MUMBAI: US infotainment broadcaster Discovery Channel has announced the appointment of Matthew Kelly to the role of VP of development, production.

He will report to Discovery Channel executive VP of development and production Dolores Gavin.

Kelly has served in a variety of roles within Discovery. Most recently he was Discovery Channel senior director of development where he developed programming including ?Gold Rush?, as well as series ?Jungle Gold? and ?Yukon Men?. He also developed and co-executive produced ?Amish Mafia?

Earlier he was Science Channel director of development and worked on signature hits including ?Oddities?, ?How the Universe Works? and ?Monster Bug Wars?. Before joining Science Channel, Kelly was Discovery Channel manager of development where he developed series.

MUMBAI: Discovery Channel?s series Body Bizarre, moves across the globe in hunt of extraordinary individuals living with some of the planet?s most inexplicable, remarkable and thought-provoking medical anomalies that have even mystified the world?s finest doctors and experts.

The six-part special series, Body Bizarre, will hit the television screens every Monday to Friday at 10 pm starting 13 May only on Discovery Channel.

From India to Indonesia, China to Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Texas Body Bizarre reveals the real human stories behind the headlines and brings to light what life is really like for these people whose lives have been afflicted by physically and emotionally horrifying syndromes.

The series covers the anomalies of five Indians from Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

A woman who constantly cries and sweats blood, Indonesia?s infamous cigarette-smoking toddler, a little girl who is a human octopus in India, a werewolf girl in Thailand, a 31 year old woman trapped in the body of a baby, a footless football sensation, a furry monkey girl in China, an Indonesian boy with snake-like skin, a man with a hole in his face and an Ethiopian girl born with an extra body are some of the individuals whose rare unpleasant conditions have made them shy away from human contact.

Body Bizarre features stripped down interviews with these individuals, their family, friends and doctors who analysis and attempts to treat their rare conditions. Sometimes, they require surgery so complicated and demanding that the odds of survival are stacked against them.

Despite the massive challenges they face, with modern medicine, the dedication of medical teams, the love of their family and friends and most importantly, their powerful passion for life, these strong individuals push themselves not only for the purpose of survival, but to shine and inspire as well.

MUMBAI: Non-fiction broadcaster Discovery Networks International (DNI) has announced the return of survival expert and global phenomenon Bear Grylls with a new series: ?Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors?.

This six episode one hour series - commissioned by DNI creative director, head of production, development Julian Bellamy and DNI VP development, factual programming Sarah Davies will air on Discovery Channel internationally, available in 217 markets across the Asia-Pacific Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Grylls said, "I am super excited to be working with Discovery again - the channel where the ?Man Vs Wild? journey began. ?Bear Grylls: Ultimate Surviviors? and any future endeavours will be intense-but that?s where the fun is! ?Man Vs Wild? took me to some of the toughest climates and terrains out there, and this new series is an exciting evolution of that. The aim is to follow incredible real-life survival stories and demonstrate dynamic life-saving know-how along the way."

DNI chief content officer, executive VP Luis Silberwasser said, "We are thrilled to welcome Bear back to the Discovery fold. He is a true game-changer in the survival genre, integral in shaping it into the programming powerhouse that it is today. We are now poised to push the limits even further for our international audience."

Bellamy said, "We are hugely excited about Bear?s new series, which brings a fresh take to what he does best: survival extremes. ?Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors? will pair Bear?s unique brand of survival knowledge and techniques with some of the most mind-blowing survival stories ever documented. This show will prove to be a must-see for adventure lovers around the world."

In the show, Grylls takes his survival expertise one step further as he reveals the stories of ordinary people stranded in devastatingly dire situations. Coupled with archive footage and interviews with the survivors, he will pit himself against the very same dangers and scenarios, re-living their journeys through first-hand experience, and showing us how to survive through some of the world?s most desolate landscapes.

From a plane crash in the Amazon, to the remote crevasses of the European Alps, to the unforgiving North African desert, Grylls navigates through ever more hostile terrain to show the skills needed to make it back to civilization. The show aims to go beyond mere endurance skills. It aims to offer insight into the human spirit under pressure. It marries emotion and real experience that celebrates instinct, endeavor, and the will to survive in the face of dangers.