Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs

Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs opens at Aviva Studios on 8 December 2026 and runs until 6 January 2027. It's an immersive 360° Lightroom experience narrated by Damian Lewis, taking the Emmy-nominated Apple TV series Prehistoric Planet and blowing it up to a scale that puts you right in the middle of it. The show mixes iconic moments from the series with bespoke illustrations and extended CGI sequences, so the dinosaurs come through at true-to-life size rather than as something you watch on a screen.

The sound is as big as the visuals. The imagery is set to an original score by multi-Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer, working alongside Anže Rozman and Kara Talve of Bleeding Fingers Music. The whole thing was directed and designed by 59 Studio in close collaboration with Apple TV and BBC Studios Natural History Unit Creative Director Mike Gunton. It uses the same Lightroom technology that powered David Hockney: Bigger & Closer, The Moonwalkers and VOGUE: Inventing the Runway, so if you've seen any of those, you'll have a good idea of the format.

One thing that makes this a bit different from a typical show is that it runs on a continuous loop of around 50 minutes with no fixed beginning or end. You can walk in whenever you like and stay as long as you want, rather than having to be there for a specific start time. If you're taking kids, there's a bit to keep in mind: the After Dark evening slots from 6pm to 9pm are for ages 12 and over only, though children aged two and under go free. There's also a programme for £10 and a Dinosaur Lunchbox for £6.50 on offer.

Sessions run from 9:30am to 8:00pm daily at the North Warehouse, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ. Previews start from £20 and standard tickets from £25, with Aviva £10 tickets and concessions available, and a £1.50 booking fee on all tickets.