South Pacific

The extraordinary wildlife, culture and history of this immense, fascinating ocean and its myriad islands are revealed in stunning detail in this acclaimed BBC series. With its coral reefs, turquoise lagoons and dramatic oceanic atolls, the South Pacific is the archetypal paradise. But from the shores of Hawaii to Easter Island and a thousand tiny remote islands, this ocean holds some of the most bizarre and intriguing surprises on Earth... The incredible photography and discoveries of this series capture the amazing natural sights of the region: from erupting undersea volcanoes to jewelled tropical reefs and from tiger sharks catching albatross chicks to giant crabs opening coconuts. It reveals how the islands’ isolation has helped evolve flesh-eating caterpillars, vampire bugs with antifreeze in their veins, a strange nocturnal parrot with a mating call like a bull frog and the fascinating monkey-tailed skink. South Pacific also tells of the people whose ancestors journeyed thousands of miles to the islands. Some acquired new survival techniques such as the palolo worm-harvesting Samoans or the Solomon islanders who fish with spider webs and kites, while others developed bizarre rituals such as the Pentecost land divers who leap from 25-metre wooden scaffolds. With incredible natural spectacles, dramatic footage and fascinating stories, South Pacific will change the way you view this ocean forever. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. (BBC)