I just had to write about this channel that I literally discovered this afternoon. Smithsonian Channel on SKY 195 has the most amazing documentaries about America. I learnt that the salt flats in Death Valley National Park are almost 200 miles long and that there is an annual race from Badwater to Whitney which is 135 miles long in temperatures of around 120 degrees. Contestants climb from 279 ft below sea level to 8360 ft at Mt Whitney portal. All of this filmed from the air.

Launched just this month Smithsonian Channel is to rival BBC 4 with it’s ‘fast checked’ shows. I should watch with a note pad and pen to take notes shouldn’t I?

Catch it if you can!