MUMBAI: Infotainment channel Discovery Channel will kick off on 9 September a ten-part series of ?Coal? every Sunday at 7 pm.

The show will go underground to explore the workings of a modern coalmine and meet the people who undertake the potentially lethal, complex task of extracting this vital natural resource.

Every aspect of the job will be covered, from the dangers behind the super-charged explosions needed to open surface mines, to the well-publicised daily dangers of working in the dark recesses of the earth?s crust in a traditional shaft mine.

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, "Discovery Channel?s series ?Coal? will explore the daily lives and the communities spawned by an industry that?s been around for centuries."

The miners work long shifts, often hunched over - the size of the mine limited to the size of the coal seam, some as small as 32 inches. Men toil in cramped spaces doing a job their fathers and grandfathers did before them. At any moment a pillar could collapse, the makeshift roof could cave-in, or trapped methane gas could cause an explosion killing everyone in the mine.

Each episode will feature different members of the crew. From the workers at the mine, to the shift bosses who oversee the whole operation, the series will focus on both their work and personal lives. The series will delve into the lives of workers - the mine operators, who do the actual drilling; the roof bolters, who reinforce the ?top? after each cutting away of the coal; the buggy runners, who haul away the load; and the scoopers, who pick up the excess.

The programme will also feature some of the first coalmines that existed in the 1800s, towns sprung up and thrived creating a culture of coalminers that still exists today.

MUMBAI: Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey captures her experience in India in a two-part show, ?Oprah?s Next Chapter?, that will simulcast on Discovery Channel, TLC and Discovery Channel Tamil from 20-21 July at 8 pm.

In Oprah?s Next Chapter, she discloses her emotional link that she could feel for the people and culture during her visit to first India this year.

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, ?Discovery Channel takes viewers to rediscover India with one of the most iconic television personalities in the world. Oprah has connected with audience through her chat shows and in Oprah?s Next Chapter, she transitions to a new phase in her life. Audience will see her embrace Indian culture through in-depth conversations with people from different walks of life.?

Upon arrival in Mumbai, Oprah accompanies Australian author Gregory David Roberts of bestselling novel Shantaram to make a trip to the slums and to meet a family of five members living on a meagre salary. She is moved by the aspirations of the family which lives, eats, cooks and sleeps in a 10-foot-by-10-foot concrete room.

Oprah also gets enthused by the close-knit Indian families when she is invited to visit an upper-middle-class family which has four generations living happily under one roof. She also dines her first traditional Indian meal in a thali.

Oprah is invited to a party hosted by industrialist Parmeshwar and Adi Godrej and is pleasantly surprised by the grandeur of the night which has celebrated guests from Mumbai?s glitterati and Bollywood including A.R. Rahman, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and others. On her way to the party, Oprah halts to meet leading Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai and the Bachchan family. She also reveals her favourite fit as she is draped in a traditional saree designed by leading designer Tarun Tahiliani.

In the second episode, Opray travels to Taj Mahal in Agra to see the epitome of love. Her next destination is Jaipur, where she is mesmerised by the land of extremes to see camels wandering along other vehicles on its metropolitan city streets. She sits down with spiritual guru Deepak Chopra for a thought-provoking conversation on spirituality, karma, aging and meditation.

Oprah is invited to the Palace walls of Jaipur where the Royal Family gives her a traditional Indian regal welcome. She travels to Vrindavan and goes inside a shelter run by Dr. V. Mohini Giri?s Guild for Service, which provides safe haven, job training and dignity to more than 100 displaced women.

Oprah gets inspired by the spirituality and harmony and draws her views on the paradox realities.

It is after 25 years of her stint with television and having interviewed over 28,000 guests that Oprah has stepped out of the studio to have conversation with newsmakers, celebrities and ordinary people.

Oprah said, "After 25 years I got myself out of the studio chairs. I moved into the next chapter, and I am having more fun than ever - moving around the country and the world talking to people I?m really interested in getting to know and I think viewers will be, too. It is so energising to be out and about in the world exploring new people, new places and new ideas."

Meanwhile, Discovery will air a four part special on the Olympic Games every Sunday at 7 pm from 8 July. This will show the amount of preparation that London has done to get ready for the sporting spectacle in terms of things like logistics, engineering and preparing various facilities.

MUMBAI: Discovery Channel is launching a new season of its survival series I Shouldn?t Be Alive.

Starting 4 June, I Shouldn?t Be Alive will air every night at 9 pm.

The show will bring stories of ordinary people who accidently face terrible situations but beat unimaginable odds to survive. The one-hour episode will present a true-life story of endurance, using accurate reconstructions and the first-hand testimony of those who managed to overcome extraordinary danger.

It will have stories of survival, focusing on the moral dilemmas, crucial moments, chance events and life-or-death decisions faced by these survivors.

Discovery Networks Asia Pacific senior VP and GM - South Asia Rahul Johri said, "Discovery Channel viewers have been drawn towards its extraordinary survival series like Man Vs. Wild, Man Woman Wild and Dual Survival. Continuing its promise to inspire and entertain the viewers, the new series I Shouldn?t Be Alive celebrates the deep human drive to survive in death-defying situations."

MUMBAI: Discovery Channel?s new series East To West is set to premiere on 21 May and will be aired every Monday at 8 pm. It examines the role that Middle East has played in shaping world history and Western civilisation.

The show will follow the flow of civilisation from the foundation of science, monotheism, artistic expression, commerce, civil rights and justice.

Middle East was an economic, scientific and cultural centre of the world which has been a vital link between the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe for millennia. This land from ancient times has shaped the modern world, giving it agriculture, cities and the belief in God.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific senior vice president and general manager ? South Asia Rahul Johri said, ?Shot in high definition, East to West is a landmark series which traces the story of the birth and growth of civilization in the Middle East and its huge influence on the West. With deep insight into history and picturesque visuals, it should immensely appeal to the Indian audience.?

The show covers the evolution of civilisation through its early stages like the rise of agriculture, governance and writing in Mesopotamia and travels to ancient Babylon (Iraq) and Mari (Syria) to explore the world?s earliest cities. The seven-part series includes episodes named Between Two Rivers, The Triumph of Monotheism, A Force from the Desert, The Muslim Renaissance, The Asian Crucible, The Rise of the Ottomans and The Ottomans and the West.