The Dinosaur Hunters

2h 2min

Drama

Documentary

One man who kept asking questions was Gideon Mantell, the amateur paleontologist who, in the early 19th century, fought to get the British scientific establishment to accept Britain had been inhabited by dinosaurs. As this dramatised documentary shows, Mantell had an uphill battle in a time when the biblical account of creation was considered literal truth and authorities such as the Reverend William Buckland were determined that science remain "the handmaid of religion".

Production Companies

Granada Television

Granada Productions

Channel 4 Television

PBS

Cast

Henry Ian Cusick

Henry Ian Cusick

Gideon Mantell
Michelle Bunyan

Michelle Bunyan

Caroline Owen
Alan Cox

Alan Cox

Richard Owen
Kristian Griffiths

Kristian Griffiths

Walter Mantell (Aged 14-18)
Derek Jacobi

Derek Jacobi

Narrator (voice)
Rebecca McClay

Rebecca McClay

Mary Anning
Robert Morgan

Robert Morgan

Charles Lyell
Michael Pennington

Michael Pennington

William Buckland
Rachel Shelley

Rachel Shelley

Mary Mantell
Laurie Goode

Laurie Goode

Removal Man (uncredited)

Release date

30th Dec 2002

Status

Released

Spoken languages

English