Castaways
Documentary series about the South Pacific islands. A look at how every one of the 20,000 islands was colonised by the Polynesians, and at the varied local fauna.
In the South Pacific there is no such thing as a deserted island. They may be the most isolated in the world, but every one of the region's 20,000 islands has been colonised, from New Guinea - home to birds of paradise and the tribe whose brutal initiation ceremony turns young warriors into 'crocodile' men - to Fiji, French Polynesia and Hawaii.
This is the story of the ultimate castaways - from saltwater crocodiles and giant eels to crested iguanas and weird frogs - who succeeded against all odds to reach islands thousands of miles apart. These journeys are no mean feat. It has been estimated that an average of one species in every 60,000 years makes it to Hawaii. Incredibly, many of these colonisers made it to the islands thanks to some of the most violent forces of nature like cyclones and tsunamis.
The voyages of the South Pacific's first people - the Polynesians - were no less remarkable. These journeys were some of the greatest acts of navigation ever undertaken, and they changed the nature of the South Pacific forever.
Last on
Clip
-
Traditional voyaging canoes
Duration: 03:01
Music Played
-
The Dandy Warhols
Easy
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Benedict Cumberbatch |
Producer | Mark Brownlow |
Executive Producer | Huw Cordey |
Composer | David Mitcham |
Broadcasts
- Sun 17 May 2009 20:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Yorkshire
- Mon 18 May 2009 19:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Yorkshire
- Tue 19 May 2009 20:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Tue 26 May 2009 01:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Northern Ireland & Scotland
- Thu 28 May 2009 00:40Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Northern Ireland
- Tue 14 Jul 2009 20:00
- Sun 30 Aug 2009 22:55Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Thu 31 Dec 2009 12:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Mon 29 Nov 2010 19:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Tue 30 Nov 2010 01:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Sat 22 Jan 2011 19:00
- Sat 21 Apr 2012 19:00
- Sun 22 Apr 2012 03:10
- Sat 13 Apr 2013 19:00
- Sun 14 Apr 2013 02:10
- Tue 1 Oct 2013 16:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Yorkshire
- Mon 17 Sep 2018 20:00
- Sat 22 Feb 2020 20:00
- Wed 17 Aug 2022 20:00
- Thu 18 Aug 2022 01:35
- Sat 17 Feb 2024 20:00
- Sun 18 Feb 2024 01:15