Idris Elba (of pretty much everything you've ever seen in the last 18 months fame) is hosting a unique new 20-part digital series for the BBC in order to show off the beebs' ambitious new Taster platform. Taster is an intriguing online platform released last week that's currently in an “Experimental” beta stage, but so far it's worked swimmingly for me. It works in a similar manner to the BBC iPlayer, only instead of using it to catch up on the best of the last week or so from BBC's 1, 2, 3, and 4, Taster presents its own bespoke content, which is made up of short, interactive pieces of entertainment that would struggle to work on traditional TV. Right now the site hosts everything from a chat segment starring Jennifer Saunders to a genuinely inventive feature called “Your Story,” which tracks your life story by checking your history against the extensive BBC News archive. It's all very watchable, Your Story in particular is actually quite fascinating. For example, I found out through “My Story,” that A-Ha's “The Sun Always Shines on TV” was at number one on the day of my birth (the 26th of January 1986 in case anyone cared), and that by the time I was 14 years old, the global population had increased by approcimately 1.17 billion people!
Idris Elba is hosting a unique new 20-part digital series for the BBC in order to show off the beebs' ambitious new Taster platform
The major draw thus far, however are the five-minute “Story of Now” films developed by brand strategists Lambie-Nairn, in which the ever-charismatic Elba takes viewers through various thought-provoking films on subjects such as art, morality, consciousness and religion. The films in question use interactive 'Videoweb' technology from TouchCast Studios UK, which allows the audience to choose where they are taken next by simply clicking on the video itself when prompted. The videos also include meta-text insertions, which turn the subtitles into clickable links that lead to related news stories, features and articles. It's a system that works with surprising fluidity, and could prove very effective indeed as an educational tool.
The Story of Now – Teaser Trailer
TouchCast chief executive and Story of Now executive producer, Paul Field, said the films “Push the boundaries of creativity and intellectual debate, asking fundamental questions about the human condition and the key events, ideas and innovations that led us to where we are right now.” He feels that “It is entirely apt that 'Story Of Now', with it’s wonderful and diverse line-up of new presenters and the breath-taking scope of the ground they cover, uses a ground- breaking technology to surprise, delight and challenge its audience.” He also adds that with the videoweb technology, “Viewers not only experience the full richness of the web inside HD video, they can search inside it,” and he believes the “Story Of Now can play a major role pushing the development of this new medium.”
Taster presents its own bespoke content, which is made up of short, interactive pieces of entertainment that would struggle to work on traditional TV
The videos were directed by film-maker Simon Chu, who said of the series; “When you take a subject as vast as the story of our existence, clearly there is no single overarching narrative.” The result, he feels is a viewing experience that is “Not linear in the traditional sense (a straight line from A to B), but much more of a personal journey within a web of ideas.” Lambie-Nairn executive creative director, Adrian Burton, adds that their design for the series and its technology, aims to provide a “Revolutionary new means to consume content,” which he calls “Broadcast reinvented; a simple non-linear narrative controlled by the viewer that is more akin to surfing the web that simply watching the box.”
BBC Taster – Trailer
Whilst this all might sound like a lot of overblown hyperbole, having spent a solid 30 minutes weaving my way through the dense and informative tapestry of The Story of Now, I have to say I'm inclined to agree. Not only are the films themselves interesting, thought-provoking and well shot, but their brevity and engaging interactive format meant my attention didn't even come close to waning. If this is indeed the future of broadcasting, I'm certainly not going to complain!
BBC Presenter Gemma Cairney demos BBC Taster
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
