ITV - Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World (1980)

Do U.F.O.s or the Loch Ness Monster really exist? Did ancient civilisations possess unsuspected scientific know-how? Can we believe the reports of the Abominable Snowman or the Great Sea Serpent? How is it that fish, frogs and seeds can fall from a clear blue sky? In this series, Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey investigates these and many other intriguing mysteries. This much sought-after show debunks myths and legends about some of the planet's strangest phenomena, presenting us with fascinating truths about humanity and the world in which we live.

Part 1: The Journey Begins
This episode introduces the main theme and aim of the series, to delve into strange artifacts, notions and incidents. Investigated here: he views and describes the natural mystery of a solar eclipse. Historical, societal and scientific points of view are compared and contrasted.


Part 2: Monsters of the Deep
This episode investigates the legends and stories of strange creatures beneath the sea. The video presents accounts of sailors and others of the reality of sea monsters and mermaids. The film has some surprising evidence in support of such claims.


Part 3: Ancient Wisdom
Can we solve the mysteries surrounding claims of artifacts which apparently defy our view of the level technological development possible in ancient civilizations? Clarke dismisses theories involving extraterrestrials, and rather focuses on finding very Earthbound explanations.


Part 4: The Missing Apeman
This episode is divided equally between considering evidence for the Bigfoot and Yeti. Interviewees for the segment on the Yeti include Don Whillans, Lord Hunt and Eric Shipton. Lengthy consideration is given to the Patterson-Gimlin film, and interviewees include Grover Krantz - who demonstrates several casts of alleged Bigfoot tracks that he feels bolsters his belief that the creature represents a relative of Gigantopithecus


Part 5: Giants for the Gods
Mystifying geoglyphs, giant pictures covering large areas on the ground, appear across the globe, many created by ancient peoples. They only become recognizable at great distances or are situated away from the common sight of man. This episode addresses the questions surrounding these images and covers such marvels as the Cerne Abbas giant and the Nazca lines


Part 6: Monsters of the Lakes
Scotland's Loch Ness fills the screen and the viewers already know the subject the monster of the lake, sometimes referred to as Nessy. Still Clarke informs us that at least 50 other lakes in the world are claimed to be likewise inhabited by such giant beasts. After considering the accounts and evidence, the question of believability concerning Loch Ness as well as the entire collection he weighs the possibilities: Fact or hoax or merely mistaken identity.


Part 7: The Great Siberian Explosion
This episode deals with a certainty: The cataclysmic Tunguska explosion of June 30, 1908. No one questions the fact that it occurred. Still to this day there is uncertainty as to the true nature of the incident and its possible implications concerning the expectations should such an event again take place. The subject is deeply discussed, reviewing all available information and Clarke addresses the significance of the theories presented


Part 8: The Riddle of the Stones
Stonehenge. The place its mere name inspires awe. These ancient stones are shrouded in a secret of time. Their purpose, their builders and the very source of the stones themselves are still subject to debate. Clarke invites us to hear the legends and theory concerning the famous site and the hundreds of others to be found across the British Isles.


Part 9: Out of the Blue
Clarke devotes this episode to a story old as man: something falling to Earth from the sky. The cases vary and so do the possible solutions as to how and why strange or unlikely objects fall out of it. Some answers seem fairly simple while others defy easy analysis. Nevertheless the famed author displays a variety of cases and offers possible scenarios to explain the phenomena.


Part 10: U F O s
Right away Clarke removes any doubt as to his opinion of UFOs he states that he has been interested for 50 years and claims to have observed at least six. He even goes on to say, sightings are very common. He does, however, reserve his opinions concerning them; revealing more and more of his ideas on the subject as the episode progresses


Part 11: Dragons Dinosaurs and Giant Snakes
In the old maps charted by the first explorers of land and sea, the unknown areas of the globe were often marked by ominous warnings of danger like "here be dragons". Those intrepid men were the first to report on the existence of new animal species unknown to westerners until that moment. Some were captured and taken to European palaces for the amazement of kings and queens, visible symbols of a new era of discovery. Many centuries have gone by and our Earth seems smaller due to the faster means of transportation we now possess, but there are many areas in the five continents where man has never been, especially in the dense jungles of Africa and South America or in the inaccessible forests of Siberia. As contradictory as it seems, many creatures of myth may still roam the untouched places of the world.


Part 12: Strange Skys
This episode asks, are beings from outer space communicating with us? The Face on Mars and the Star of Bethlehem are among the phenomena investigated. Including lost planets such as Vulcan, the Martian canals, the identity of the Star of Bethlehem etc.


Part 13: Clarkes Cabinet of Curiosities
A collection of unrelated subjects and a summing-up – including the sailing stones of Death Valley, the Alma, entombed toads, ball lightning in which physicist James Tuck appears, and a summing-up.







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