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{{Short description|British writer and filmmaker}}
{{other people||Chris Riley (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
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'''Christopher Riley''' (born 1967) is a British writer, broadcaster and film maker specialising in the history of science. He has a PhD from [[Imperial College London|Imperial College, University of London]] where he pioneered the use of digital elevation models in the study of mountain range geomorphology and evolution. He makes frequent appearances on British television and radio, broadcasting mainly on space flight, [[astronomy]] and [[planetary science]] and was Visitingvisiting Professorprofessor of science and media at the [[University of Lincoln]] between 2011 and 2021.
 
==Education==
Riley went to school in [[Cambridge]], where he grew up. He studied [[geology]] at the [[University of Leicester]] for his first degree and completed his PhD at [[Imperial College London|Imperial College, University of London]] in the mid -1990s.<ref>[https://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/89027/voyager-s-final-message-crowd-sourcing-one-world-to/] Voyager’sVoyager's Final Message - Crowd sourcing one world to reach another, Response Source.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/10_october/13/space_biogsprod.shtml] The ultimate journey of human exploration comes to BBC ONE this November, BBC Press Office.</ref>
 
==Career==
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In 2014 he produced and directed a documentary about American neuroscientist [[John C Lilly|John Lilly]]'s controversial 1960s attempts to build an interspecies communications bridge between humans and dolphins. The film included the only onscreen interview recorded with the female researcher at the centre of the work - Margaret Howe Lovatt, who had reportedly developed a close relationship with one of the animals. The resulting film, ''The Girl who talked to Dolphins'', premiered at the 2014 Sheffield International Documentary Festival and received widespread five star reviews; ''The Telegraph'' noting that "the anti-sensationalist approach of Riley's superb documentary was its trump card."<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10905602/The-Girl-Who-Talked-to-Dolphins-review-moving.html] – ''The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins'' - review</ref> The film was nominated for both a BAFTA and an RTS award the same year and for a Grierson award in 2015.<ref>[http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=documentary&page=1&f=] – BAFTA Awards database</ref><ref>[https://realscreen.com/2015/02/25/paedophile-hunter-world-war-up-for-rts-awards/] – Realscreen</ref><ref>[https://griersontrust.org/about-us/news/2015/winners-announced.html] – ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF GRIERSON 2015: The 43rd British Documentary Awards</ref>
 
In 2015 it was announced that Riley would direct a new film on the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] for National Geographic Channels.<ref>[http://www.sourcewire.com/news/85785/national-geographic-channels-announces-film-director-christopher-riley-for-hubble] – National Geographic Channels announces film director Christopher Riley for Hubble</ref> The resulting documentary ''Hubble's Cosmic Journey'' included contributions from cosmologist [[Stephen Hawking]], astrophysicist [[Edward J. Weiler|Ed Weiler]] and Charlie Pellerin, US Senator [[Barbara Mikulski]] and astronauts [[Story Musgrave]], [[Charles Bolden|Charlie Bolden]] and [[John M. Grunsfeld|John Grunsfeld]]. It premiered at National Geographic's Washington headquarters on 14 April 2015<ref>[http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150410005641/en/National-Geographic-Channel-NASA-Celebrate-25th-Anniversary#.VVxBH1VViko] - National Geographic Channel and NASA to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope at the World Premiere of NGC’sNGC's Hubble’sHubble's Cosmic Journey</ref> and received its network premiere in 171 countries the following week. The film is narrated by astrophysicist [[Neil deGrasse Tyson]], and was nominated for an Emmy in 2015.<ref>[https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/emmy-award-nominations-2015-full-list-1201537852/] - Emmy Award Nominations 2015 full list</ref>
 
In October 2015 Riley's long-awaited feature documentary ''[[The Fear of 13]]'' received its world premiere at the [[BFI London Film Festival#2015|BFI London Film Festival]] where it was nominated for Best Documentary.<ref>[httphttps://wwwwww2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/59th-bfi-london-film-festival-announces-2015-juries-first] - 59th BFI London Film Festival Announces Juries for First Feature Competition, Documentary Competition and Short Film Award</ref> The film tells the life story of death row prisoner [[Nick Yarris|Nicholas Yarris]], and took Riley over seven years to make, working without funding for the project for much of that time.<ref>[http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/88922/the-fear-of-13-the-film-producer-s-unbreakable-promise/] - The Fear of 13 - the film producer's unbreakable promise</ref> The title refers to triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, just one of the many words learned by prisoner Nick Yarris while absorbing thousands of books during his 20-year stay on Death Row in a Pennsylvania prison.<ref>[http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2015/11/12/the-fear-of-13-review-a-gripping-documentary-feature/] - ''The Hollywood News'' - ''The Fear of 13'' review: "A gripping documentary feature"</ref> It was received well by the critics scoring 92% on the review-aggregate site [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fear of 13|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fear_of_13/|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=16 January 2016}}</ref> The film received its network premiere on the BBC's ''[[Storyville (TV series)|Storyville]]'' series on 31 January 2016, and was picked up by Netflix across the rest of the world.<ref>[https://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/88922/the-fear-of-13-the-film-producer-s-unbreakable-promise/] – The Fear of 13 - The Film Producer’sProducer's Unbreakable Promise, Response Source</ref> In 2024 it was announced that actor [[Adrien Brody]] would play Yarris in a play adapted from the film by [[Lindsey Ferrentino]] and directed by [[Justin_Martin_(director)|Justin Martin]] at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] in London.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jun/25/adrien-brody-london-stage-debut-the-fear-of-13-donmar-warehouse-celia-imrie-tamsin-greig-samira-wiley] – The Guardian - Adrien Brody to make London stage debut as man who spent 22 years on death row </ref>
 
Riley collaborated with astronaut [[Paolo Nespoli]] for a second time in 2016–2017 to work on National Geographic's series ''[[One Strange Rock (TV Series)|One Strange Rock]]'', with Paolo filming on board the International Space Station for the seriesfinal episode 'Home' during [[Expedition 52]] which featured astronaut [[Peggy Whitson|Peggy Whitson's]] last NASA mission.<ref>{{cite web|title=How two astronauts helped shoot Darren Aronofsky's new TV series from space|date=26 March 2018 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/26/17155764/darren-aronofsky-one-strange-rock-international-space-station-footage-paolo-nespoli-peggy-whitson/|publisher=The Verge|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref> Riley directed across the series and wrote and directed the episode 'Survival' featuring astronaut [[Jerry Linenger]]. The series is hosted by actor [[Will Smith]]<ref>[https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/will-smith-nat-geo-event-series-one-strange-rock-darren-aronofsky-1202630388/] - ''Variety'' - Will Smith Nat Geo event series ''One Strange Rock''.</ref> In September 2023 it was announced that Riley was co-writing ''The Moonwalkers'' with actor [[Tom Hanks]], for the Lightroom, an immersive venue in London.<ref>[https://lightroom.uk/whats-on/the-moonwalkers/] - 'Lightroom - The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks'.</ref><ref>[https://www.timeout.com/london/news/tom-hanks-is-narrating-a-spectacular-space-themed-immersive-experience-in-london-092023] - ''Time Out'' 'Tom Hanks is narrating a spectacular space-themed immersive experience in London'.</ref><ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/tom-hanks-the-moonwalkers-lightroom-apollo-missions-b1108207.html] - ''Evening Standard'' 'Apollo Missions experience opening in London in December'.</ref> The show premiered on the 6th of December 2023.<ref>[https://www.https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/the-moonwalkers-a-journey-with-tom-hanks-review-apollo-artemis-b1125109.html] - 'The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks, Lightroom review - a thrill ride into the wonder of space'.</ref><ref>[https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-moonwalkers-review] - 'The Moonwalkers'.</ref>
 
==Awards and honours==
In 2005 Riley was given a [[Sir Arthur Clarke Award]] for his work producing the BBC's ''Space Odyssey'' series. The same year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society for his endeavours in communicating astronomy to the public. His films and TV series on the history of science have won a nomination from the Royal Television Society and the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2007. He received a second [[Sir Arthur Clarke Award]] in 2008 for ''[[In the Shadow of the Moon (2007 film)|In the Shadow of the Moon]]''. His 2012 documentary ''Voyager – to the final frontier'' was nominated for a British Science Writer's award, and his 2014 film ''The Girl who talked to Dolphins'', was nominated for BAFTA,<ref>[http://www.bafta.org/scotland/news/british-academy-scotland-awards-nominations-in-2014,4394,BA.html#jump15] – 2014 BAFTA Nominations - SIngle Documentary</ref> RTS<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rts.org.uk/nominations-programme-awards-2013-2014 |title=Nominations for Programme Awards 2013/2014 &#124; Royal Television Society |accessdate=2015-02-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226011332/http://www.rts.org.uk/nominations-programme-awards-2013-2014 |archivedate=26 February 2015}} – 2013-14 RTS Nominations for Programme Awards 2013/2014</ref> and Grierson<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.griersontrust.org/grierson-awards/the-grierson-awards-2015/nominations/ |title=The Grierson Trust - Nominations |accessdate=2015-12-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204091419/http://www.griersontrust.org/grierson-awards/the-grierson-awards-2015/nominations |archivedate=4 December 2015}} - The Grierson Awards 2015</ref> awards. His 2015 film for National Geographic, ''Hubble's Comsic Journey'', was nominated for an Emmy.<ref>[https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/emmy-award-nominations-2015-full-list-1201537852/] - Emmy Award Nominations 2015 full list</ref>
His 2019 book, ''Where once we stood'', a collaboration with artist Martin Impey, was nominated for a CILIP Kate Greenaway medal in 2020.<ref>[https://padlet.com/ckg/4p4eag4pee8j] – CILIP Kate Greenaway Nominations 2020</ref>
Riley's 2021 film for National Geographic - ''Battle for the Black Swan'', won the Goldgold Medalmedal for History and Society at the [[New York Festivals]] TV & Film Awards in 2022, <ref name=award>{{cite web |url=https://tvfilm.newyorkfestivals.com/Winners/WinnerDetailsNew/8b5c4f0c-996e-44ba-8879-ecf380f16e9c |title=Winners Gallery - Drain the Oceans - Battle for the Black Swan|website=New York Festivals TV & Film Awards |date=27 April 2022 |access-date= 27 April 2022}}</ref> and was nominated for a BAFTA the same year. <ref name=award>{{cite web |url=https://www.bafta.org/bafta-scotland-awards-2022-nominations-announced |title=BAFTA Scotland Awards 2022: Full Nominations List |date=12 October 2022 |access-date= 12 October 2022}}</ref> His 2023 film for National Geographic - ''The Twenty Million Dollar Time Bomb'' won him a second documentary gold medal in the History and Society at the [[New York Festivals]] TV & Film Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tvfilm.newyorkfestivals.com/Winners/WinnerDetailsNew/2c6ec8ab-67e3-4980-a3a5-165637cf67a5|title=Winners Gallery - THE $20 MILLION TIME BOMB |date=17 April 2024 |access-date= 17 April 2024}}</ref>
 
==Film and television==
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He has directed, produced, science consulted or hosted on the following films and TV series (incomplete):
 
*2023: ''The $20m Time Bomb'', National Geographic, Disney+
*2022: ''Narcos'', National Geographic, Disney+
*2021: ''The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station'', Universal Pictures
*2021: ''One Cup, a Thousand Stories'', BBC Studios, Migu
*2021: ''Battle for the Black Swan'', National Geographic, Disney+
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In 2019 Riley collaborated with [[59 Productions]], on their [[National Air and Space Museum|Smithsonian Air and Space Museum]] commission "Apollo 50:Go for the Moon" - writing the show and creating a film to complement projections onto the Washington Monument to tell the story of Apollo 11 for the 50th anniversary of the mission in July that year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Apollo 50: Go for the Moon|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/go-for-the-moon|publisher=The Air and Space Museum|accessdate=12 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Apollo 50: Go for the Moon Behind the scenes|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeS_AfUG5y0&t=2s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/jeS_AfUG5y0 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|publisher=The Air and Space Museum|accessdate=25 July 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
 
In the run-up to NASA's [[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance]] mission touching down on [[Mars]] in 2021 Riley created an artwork called Worlds Apart, that mapped all NASA's previous Martian landing sites back onto their equivalent locations on Earth in terms of latitude and longitude, to draw attention to climate change.<ref>{{cite web|title=Digital Planet: Comparing the landscape of Mars to Earth|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz99b]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Astronomers Without Borders: Worlds Apart| website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jt4FSUNrA0&t=714s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/1jt4FSUNrA0 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Worlds Apart: Medium|date= 13 February 2022|url= https://christopher-riley.medium.com/worlds-apart-4ecd9fa8e27f}}</ref> Following the successful Mars 2020 landing, Riley teamed up with the [[BBC World Service]] radio programme [[Digital Planet]] to find volunteers to travel to Andegaon Wadi, Sawali, in the central Indian state of [[Maharashtra]] (18.445°N, 77.451°E) which mapped onto the new [[Octavia_EOctavia E._Butler_Landing Butler Landing|Perseverance landing site]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Riley|first=Christopher|date=13 February 2021|title=From Mars to Earth |publisher=Medium|url=https://christopher-riley.medium.com/from-mars-to-earth-18ae2597e3fe|access-date=22 April 2022}}</ref>
 
==Books==
Riley has written, co-written and contributed to over a dozen books, including ''Where once we stood'', a collaboration with artist and illustrator Martin Impey, nominated for a Kate Greenaway medal in 2020.
 
*{{cite book|author1=Riley, Christopher |author2=Impey, Martin
| title = Where once we stood - the Artemis Edition
| publisher = Harbour Moon Publishing
|date=July 2024
| isbn = 978-1916062511
| page = 132pp }}
*{{cite book|author1=Riley, Christopher |author2=Impey, Martin
| title = Where once we stood
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==See also==
*''[[Mars_2020Mars 2020#Twinned_location_on_EarthTwinned location on Earth|Mars 2020 twinned location to Earth]]''
*''[[The Fear of 13]]''
*''[[First Orbit]]''
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== External links ==
*{{official website|http://www.chris-riley.net}}
*{{IMDBIMDb name|nm1558826}}
 
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