U.K. studios Altitude and Brouhaha Entertainment have announced the animated series adaptation of Bill Bryson’s best-selling popular science book, A Short History of Nearly Everything. Translated into more than 50 languages and selling 15 million-plus copies worldwide, the humorous and compelling reference for the curious is the story of “How We Know What We Know.”
“Bill’s brilliant mind expands beyond the hugely impressive number of books he’s sold and is arguably a global brand in its own right,” commented Will Clarke, Chairman & Co-CEO of Altitude. “We know from broadcasters and streamers that audiences are hungry to explore and learn more about our universe whilst being entertained and our series — which we envisage as a long-running entertainment franchise — is the perfect way to deliver that.”
Brouhaha’s Troy Lum aded, “Bill Bryson’s writing and humor is beloved all over the world. None more so than A Short History of Nearly Everything which is a rite-of -passage for anyone remotely curious about the universe. It’s a privilege to bring this to the screen.”
The new animated show will be led by multiple Emmy Award-winning writer and showrunner Josh Weinstein (The Simpsons, Futurama, Disenchantment, Strange Hill High) and BAFTA, Broadcast and Bookseller Award-winning writer Jason Hazeley (Cunk on Earth, Death to 2020, Paddington films; The Ladybird Books for Grown-ups in publishing). BAFTA-winning actor and comedian Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, The Mandalorian, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) has been tapped to narrate the series.
“I feel very lucky to have such a gifted and distinguished group of creative talents turning my words into screen magic,” said Bryson.
Synopsis: A Short History of Nearly Everything will tell the story of everything we know through the stories of the unsung and often little-known heroes and heroines of science. In a way that only animation can, it will span centuries and continents, time and space, the abstract and the real, the crazy and the obvious — and explore the triumphs of imagination, the leaps of faith, the hours of grind and the happy accidents encountered by these brilliant and often delightfully eccentric thinkers and doers.
Based on Bill Bryson’s multi-million selling global hit, the series will entertain and expand (and occasionally blow) minds of all ages.
The series concept was devised by Hazeley and Paul Sowerbutts; executive producers are Weinstein, Hazeley, Sowerbutts and Will Clarke for Altitude, Troy Lum and Andrew Mason for Brouhaha.
A Short History of Nearly Everything will be produced in conjunction with award-winning international animation and visual effects studio Framestore (the Paddington movies, the James Bond franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Top Gun: Maverick).
“Should aliens ever land on Earth, Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything is the only guide they’ll need to understand humans, our foibles and our knowledge of our planet… and to make fun of us,” noted Weinstein. “And if they can’t read any of the 50 languages it’s been translated to, they’re invited to watch the mind-blowingly funny animated series we’ve based on it.”
Hazeley commented, “Bill’s writing is so clear, so clever and so funny that adapting it for the screen is a sky-scraping joyous undertaking. And a chance for me to have a 135th go at understanding quantum theory.”
