Late night shows figure high on Discovery's agenda

Are you familiar with the term ''Horse Whisper'? In case you aren't, the term is used to describe the phenomenon of sick horses feeling better, when someone talks to them.

But does it happen with humans too? Apparently, it does. Tune on to Discovery on September 27 at 8.30 pm, and get to watch a new show called 'Baby Whisperer', where Tracy Hogg of National Health Scheme, Yorkshire, talks to ill babies in the same way and the response turns out to be positive.

That and many other unusual shows are a part of Discovery repertoire for September. And, most of these are going to be premiered in the post-9 pm slot.

"In terms of viewership, it is the late night programmes that scores well for Discovery Channel, followed by science and history shows. Nature and wildlife shows come next, followed by engineering-based shows," says Pankaj Saxena, programming director, Discovery India.

Late night shows on Discovery essentially comprises of adult-specific programmes in different genres such as adventure, forensic, mysteries and ghosts, cars, and of course, beaches.

Speaking of beaches, the channel will premiere a show called 'World's Best Beaches 2004' on September 23. What's really interesting is that the ratings of these beaches change every year and this show talks about the best beaches of the current year.

On September 27, mystery lovers can look out for a new series called 'America's Most Haunted Places' and the first US city to be featured in this show will be San Francisco. The show will be aired every Monday at 10 pm. .

'Danger Man' is another show premiering on September 29 at 10 pm on Discovery, where photographer Geoff Mackley is seen working in circumstances, which could have cost him his life. In this new series, Mackley would take the viewers through different locations and instances where he got some breathtaking shots.

For health and figure conscious viewers, Discovery is premiering a new show called 'Dr Atkins - Fat or Fiction.' The show talks about the history of Dr Atkins' weight loss formula, which started in 1972 and took almost 30 years to get popular among masses. The show also shows a true picture on the effectiveness of diet foods.

September 30 is the day when the new series 'Great Cars' will be launched. In each episode, the channel talks about one particular car brand, its history and what makes it a legend among the consumers. The series, which will be aired every Thursday at 9.30 pm, will feature the dream machine Porsche in the first episode.

Apart from these, the Discovery India Series will be showing a documentary - Legend of Maler Kotla - a musical town of Punjab. The channel will also introduce a new programme called Yatra on Indian travel destinations.

But the biggest attraction of Discovery India, this season, will be the film 'Sahyadris - Mountains of the Monsoon'. This Indian documentary, filmed by Sandesh Kadur and nominated for Wild Screen Film Festival, will make its television premiere on September 18 at 9 pm. This one-hour show showcases the wildlife of the Sahyadris mountains, where the life and times of the Nilgiri tahr (mountain goat) during the peak of monsoon is captured on camera.

The thick shola forests covering the mountains is the abode of the lion-tailed macaque (a monkey species), while the dry deciduous forests at the foothills have elephants and wildlife waiting in expectation for the coming deluge. Also explored in the show is the relationship between spiritualism and the strong conservation ethos of India.

The programme caled 'Animal Face-off' is an imaginary fight between two animals, who are not natural enemies. For instance, the programme explores what will happen if there's a fight between an elephant and a rhino, or a lion and a tiger. The new episodes of this series, which was launched in July, will have a colossal giant squid fighting a sperm whale, a gorilla fighting a leopard, and an alligator fighting a black bear. The show which is aired on Thursdays at 8 pm has meant big investments for the channel, as it includes lots of animations and special effects.

Apart from this, there will be a host of new shows coming up on Discovery in October. An otherwise tight-lipped Saxena says, "We have some big plans during the October-December quarter because that's the time when the television industry is at its peak across the world." © 2004 agencyfaqs!