Actor Christopher Guest Reprises His Satirical 'Spinal Tap' Role to Help National Geographic Channel Decode the Mysteries Behind Stonehenge

Actor Christopher Guest Reprises His Satirical 'Spinal Tap' Role to Help National Geographic Channel Decode the Mysteries Behind Stonehenge

Spoof Interview Featured in Five Viral Clips Found on www.StonehengeDecoded.com

Stonehenge Decoded, premiering Sunday, June 1, 2008, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT

WASHINGTON, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stonehenge is one of the most iconic structures in the world. People have speculated about its purpose for centuries, associating the structure with everyone from King Arthur's magician, Merlin, to the druids and the sun god Apollo. Now faux rockstar Nigel Tufnel -- portrayed by actor Christopher Guest from the landmark cult comedy, "This is Spinal Tap" -- lends his offlandish, side-splitting opinions on who created Stonehenge, and why, in an exclusive online interview with National Geographic Channel (NGC).

Claiming he knows the name of the single man responsible for the construction of Stonehenge, Tufnel sits down with a journalist to answer some hard-hitting questions and takes viewers on an exclusive tour of his garage, where he conducts "decoder" experiments to provide evidence for the true purpose of Stonehenge.

Beginning on Wednesday, May 21, the spoof interviews can be found online at http://www.stonehengedecoded.com/ and on various websites around the internet. The viral spots are intended to drive awareness for NGC's upcoming show Stonehenge Decoded, which presents an exclusive look at groundbreaking evidence that places this ancient monument at the center of one of the largest prehistoric religious complexes in the world. Premiering Sunday, June 1, 2008, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, Stonehenge Decoded details the first proof of a 4,500-year-old Stone Age settlement just a few miles from Stonehenge, with a mysterious near-replica of Stonehenge made of wood at its center.

Best known for his ensemble mockumentaries, including Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show, Guest wrote the script and starred in the cult classic "This is Spinal Tap" in 1984.

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary in January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD, which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 66 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: National Geographic Channel

CONTACT: Russell Howard, +1-202-912-6652, RHoward@natgeochannel.com, or
Chris Albert, +1-202-912-6526, CAlbert@natgeochannel.com, or National
Broadcast: Dara Klatt, +1-202-912-6720, Dara.Klatt@natgeochannel.com, or
Photos: Heather Huston, National Geographic Channel, +1-202-912-6536,
Heather.Huston@natgeochannel.com, all of the National Geographic Channel; or
National & Local Radio: Johanna Ramos Boyer, +1-703-646-5137,
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Fratelli Group, +1-202-496-2122, LAriza@fratelli.com, all for the National
Geographic Channel

Web Site:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel
http://www.stonehengedecoded.com/

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