The X Creatures
Encyclopedia
The X Creatures is a British documentary television series that was produced by the BBC
in 1998, which was broadcast in 1999 on BBC 1. It was presented by Chris Packham
, and examined the possibility of the existence of cryptozoological creatures.
Its name was a pun on the popular fictional television show The X-Files
. Each episode (there were six in all, each lasting 30 minutes) involved Chris Packham travelling to a certain place on Earth where the creature supposedly exists, and examining eye witness accounts, as opposed to searching for the creature. No VHS
or DVD
releases were ever made.
, which was particularly popular at the time. The name The X Creatures is an obvious pun on The X-Files, as was the title sequence. Chris Packham
also has a facial resemblance to The X-Files star David Duchovny
.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1998, which was broadcast in 1999 on BBC 1. It was presented by Chris Packham
Chris Packham
Christopher George "Chris" Packham is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author. He is the brother of fashion designer, Jenny Packham...
, and examined the possibility of the existence of cryptozoological creatures.
Its name was a pun on the popular fictional television show The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. Each episode (there were six in all, each lasting 30 minutes) involved Chris Packham travelling to a certain place on Earth where the creature supposedly exists, and examining eye witness accounts, as opposed to searching for the creature. No VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
releases were ever made.
Episode list
| # | Title | Plot | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yeti, Myths & Men | This episode looked at two hominid cryptids - the Yeti Yeti The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology... , also known as the Abominable Snowman from the Himalayas, and then the Orang Pendek Orang Pendek Orang Pendek is the most common name given to a cryptid, or cryptozoological animal, that reportedly inhabits remote, mountainous forests on the island of Sumatra.... from Sumatra. |
26 August 1998 |
| 2 | Alien in the Abyss | This episode looked at a creature that is known to exist, despite the fact that at the time so little was known about it - the Giant Squid Giant squid The giant squid is a deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by as many as eight species... . |
2 September 1998 |
| 3 | Loch Ness: Fathoming the Monster | A look at the legendary Loch Ness Monster Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next.... from Loch Ness Loch Ness Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"... in Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... . It also looks at the existence of a giant lizard - Megalania Megalania Megalania is a giant extinct goanna or monitor lizard. It was part of a megafaunal assemblage that inhabited southern Australia during the Pleistocene, and appears to have disappeared around 40,000 years ago... in Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... . |
9 September 1998 |
| 4 | Shooting the Bigfoot | A look at Bigfoot Bigfoot Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid... , also known as Sasquatch of North America. In particular, there was an attempt to debunk the Patterson-Gimlin film Patterson-Gimlin film The Patterson-Gimlin film is a famous short motion picture of an unidentified subject the film makers purported to be a "Bigfoot", that was supposedly filmed on October 20, 1967, by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin on the Klamath River outside of Orleans,... . |
16 September 1998 |
| 5 | Big Cats in a Little Country | A look at the existence of big cats in the wild of England. | 23 September 1998 |
| 6 | Beyond the Jaws of Extinction | A look at the possible existence of the Tasmanian Tiger from Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... , which is supposedly extinct. |
30 September 1998 |
Parodies of The X-Files
The show parodied the popular television science fiction program The X-FilesThe X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, which was particularly popular at the time. The name The X Creatures is an obvious pun on The X-Files, as was the title sequence. Chris Packham
Chris Packham
Christopher George "Chris" Packham is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author. He is the brother of fashion designer, Jenny Packham...
also has a facial resemblance to The X-Files star David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
.
See also
- CryptozoologyCryptozoologyCryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
- Chris PackhamChris PackhamChristopher George "Chris" Packham is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author. He is the brother of fashion designer, Jenny Packham...
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- The X Files
- Sci Fi InvestigatesSci Fi InvestigatesSci Fi Investigates is a six episode reality television series featuring skeptic Rob Mariano, forensic specialist Deborah Dobrydney, archaeologist Bill Doleman, and paranormal investigator Richard Dolan, as they look at paranormal and supernatural phenomenon and try to explain them...