South Pacific (TV series)
South Pacific | |
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BBC Natural History Unit Discovery Channel | |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two |
Release | 10 May 14 June 2009 | –
Related | |
South Pacific (Wild Pacific in the US) is a British
On 6 May 2009, BBC Worldwide released a short clip of big wave surfer Dylan Longbottom surfing in slow motion, high-definition footage as a preview of the series, attracting extremely positive reactions on YouTube.[2]
The series was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on 15 June 2009. At the end of each fifty-minute episode, a ten-minute featurette takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the series.
The series was released by Discovery International in the USA under the title Wild Pacific, with narration provided by Mike Rowe.
The series forms part of the Natural History Unit's "Continents" strand. It was preceded by Wild China in 2008 and followed by Madagascar in 2011.
Episodes
1. "Ocean of Islands"
- UK broadcast 10 May 2009, 2.49 million viewers (9.2% audience share)[3]
The opening episode presents an overview of the natural history of the region, introducing some of the themes that are explored in more detail in later programmes. The South Pacific covers a vast area, and less than 1% is land, ranging from the Hawaiian Islands north of the equator to New Zealand in the south. On
2. "Castaways"
- UK broadcast 17 May 2009, 2.58 million viewers (9.6% audience share)[3]
The second episode looks at how plants, animals and humans colonised even the most remote islands. Most pioneers came from the west, with
3. "Endless Blue"
- UK broadcast 24 May 2009, 1.42 million viewers (5.3% audience share)[3]
The third episode begins in the tropics, where a white
4. "Ocean of Volcanoes"
- UK broadcast 31 May 2009, 2.29 million viewers (9.9% audience share)[3]
The fourth episode opens with rare footage of
5. "Strange Islands"
- UK broadcast 7 June 2009, 2.15 million viewers (8.7% audience share)[3]
The fifth episode looks at the unusual animal life of the South Pacific. Species have evolved new behaviour to take advantage of ecological niches. On New Guinea,
6. "Fragile Paradise"
- UK broadcast 14 June 2009, 1.99 million viewers (9.4% audience share)[3]
The final episode focuses on the
Title music
The music in the title sequence is a
Reception
Writing in The Guardian, Sam Wollaston said that it was "about beautiful South Pacific things, filmed amazingly," but criticised the "slightly irritating script" and called the show "perhaps a little unfocused."[10]
At the 2010
The show came back to public attention in 2015 when a clip on The Graham Norton Show highlighted Cumberbatch's apparent inability to pronounce the word "penguin", rendering it "peng-wing" instead.[14][15][16]
Merchandise
DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released to accompany the TV series:
- A Blu-ray Discset (BBCBD0047) featuring all six full-length episodes was released on 15 June 2009.
- A Region 1, 2-disc DVD set (B002BEXDXY) and a Blu-ray Disc set (B002BEXDXO) featuring all six full-length episodes was released on 14 July 2009. This version is known as Wild Pacific.
References
- ^ "BBC Showcase 2009 - Natural History". BBC Worldwide. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ^ "HD: Super Slo-mo Surfer! - South Pacific - BBC Two". BBC Worldwide via Youtube. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ BARB. Retrieved 19 October 2009. (data available for South Pacific broadcast weeks by searching archive)
- ^ Produced by Huw Cordey (10 May 2009). "Ocean of Islands". South Pacific. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Produced and directed by Mark Brownlow (17 May 2009). "Castaways". South Pacific. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Produced and directed by Mark Brownlow (24 May 2009). "Endless Blue". South Pacific. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Produced and directed by Chiara Bellati (31 May 2009). "Ocean of Volcanoes". South Pacific. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Produced and directed by Jonathan Clay (7 June 2009). "Strange Islands". South Pacific. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Produced and directed by Jonathan Clay (14 June 2009). "Fragile Paradise". South Pacific. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (10 May 2009). "Sam Wollaston on the weekend's TV: South Pacific | The Incredible Human Journey". The Guardian – via theguardian.com.
- ^ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS AT THE 31st ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS, DOCUMENTARIAN FREDERICK WISEMAN RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND PBS NEWSHOUR HONORED WITH CHAIRMAN'S AWARD | The Emmy Awards - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences".
- ^ "South Pacific - IMDb" – via imdb.com.
- ^ "RTS Craft and Design Winners 2009". Royal Television Society. 24 January 2011.
- ^ O'Shaughnessy, David (26 September 2014). "Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch really has a problem saying the word 'Penguin'". Entertainment.ie.
- ^ Locker, Melissa. "Benedict Cumberbatch Can't Say The Word Penguin". Vanity Fair.
- ^ "Here's Why Benedict Cumberbatch Is The Best 'Graham Norton Show' Guest - Video". Contactmusic.com. 30 November 2015.
External links
- South Pacific at BBC Online
- South Pacific at IMDb
- TVB Website (Hong Kong)