# Pioneer Productions

Pioneer Productions is a British television production company based in London, United Kingdom, specialising in scientific and other documentary productions.

## History

Founded in 1988, by Nigel Henbest, Heather Couper, and Stuart Carter, Pioneer targeted science broadcasting in a period of global tele-media expansion and sought relationships with US factual television broadcasters.
In the 1990s it produced series entitled Raging Planet and Extreme Machines. Later CGI films included Journey to the Edge of the Universe, The Unsinkable Titanic, Hindenburg: The Last Flight [de], Extraordinary Animals, In the Womb, and Catastrophe. In 2009, it helped produce the six-part series Christianity: A History for Channel 4.

## Awards

Pioneer has won the "Best Science Film" award twice at the Banff World Media Festival, the Grand Award at the New York Television Festival, a UK Indie award, Sony Award, CINE Golden Eagles, and other prizes in the U.S., France, Italy, and Greece. Recently, Pioneer Productions has won an Emmy Award and awards at the Royal Television Society.

## Content Produced by Pioneer Productions

| Show | Show | Format | Produced for |
| Mother Undercover (2023) | Mother Undercover (2023) | TV minieries | Hulu |
| Gold: A Journey with Idris Elba (2023) | Gold: A Journey with Idris Elba (2023) | Movie | World Gold Council |
| The Windsor Castle Fire (2023) | The Windsor Castle Fire (2023) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| Animals Like Us (Unknown) | Animals Like Us (Unknown) | TV miniseries | Love Nature Sky Nature |
| Rob Cell's Engineering Reborn (2022-2023) | Rob Cell's Engineering Reborn (2022-2023) | TV minieries | 5Select |
| In the Womb: Animal Babies (2022) | In the Womb: Animal Babies (2022) | TV miniseries | National Geographic Wild |
| Secrets of the Royal Gardens (2022) | Secrets of the Royal Gardens (2022) | TV miniseries | More4 |
| V-Day (2020) | V-Day (2020) | Movie | Smithsonian Channel |
| Ocean Autopsy (2020) | Ocean Autopsy (2020) | Movie | BBC Four |
| #Trump: How Social Media Changed the Presidency (2020) | #Trump: How Social Media Changed the Presidency (2020) | Movie | Passion Distribution AMC/Sundance |
| What Happens to Your Body When You Climb? (2020) | What Happens to Your Body When You Climb? (2020) | Short film | Red Bull |
| Chasing the Equinox (2020) | Chasing the Equinox (2020) | Movie | National Geographic |
| Secrets of the Superfactories (2019-2023) | Secrets of the Superfactories (2019-2023) | TV series | More4 |
| One Hour that Changed the World: Moon Landing (2019) | One Hour that Changed the World: Moon Landing (2019) | Movie | Eden Passion Distribution |
| Superstructures: Engineering Marvels (2019) | Superstructures: Engineering Marvels (2019) | TV miniseries | National Geographic |
| Animals After Dark (2019) | Animals After Dark (2019) | TV miniseries | Channel 5 |
| Planes Gone Viral (2018) | Planes Gone Viral (2018) | TV miniseries | Passion |
| Charlie Head Standing up for the Amazon (2018) | Charlie Head Standing up for the Amazon (2018) | TV episode | Red Bull |
| The Great American Eclipse (2017) | The Great American Eclipse (2017) | Movie | Science Channel |
| Secrets of Christ's Tomb (2017) | Secrets of Christ's Tomb (2017) | Movie | National Geographic |
| National Geographic ||
| Voyage of the Finnmen (2016) | Voyage of the Finnmen (2016) | Movie | Red Bull |
| Red Bull ||
| Treasures of the Earth (2016) | Treasures of the Earth (2016) | TV miniseries | PBS |
| David Baddiel on the Silk Road (2016) | David Baddiel on the Silk Road (2016) | TV miniseries | Discovery Channel |
| Your Face Says It All (2016) | Your Face Says It All (2016) | TV miniseries | Channel 4 |
| Bloody Queens: Elizabeth and Mary (2016) | Bloody Queens: Elizabeth and Mary (2016) | Movie | BBC Two |
| Mail Order Murder (2014-2015) | Mail Order Murder (2014-2015) | TV miniseries | Investigation Discovery |
| The Next Mega Tsunami (2014) | The Next Mega Tsunami (2014) | Movie | National Geographic |
| How Sex Works (2013) | How Sex Works (2013) | Movie | BBC Three |
| Strangest Weather on Earth (2013-2015) | Strangest Weather on Earth (2013-2015) | TV series | The Weather Channel |
| Disasters at Sea: Why Ships Sink (2012) | Disasters at Sea: Why Ships Sink (2012) | Movie / TV Episode* | Channel 4 *NOVA |
| Storm City 3D (2012) | Storm City 3D (2012) | TV miniseries | Sky |
| How Drugs Work (2011) | How Drugs Work (2011) | TV miniseries | BBC Three |
| The Year The Earth Went Wild (2011) | The Year The Earth Went Wild (2011) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| Witness: Disaster (Unknown) | Witness: Disaster (Unknown) | Movie | National Geographic |
| National Geographic ||
| Curiosity | Egypt: What Lies Beneath with Brendan Fraser (2011) | TV episode | Discovery Channel |
| Curiosity | How Will The World End with Samuel L. Jackson (2011) | TV episode | Discovery Channel |
| Curiosity | What's Beneath America with Martin Sheen (2011) | TV episode | Discovery Channel |
| Curiosity | Why is Sex Fun with Maggie Gyllenhaal (2011) | TV episode | Discovery Channel |
| Japan Tsunami: How It Happened (2011) | Japan Tsunami: How It Happened (2011) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| Channel 4 ||
| Birth of Britain (2010) | Birth of Britain (2010) | TV miniseries | Channel 4 |
| Mad and Bad: 60 Years of Science on TV (2010) | Mad and Bad: 60 Years of Science on TV (2010) | Movie | BBC Four |
| The Volcano that Stopped the World (Unknown) | The Volcano that Stopped the World (Unknown) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| How The Universe Works (2010— ) | How The Universe Works (2010— ) | TV series | Discovery Channel Science Channel |
| Oklahoma's Deadliest Tornadoes (2013) | Oklahoma's Deadliest Tornadoes (2013) | TV episode | NOVA |
| Buried Alive: Chile Mine Rescue (2010) | Buried Alive: Chile Mine Rescue (2010) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| The Bible: A History (2010) | The Bible: A History (2010) | TV miniseries | Channel 4 |
| Channel 4 ||
| The DaVinci Shroud (2009) | The DaVinci Shroud (2009) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| The Unsinkable Titanic (2008) | The Unsinkable Titanic (2008) | Movie | Channel 4 National Geographic Discovery Canada FremantleMedia |
| Journey to the Edge of the Universe (2008) | Journey to the Edge of the Universe (2008) | Movie | National Geographic |
| Catastrophe (2008) | Catastrophe (2008) | TV miniseries | Channel 4 Discovery Channel |
| Hindenburg (2007) | Hindenburg (2007) | Movie | Channel 4 Smithsonian Channel ZDF |
| Floods - The Year Britain Went Under (2007) | Floods - The Year Britain Went Under (2007) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| Inside the Living Body (2007) | Inside the Living Body (2007) | Movie | National Geographic |
| Britain's Worst Weather (2007) | Britain's Worst Weather (2007) | TV miniseries | Channel 4 |
| How The Earth Was Made (2007*, 2009-2010**) | How The Earth Was Made (2007*, 2009-2010**) | *Movie; **TV series | History Channel |
| Challenger: Countdown to Disaster (2006) | Challenger: Countdown to Disaster (2006) | Movie | Channel 4 |
| Extraordinary Animals in the Womb (2005-2010) | Extraordinary Animals in the Womb (2005-2010) | TV series | Channel 4 Granada International National Geographic |
| Krakatoa (2005) | Krakatoa (2005) | TV series | Channel 4 |
| Naked Science (2004-2011) | Naked Science (2004-2011) | TV series | National Geographic |
| Raging Planet (1997, 2009) | Raging Planet (1997, 2009) | TV series | Discovery Channel (US) Channel 4 (UK) |