History snaps Photos That Changed The World
Details
Joseph O'Halloran
| 17 June 2019

A+E Networks UK has commissioned UK production company Touchdown Films to produce what it call a new ‘landmark’ factual series: Photos That Changed The World which will be shown on the History channel.

An in-depth look at iconic events in recent history through the lens of the photographers and images that made them famous, the 6x60’series explores the stories behind twelve of the most iconic and unforgettable photos of all time. Each hour-long episode will cover two landmark images and stories, the people most intimately involved in their capture and the remarkable impact they had on our culture and our society, after the camera shutter closed.

Featured photographs in the series include Neil Armstrong’s photograph of his fellow astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, on the surface of the moon; Ron Edmonds’ images of US President Ronald Reagan as he and his staff fell victim to an assassin’s bullet; Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of ‘Napalm Girl’, which encapsulated the horrors of the Vietnam War; Jeff Widener’s photograph of the ‘Tank Man’ in Tiananmen Square; SAS Soldiers on the rooftop of the Iranian Embassy in London; torture at Abu Ghraib prison; a balaclava-wearing terrorist at the 1972 Olympic Games; Charles and Diana’s Royal Wedding balcony kiss; Nelson Mandela’s ‘Long Walk to Freedom’.

Distributed by Banijay Rights, the series will launch with a one-hour special on 22 July, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landings and the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, as a prelude to the full series premiering in September 2019.

“In a world of ever faster moving imagery and ‘fast-food’ news, it is poignant and enthralling to hear directly from the men and women who captured history-in-the-making and their subjects, as well as an influential handful of the millions who were inspired by them, to change the world,” commented Dan Korn, VP of programming at A+E Networks UK.

John Osborne of Touchdown Films who produced the series added: “This factual series retells history from an exciting new perspective – through the eye of a lens. The stories behind these extraordinary photographs are told by those who were behind the camera and also by those who were caught in the frame. Viewers will get to appreciate the power of photography and also learn just how far some photographers are willing to go to get the perfect shot.”