We are watching Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific, the third series, as the Brits call them, of the new Martin Clunes travelogue show. These are similar in theme to his earlier show, Islands of Britain. I posted about the first series, Martin Clunes:Islands of America, back in February. We then rolled right into the second series, Martin Clunes:Islands of Australia . This post will tell you what we thought about the second and third series.
In each series, Clunes visits multiple islands. He shows the incredible differences in each island that make them such unique and special places. The shows do a nice job balancing exploring the unique geography, climate, wildlife, and people of each island. Clunes does express his personal opinions on a range of historical, cultural, and political issues quite vocally. Although these are not very balanced, they are not so “in your face” that they take away from enjoying the show even when you disagree with his personal perspectives.
Islands of Australia
There are over 8,000 islands to choose from in Australia. Clunes visits 16 in this series that offer a cross-section of island life. The series takes him from the East Coast islands with their European settlers, to the indigenous people and watery wildernesses of the North and West, to the South Coast islands with their strong links to the mainland and beyond. Along the way, he learns about the diversity, history, and challenges of island life Down Under.
Here is the trailer for this series.
Australia is a very special place for me. I ran the Asia/Pacific region for a software business at Texas Instruments for several years back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I got to live in Sydney for about a year during this period of my life and I have felt an almost spiritual connection to the ‘Land Down Under” since then. This show brought back a lot of great memories.
Islands of the Pacific
This series was even more wide-ranging than the first two. In this series, Clunes fulfills a lifelong yearning to follow in the footsteps of the Kon-Tiki expedition by embarking on an epic, ocean-wide adventure in search of the real Pacific. He begins in French Polynesia and ends in the Galápagos Islands, encountering coral atolls, jungle-clad mountains, and lava-spewing volcanoes, plus an astonishing variety of animal life and fascinating people and cultures.
I have had a similar thing for the South Pacific since I was young. One of my aunts had a friend who served in the Pacific. He had an “add-on” to his home that was set up like it was in the islands. I don’t know why, but I was hooked. I reach Michener and tons of other stories set in the Pacific.
Unfortunately, the trailer is not on YouTube yet. The actual shows are on YouTube. You can click on the image below to go to see the trailer on the Acorn site.
We highly recommend all three shows. The photography is breathtaking and Clunes is a fun guide. Definitely recommend putting these on your watch list.