Discovery’s annual Shark Week is celebrating its 20th anniversary beginning Sunday, July 5th through Friday, July 10th on Discovery Canada. Daily Planet hosts Dan Riskin and Ziya Tong are also returning, and on Friday, July 10th, Daily Planet will present six hours of original Shark Week programming, exclusive to Canadian audiences. Here’s what the hosts had to say about what’s in store for viewers and what they found fascinating about this year’s programming.
CraveOnline: So what is in store for this instalment of Shark Week?
Dan Riskin: Discovery Canada is celebrating 20 years of Shark Week! This year’s extraordinary lineup features more content, more hours (45 hours!), and more sharks than any previous Shark Week. And if viewers didn’t get enough shark action, Discovery Canada is introducing extra Shark Week programming in August, making 2015 the “Summer of the Shark.”
Why do you think Shark Week is such a popular event? Why are people so interested/obsessed with sharks?
Different people are drawn to Shark Week for different reasons. Some people are scared of sharks, some people love them, and a lot of people are just worried about their conservation (and rightly so!), but no one is indifferent about them. When a shark shows up at the beach, everyone notices.
Did anything surprise you when you were working on the line-up for this year’s Shark Week?
Ziya Tong: Our very first episode on Sunday, July 5th captures shark behaviour like you’ve never seen it before. We’ve seen Great Whites attack fake seals on camera, but you’ll witness a TV first as a shark goes in for a real seal kill.
What are some things that Daily Planet is doing in conjunction with Shark Week?
Daily Planet is anchoring Shark Week for a second year in a row with six gripping nights exploring new discoveries using advanced technology. In each episode Daily Planet features dozens of original shark science spotlighting the world’s biggest, most mysterious species of sharks. We are featuring a series called “Like a Shark” breaking down how sharks dates, breathe, parent, poop, and more, basically translating how sharks live in human terms. For instance, when humans flirt, they dish out compliments or use specific body language. But how do female sharks know when a male shark is interested? Well you have to watch Daily Planet to find out!
Are you able to give us one shocking/interesting fact about sharks?
Sharks are older than trees.
