Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14306 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-08-31
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1

DVD Description
The wildest soap on TV broadcast live from the Masai Mara!

Featuring incredible live action, dramatic stories and an exclusive, never-seen-before Tamu’s Story episode

It was TV's most ambitious international wildlife event ever – a week of live broadcasts from the heart of Kenya’s Masai Mara. Under the cover of darkness, the big cats of the savannah really come alive and Big Cat Live’s ‘invisible’ infa-red and thermal cameras were there to film just what was going bump, howl and roar in the African night.

As two new presenters, newsreader Kate Silverton and local Masai guide Jackson Looseyia, join Simon King and Jonathan Scott at their camp next to the Mara River, we follow the dramatic and compelling stories of the lions, leopards and cheetahs familiar to the Big Cat series as well as the supporting cast of hyenas, elephants , hippos and others.

Once again the Marsh pride of lions is never far from the action – including breathtaking hunting scenes and a nail-biting elephant stand-off. Cheetah mum Shakira faces a struggle to keep all five of her gorgeous cubs alive, and the ‘Jackson Five’, three generations of leopards, are a constant source of excitement and adventure.

In a groundbreaking week’s filming, Big Cat Live takes us on an emotional, action-packed journey through the heart of Wild Africa.

Synopsis
It was TV's most ambitious international wildlife event ever – a week of live broadcasts from the heart of Kenya's Masai Mara. Under the cover of darkness, the big cats of the savannah really come alive and Big Cat Live's 'invisible' infa-red and thermal cameras were there to film just what was going bump, howl and roar in the African night. As two new presenters, newsreader Kate Silverton and local Masai guide Jackson Looseyia, join Simon King and Jonathan Scott at their camp next to the Mara River, we follow the dramatic and compelling stories of the lions, leopards and cheetahs familiar to the Big Cat series as well as the supporting cast of hyenas, elephants , hippos and others.

Customer Reviews

disappointingly short
'if it aint boke,dont fix it'. so the saying goes. well, for some reason, the BBC decide to fix something that isnt broke,changing a winning formula,and really coming up short.
this is a 'special', but apparently is footage from a week in the masai mara.if thats the case, why only 51 minutes?the past 'big cat weeks' are far longer.
also,there is no saba douglas-hamilton,so they have replaced her with 'jackson', a local masai guide,who comes up with thoughts such as the wilderbeast are 'praying to god' when they are vocal.please hurry back,saba!
the main irritant,however, is the inclusion of glamour-journo kate silverton as narrator.this is someone who has no knowledge or expertise in big cats. indeed,when the programme went out live,each programme ended with camp fire 'chats', and her questions she came out with were truly inane.
i gave it 3 stars as the footage,albiet not as much as usual, is fantastic.
heres hoping the BBC have realised that this change in format does not work as well, and will go back to its original winning and far better formula.

Not as good as the old big cat diaries
We are massive fans of the whole series and have loved the previous TV programmes and DVDs. The format for this DVD has changed. No episodes just one 50 min piece amalgamating all the key bits in the show (plus some extras). The tension and excitement have been lost completely althought the filming is of the usual high BBC quality. They had some fantastic footage available of the camp site where it was filmed and much more nighttime stuff. It has a feel of being cobbled together to get out quickly. They have great presenters who are nearly lost in the quick programme. There is a whole series available here that the BBC could bring out.

Big Cat no so special
The family has loved Big Cat Diary and Big Cat Week since we first saw it and have found the previous DVD's sensational, definitely all 5 star. However, perhaps the standard was so high as sadly this falls well short of those. Although Jackson Looseyia is excellent, this is balanced by some irritating narration by Kate Silverton and poor & inappropriate music; Simon and Jonathan remain great as do all the actual stars.