impact of such a cataclysmic event. After witnessing the build-up and devastating climax, viewers are projected into the aftermath: a post-apocalyptic world. Can the human species ever recover? Local news feeds, diary footage, CCTV, family camcorder and real archive footage are simulated in gritty detail, while human drama overlays the factual scenario, shaping events into a compelling experience.