# South Pacific (2009)

> A six-part BBC nature documentary surveying the wildlife and islands of the South Pacific, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/17867

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiara Bellati, Mark Brownlow, Richard Wollocombe, Pete McCowen, Joe Yaggi, James Mair
- TMDB rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1458521/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wondrous, contemplative, awe-struck, serene

## What critics say

Critics broadly admire the series' high-definition cinematography and Benedict Cumberbatch's narration, while considering it a worthy but less ambitious companion to the Planet Earth family of nature documentaries.

## Synopsis

South Pacific (2009) is a British nature documentary miniseries produced by the BBC Natural History Unit for BBC Two, co-produced with the Discovery Channel. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, the six-part series follows no characters but instead surveys the wildlife, reefs, and landscapes of the South Pacific, from coral atolls to the islands of Vanuatu, Palau, and Tuvalu and New Zealand. Filming spanned eighteen months in remote locations across the Pacific, with crews chasing seabirds, marine life, and island ecosystems through high-definition lenses. Its engine is discovery itself: each episode moves from one remote shoreline to the next, revealing animal behaviour and the rhythms of tides and seasons. Slow motion surf footage and sweeping aerial vistas give the series a wondrous, contemplative register, warm and unhurried rather than urgent. Viewers who enjoy Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet will find the same awe-struck, cinematic approach to the natural world. A single season of six fifty-minute episodes, it suits anyone drawn to vivid, meditative television about oceans and islands.

## Shows like South Pacific

- [Planet Earth (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/981)
- [Seven Worlds, One Planet (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/76945)
- [The Blue Planet (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/12664)
- [Our Planet (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/71512)
- [Nature's Great Events (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/18234)
- [A Perfect Planet (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/95990)
- [Life Story (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/55128)
- [The Green Planet (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/81293)
- [Blue Planet II (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/64612)
- [Life in the Freezer (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/8858)

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