Skeleton

VHS cover

*Skeleton* is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of Eyewitness. The topic is about the structure and function of internal and external skeletons, with a focus on the human skeleton. The episode first aired on 31st October 1994.

*Skeleton* is based on a book that was first published in 1988, and has been republished on several occasions including in.

## Episode

### Introductory sequence

The camera sweeps around a collage of a woman, a mirror, a row of candles on a table and a hat-stand that, when aligned, form a skull. The skull morphs into the animated skeleton which turns and walks away; the screen then fades to white.

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript of Skeleton.

We all have a skeleton, but viewing it still fills us with fear. All vertebrates have what we commonly think of as a skeleton, which permits movement, feeding and procreation. The most interesting of all animal skeletons to us is our own.

The adult human skeleton has 206 bones, including a skull housing the only brain capable of studying itself. The skull and crossbones have become a symbol of danger and death, but occasionally this set of bones is an invitation to the carnival. This section introduces the hero, Smedley the skeleton, trapped inside his skeleton room.

The skeleton permits movement for animals, ranging from the hollow bones of birds, the light bones of most fish and the cartilaginous skeletons of sharks and rays, and the spine and pelvis of land animals. The hind limbs of animals have a multitude of uses, including as weapons, swimming aids or finding footholds on difficult terrain.

Humans are adapted to walk on their hind legs. The next section looks at all the elements that allow people to move in this way, including the spine, hips and feet.

The skeleton has, by way of the fossil, taught us almost everything we know about the evolution of life on Earth. After death, animals sank to the bottom of water bodies and their skeletons transformed over millions of years into rock.

The ribs expand and contract with the lungs that they protect, and are supported by the spine. The spine can be extended either by the neck or, more commonly, by the tail. Bone can be pliable and is a remarkable living material capable of mending itself. Some bones have marrow to produce blood cells and all store minerals.

Invertebrates do not have an internal skeleton, with many having outer exoskeletons instead. These include the shells of corals, clams and crabs and the chitin armour of insects and scorpions. Some vertebrates also have exoskeletons, including the armadillo and tortoises.

All skeletons cover the most vulnerable body parts, and some are specially reinforced such as the skulls of woodpeckers and musk oxen. The skull is so important, that it has widely entered human culture. Also examined in this section is the 19th century pseudoscience of phrenology.

The jaws and teeth reveal more about lifestyle than any other part of the skeleton. In animals, this diversity can be seen in herbivores, rodents, the lion, bird beaks and the strange jaws of snakes. The skull protects the organs which provide the vital senses. The skull also has ornamentation in some animals, including tusks formed from modified teeth and antlers.

While we are always surrounded by skeletons, they still terrify us. They are a vivid reminder of our own mortality and are seen as omens, such as in the tarot deck. They also appear in many artworks showcasing the inevitability of death.

All these images have been created by a skeletal part, the forelimb. This is one of the most varied body parts of any animals, becoming flippers, paws, spades and even wings. The human hand is the most versatile of the forelimbs, and has passed down knowledge about life and death. Each year, the Mexican people celebrate the Day of the Dead as a celebration and a reminder of the skeleton’s ultimate message – that death comes all too soon, so drink deeply of the cup of life while it is still full.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Frog-legged leaf beetle, *Sagra buqueti*
* Imperial scorpion, *Pandinus imperator*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Bank vole, *Myodes glareolus*
* Chilean rose tarantula, *Grammostola rosea*
* East African giant land snail, *Lissachatina fulica*
* Bluebottle, *Calliphora vomitoria*
* Pill woodlouse, *Armadillidium vulgare*
* Corn snake, *Pantherophis guttatus*
* Green terror cichlid, *Andinoacara rivulatus*

### Stock footage

* Chevron barracuda, *Sphyraena qenie*
* Pink-footed goose, *Anser brachyrhynchus*
* Fiji banded iguana, *Brachylophus fasciatus*
* Black-footed ferret, *Mustela nigripes*
* Little red flying fox, *Pteropus scapulatus*
* Saltwater crocodile, *Crocodylus porosus*
* Magnificent frigatebird, *Fregata magnificens*
* Laysan albatross, *Phoebastria immutabilis*
* Greylag goose, *Anser anser*
* Mute swan, *Cygnus olor*
* Cheetah, *Acinonyx jubatus*
* Red lechwe, *Kobus leche*
* Red kangaroo, *Osphranter rufus*
* Horse-eye jack, *Caranx latus*
* Blue shark, *Prionace glauca*
* Hanuman langur, *Semnopithecus dussumieri*
* Plains zebra, *Equus quagga*
* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Harris’s hawk, *Parabuteo unicinctus*
* Bald eagle, *Haliaeetus leucocephalus*
* Nubian ibex, *Capra nubiana*
* Domestic horse, *Equus ferus caballus*
* Reindeer, *Rangifer tarandus*
* Gerenuk, *Litocranius walleri*
* Reticulated giraffe, *Giraffa reticulata*
* Masai giraffe, *Giraffa tippelskirchi*
* Red-fronted lemur, *Eulemur rufifrons*
* Sulawesi bear cuscus, *Ailurops ursinus*
* Mantled howler monkey, *Alouatta palliata*
* European fallow deer, *Dama dama*
* Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae*
* Coral, Anthozoa
* Blue mussel, *Mytilus edulis*
* Common cockle, *Cerastoderma edule*
* Chambered nautilus, *Nautilus pompilius*
* Queen scallop, *Aequipecten opercularis*
* Common limpet, *Patella vulgata*
* Giant clam, *Tridacna gigas*
* Common hermit crab, *Pagurus bernhardus*
* Blue crab, *Callinectes sapidus*
* Six-banded armadillo, *Euphractus sexcinctus*
* Ploughshare tortoise, *Astrochelys yniphora*
* Garden snail, *Cornu aspersum*
* Song thrush, *Turdus philomelos*
* Common flameback woodpecker, *Dinopium javanense*
* West Caucasian tur, *Capra caucasica*
* Bighorn sheep, *Ovis canadensis*
* Musk ox, *Ovibos moschatus*
* Domestic cattle, *Bos taurus*
* White-tailed deer, *Odocoileus virginianus*
* Eurasian red squirrel, *Sciurus vulgaris*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* Green-winged macaw, *Ara chloropterus*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Walrus, *Odobenus rosmarus*
* Narwhal, *Monodon monoceros*
* North Sulawesi babirusa, *Babyrousa celebensis*
* Grey seal, *Halichoerus grypus*
* Sulawesi tarsier, *Tarsius spectrum*
* Koala, *Phascolarctos cinereus*
* European mole, *Talpa europaea*
* Mexican free-tailed bat, *Tadarida brasiliensis*

## Stock footage sources

Flip the Frog: Spooks (1931) – Skeleton cartoons

Strong to the Finich (1934) – Popeye cartoon

Wildlife on One: Sulawesi – Island of Discovery (1985) – Babirusa, Sulawesi bear cuscus

The Natural World

* Okavango: Jewel of the Kalahari – The Living Jewel (1988) – Lechwe
* The Great Rift – Out of the Ashes (1989) – Running cheetah
* The Wonderful World of Dung (1991) - Domestic cow chewing the cud
* New Guinea, An Island Apart: Beyond the Unknown Shore (1992) - Chevron barracuda, horse-eye jacks

Land of the Eagle: The Great Encounter (1991) – Blue crabs

## Credits

* Director - David Hutt
* Graphics Director - Alisa Robbins
* Writer - David Hanson
* Script Supervisor - Brian Meehl
* Camera - Ian Salvage and Bernard Hedges
	+ Assistant - Andy Shillabeer
* Set Design - Ben Scott
* Design Assistants - Kit Edwards and Anne Neale
* Production Manager - Peter Thornton
* Production Assistant - Carolyn Naylor
* Production Secretaries - Cathy Wilkin and Caroline Elston
* Unit Manager - Grant Dean
* Researcher - Catherine Gryparis
* Picture Researcher - Martin Willis
* Graphic Design - Kate Boulton
* 3-D Animation - Jon Gibson, Anna Tarant and Helen Hywell
* Editors
	+ Offline - Chris Godden
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Dubbing Editor - Julie Mitchell
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Music - Guy Michelmore
* Executive Producer - Michael Bright,
* Special thanks to:
	+ University of Bristol School of Veterinary Science
	+ National Marine Fisheries Service, Hawaii

## Making this programme

This episode needed an exceptional opening shot. It was inspired by a Victorian illustration of a pastoral scene which, on closer inspection, reveals itself to form the shape of a skull. In order for the illusion to work, great detail had to be paid to the set and the model sat for hours while the objects around her were moved. The final shot had to exactly match the computer-generated skull that had been on monitors in the studio during the build. After twelve hours of shooting, the shot was ready and worked perfectly on the first take. The actual filming took less than five minutes and served as an introduction to the episode’s hero, Smedley. Smedley was created in the computer and could walk and react. To bring him to life, a skeleton room was built for him in the studio. The production manager, Pete, kicked the door open for Smedley to escape from his skeleton room and experience the true wonder of the Eyewitness Museum.

## Home media releases

As well as being released on VHS, Skeleton was also released as part of the DVD release in the USA.

Skeleton America-release DVD cover

**Writing staff**: Anne MacLeod • Ben Southwell • Ben Steiner • Brian Meehl • David Hanson • David Stafford • David Helton • George Bloom • Lynette Singer • Mike Tomlinson • Paul Thomas • Stan Cullimore
**Directors**: Gavin Maxwell • Justine Kershaw • David Hutt • Andrew Jackson • Justin Hardy • Ludo Graham • Jerry Foulkes • Derek Hall • Sanjida O'Connell • Caius Julyan • Bonni Cohen • Leanne Pooley • Edwina Vardey • Alexandra Beazley • Sam Hodgkin • Karen Walsh • Jack Weber • Richard Simkin • Alex Hearle • Brian Cummins • Ben Southwell
**Composers**: Guy Michelmore (season one) • Guy Dagul (seasons two and three)

**Season One**: Cat • Fish • Horse • Dog • Jungle • Bird • Amphibian • Insect • Shark • Elephant • Reptile • Dinosaur • **Skeleton**
**Season Two**: Desert • Tree • Ape • Mammal • Butterfly and Moth • Volcano • Rock and Mineral • Seashore • Pond and River • Weather • Arctic and Antarctic • Prehistoric Life • Shell
**Season Three**: Flight • Bear • Sight • Island • Survival • Mountain • Monster • Human Machine - Plant • Ocean • Planets • Life • Natural Disasters