Premiering October 6th, the two-hour drama will coincide with the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of his seminal work On the Origin of the Species.
In 1858 Charles Darwin received a letter from naturalist Alfred Wallace, explaining his own theory of evolution. This was the trigger event that led to the publication of Darwin's seminal theory on the origin of species.
Nova/NGS trailer:
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Don't miss it! October 6th, on a PBS station near you.
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Thanks for pointing this out, I'll have to go arrange a copy from somewhere.
When I saw the title I thought it was about the death of his beloved daughter, Annie, in 1851. I think Darwin himself would have called that his own darkes hour.
But it would not have had the dramatic effect of making evolution the subject.
Toby, actually, you may be right. It may be a darkish few different hours mixed together. The conflict with his wife over religion and them moment of realizing that Wallace was out there where also dark. I think this piece weaves these darkosities together. That's probably why it's four hours long!
(Honestly, I don't know how long it is...)
The program indeed touches on Annie's death as well as how Wallace's letter compelled Darwin to publish. On the NOVA website you can watch a preview of the show, read interviews with the scriptwriter and the actor who plays Darwin, and more. Check it out!
-Susan from NOVA