LAND ROVER UK LAUNCHES PIONEERING ‘DISCOVERY ADVENTURES’ PODCAST SERIES

21 September 2017

Today Land Rover launches its first ever family-friendly binaural podcast series that uses the immersive experience of 3D sound to encourage adventurers of all ages to get out and experience a British outdoor adventure in the car - making it the perfect adventure whatever the weather.

Whitley, 21st September 2017 – Today Land Rover launches its first ever family-friendly binaural podcast series that uses the immersive experience of 3D sound to encourage adventurers of all ages to get out and experience a British outdoor adventure in the car - making it the perfect adventure whatever the weather. The entertainment series aims to bring the adventurous spirit of Land Rover to life, reflecting the brand’s ethos to get off the beaten track and discover.

Research into the car as a unique shared family environment published by Dr Jessica Pitt in 2017* found that a car journey provided the perfect ‘in between’ space allowing the chance for quality time together, whilst the nature of the space, down to the configuration of the seats, offered the ideal opportunity for a shared family experience without distraction. It was these findings that led Land Rover to see the value for its customers in Discovery Adventures.

Triple Olivier award-winning sound designer, Gareth Fry, uses binaural recording to capture genuine 360° sound at fascinating UK locations, creating an immersive listening experience for this unique podcast series. Fry said “Binaural sound describes the way we, as human beings, perceive sound. Recording binaurally on-location gives us a real sense of panorama, of landscape and our place within it, because binaural microphones pick up everything around us. So it really allows us to imagine we’re part of the story, in the heart of the action. To feel like we're actually experiencing the places we visit on our adventures.”

The Discovery Adventures podcasts offer a unique blend of fact and fiction drama guided by authentic and unique characters, including some of the country’s most renowned outdoor experts and national treasures; Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Chris Packham, Sir Ben Ainslie and Kate Silverton to name a few. Each episode will take listeners on an exhilarating journey, telling authentic stories based on specific UK destinations; engaging the listener beyond a traditional travel podcast. While the podcasts are primarily designed for an in-car experience, people can also tune into each podcast wherever they are.

The podcast series will be released every Thursday for seven weeks from today and will be distributed by industry leading podcast experts, ACAST. To kick-off the series, the first episode launched today is set in London’s Natural History Museum and can be downloaded here. The synopsis sees a child named Sam, his uncle and his dog, Rover, unravel a modern mystery of discovering who is behind nationwide GPS disruptions that transports them through some of Britain’s most evocative locations. The listener plays the role of ‘Sam’, and solves the mystery using radio expertise and the help of real National Treasure experts as characters they meet along the way.

We wanted to create a shareable family experience that encouraged adventure and interest in the Great British landscape whilst serving as a great reminder that the real world can be more exciting than the virtual one. Research shows that the car is unique environment, a place of reduced distractions that allows for important quality time, and we’re hoping to encourage families and adventurers of all ages to make the most of this time together to go on a car adventure with a difference and discover something new.

Scott Dicken
Marketing Director Jaguar Land Rover UK

LAND_ROVER_UK_LAUNCHES_PIONEERING_‘DISCOVERY_ADVENTURES’_PODCAST_SERIES

Further information

For further information log onto www.uk.media.landrover.com or contact:

  • Kim Palmer, PR Manager, Land Rover UK

            M: 07795 666 169 | E: kpalmer@landrover.com

  • Tracey Tompsett, Senior Press Officer, Land Rover UK

M: 07469 032 064 | E: ttompset@landrover.com

  • Rosie Johnson, Press Officer, Land Rover UK

M: 07384 239 699 | E: rjohns26@landrover.com

Notes to Editors

About Land Rover

Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true breadth of capability across the model range. Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors. Land Rover products are currently sold in approximately 180 global markets. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @LandRoverUKPR

* To support the podcast series, Dr Jessica Pitt’s (music researcher & education consultant) research paper Liminal Spaces to Outdoor Places – Sonic Traces, 2017 strongly supports the idea that the car is a unique shared family environment – an ideal place for storytelling. It also finds that modern lifestyles mean that children aren’t getting enough of the benefits that unstructured outdoor play can bring. (Further information on the research study can be shared on request).

Notes to editors:

  1. List of talent involved in the podcast series:
  • Hugh Skinner, Lead Actor
  • Natalie Dormer, Lead Actor
  • Alice Roberts, Narrator / Performer (Expert)
  • Chris Packham, Narrator / Performer (Expert)
  • Lucie Green, Narrator / Performer (Expert)
  • Neil Oliver, Narrator/ Performer (Expert)
  • Tristan Gooley, Narrator / Performer (Expert)
  • Alexander Armstrong, Narrator / Performer & Ambassador
  • Kate Silverton, Narrator / Performer & Ambassador
  • Sir Ben Ainslie, Narrator / Performer & Ambassador
  • Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Narrator / Performer & Ambassador
  • Urban Paws (Lily, Severus, Kestral), Dog Actor
  • Simon Lipson, Actor (radio advertising, intros / outros)
  • Debbie Arnold, Support Actor
  • Sam Churchill, Support Actor
  • Sophie Thompson, Support Actor

 

  1. The synopsis for the Discovery Adventures podcast Season 1: A kid named Sam, his uncle and hisdog,Rover, unravel a modern mystery of discovering who is behind nationwide GPS disruptions -that transports them through some of Britain’s most evocative locations. The listener plays the role of ‘Sam’, and solves the mystery using radio expertise and the help of real National Treasure experts as characters they meet along the way, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Chris Packham. They use old school skills (radio and various forms of navigation) to save the day, and along the way remind us that the real world can be just as immersive and incredible as any virtual one.

 

  1. The release date and location for each podcast:
  • Episode 1 (Natural History Museum, London):  21st September
  • Episode 2 (Mother Shipton’s Cave, North Yorkshire): 28th September
  • Episode 3 (Jodrell Bank Observatory, Manchester): 5th October
  • Episode 4 (Savernake Forest, Wiltshire): 12th October
  • Episode 5 (Cheddar Gorge, Somerset): 19th October
  • Episode 6 (Dartmoor): 26th October
  • Episode 7 (Saint Michael’s Mount, Cornwall): 2nd November