[Peewit]

Hi there

This sounds an excellent programme and it is in 5 parts all together.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x9b82

Today, 21:00 on BBC Two (except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue))

It's summer solstice in Siberia, a time of endless daylight and extraordinary festivals.
Bruce Parry journeys to meet the Sakha horse people and a remote encampment of Eveny reindeer herders in the wild Verkhoyansk Mountains, where he finds out how they are embracing the challenges of a post-Soviet Arctic.
For Bruce, it's also a journey of personal discovery as he goes in search of the ancient shamanic religion of these wild northern lands.

Oh yes, and not to forget the wildlife experience too...

Part 2/5 is about Greenland next week....

Regards
Kathy
x

[Bubbs]

An opportunity missed. Entirely predictable and lacking any educational content.
For those of you who want to watch this on the BBCi player...don't bother. Very poor.

John.

[bluechaffinch]

Yes, more cod-spiritual nonsense and quasi-anthropology from Mr Parry in yet another quest to find deep spiritual meaning in far-flung tribes. Why he needs to travel to the ends of the earth to understand that life can have meaning beyond the material is baffling - it's as though he needs constant reassurance that you can just relax and enjoy the moment. And anyway, the indigenous folks he meets (and gosh aren't they just so spiritual and connected to nature!) just seem to be like everyone else - just getting on with life.

Best jibber-jabber moment was when he said, whilst sat on the back of a reindeer in the middle of the herd, "Being this close to the herd gives you the sensation of being with the herd". Yes, whatever Bruce.

Save (us) some money and go and meet some hedgelayers or something - you may be suprised to find that there are people in your own land who are connected to nature too.

[Bubbs]

The most baffling was when he actually thanked the locals "for dragging me up here".

Lets just hope the BBC (actually us) don't pay him for another series.

John.

[Bubbs]

This land teems with wildlife along the nine time zones but all we saw was 60 minutes of Reindeer herding, a few million midges and life around the dinner table...plus a tank. Where were the wetlands and breeding waders, along with the wildlife of the dry steppe and ground nesting birds like the magnificent Steppe Eagles...etc.

A waste of our money.

John.

[John Cantelo]

Well, I just watched it and found it fairly entertaining. No, it wasn't an Open University primer on the sociology and wildlife of the Arctic, but then it wasn't billed as either an academic or wildlife programme. Hence I think it a little unfair to complain that it didn't show the wildlife of the region concerned. I suspect that it all hinges on whether you like Mr Parry and his approach to making these programmes. No, it wasn't his best effort, but it wasn't as bad as the earlier posts suggests

[Peewit]

Hi John

I feel a little like you that the programme was very lightweight bordering on Drama more than a Nature programme

Not good and not bad but somewhere in between with or without the silliness with the pony and Reindeer.

There again, we never know what to expect on TV at times and that is what makes the world, and people more interesting

Regards
Kathy
x

[Bubbs]

Originally Posted by John Cantelo

Well, I just watched it and found it fairly entertaining. No, it wasn't an Open University primer on the sociology and wildlife of the Arctic, but then it wasn't billed as either an academic or wildlife programme. Hence I think it a little unfair to complain that it didn't show the wildlife of the region concerned. I suspect that it all hinges on whether you like Mr Parry and his approach to making these programmes. No, it wasn't his best effort, but it wasn't as bad as the earlier posts suggests

Hi John...no doubt Oz was fab??

I may have been a tad unkind but the way the beeb trailed this prog over the weeks made me think it was going to be on par with Attenborough at his best...sadly not!

John.

[John Cantelo]

John,

My jaw is still bouncing along the ground after being dropped so many times in Oz - my report, 22 pages of it is almost done and I will post anon for the insomniacs here. However, perhaps, if you were a tad unkind, then the post twitchathon euphoria of Australia may have inclined me to be too generous!

[Bubbs]

John,

I know one thing....your Oz trip report will never match the amazing 'Birding In Cadiz Province' - which should now be printed as a book (yes I know you won't agree) but we look forward to the Oz report.

John.

[John Cantelo]

For various reasons I've missed subsequent programmes until tonight's offering which I thought was rather better than the first episode in the series. I thought that the last section, on native peoples taking whales, dealt with this very controversial & delicate matter with some sensitivity and thoughtfulness,