Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4804 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-24
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 684 minutes

From the Studio
The nation's love affair with the coast will be reawakened for this entertaining and ambitious exploration of the entire UK coastline. Every part of the 9,000-mile coast is covered to explore how we've shaped it - and how it shapes us. Hosted by a team of history and geography experts who investigate everything from life on a nuclear submarine; rebuilding the Titanic using computer images; the story behind the first Butlins holiday camp; and the birth of the Severn Bore. Discover the curious, sometimes dysfunctional, relationship between the British and the seas.

Customer Reviews

Highlight TV show of 2005...
One of the most entertaining shows of 2005 has now made its way onto DVD and once more the viewer can lose themselves in the wonder of the U.K., as a series of experts voyage around the cooastline of this isle. This epic-series, which is accompanied by a book by Christopher Somerville, takes in twelve hour-long episodes focusing on the British coastline: 'Dover to Exmouth: The Frontline'; 'Exmouth to Bristol: The Wild West'; 'Bristol to Cardigan Bay: Times and Tides'; 'Cardigan Bay to the Dee: The Travellers Coast'; 'Liverpool to Solway Firth: Shifting Sands'; 'The Northern Ireland Coast: The Troubled Coast'; 'West Coast of Scotland and Western Isles: Islands and Inlets'; 'Cape Wrath to Orkney: Life on the Edge'; 'John O'Groats to Berwick: The Working Coast'; 'Berwick to Whitby: The Forgotten Coast'; 'Robin's Hood Bay to The Wash: The Inventive Coast'; & 'The Wash to Dover: The Vanishing Coast.'

The voyage is undertaken by several experts, the principal presenter Nicholas Crane (Map Man) is supported by a team of experts including historian Neil Oliver (Two Men in a Trench), archaeologist Mark Horton (Time Flyers), zoologist Miranda Krestovnikoff (Hidden Treasure) & anatomist/archaeologist/flame-hairerd uber-vixen Alice Roberts (Time Team). The voyage around the UK's coastline shows us not only the present day, but flips into the history of the country - whether taking up specific historical stories, alluding to the climate changes that formed this isle, or exploring the natural phenemona & wild-life.

There are too many great moments to detail, I particularly liked Neil Oliver's piece on an obscure lighthouse (with a wonderful tale of murder), Alice Roberts exploring what was left of a promenade in Northern Ireland, and the episodes that focused on Scotland. The point of the programme was made often when it was initially shown on BBC2 - that everyone in the UK is not far from the British coast, so why not explore it?

'Coast' demonstrates that this country has much to offer and felt like a more-rounded companion to Julian Cope's stone-circle themed 'The Modern Antiquarian' - this DVD is perfect winter-viewing that will hopefully compel viewers to explore the British coast in the new year. Sure, there were populist aspects - modern graphics, references to 'The Prisoner' & descriptions of geology made with cakes, but this is due to the fact that the programme is trying to appeal to a wide audience. Everyone I know who has seen it has loved it - and watching 'Coast' I came to realise that my voyage between work and home is a very small universe. An ideal Christmas present also!

For those who love the coast
The series is real value for money, the photography is brilliant and the insights into the biological and social aspects of the UK coastline is uplifting. As someone who no longer lives in Britain this brought back terrific memories. There are a couple of irritations such as the introduction of the team members at the beginning of every episode and sometimes the commentary sometimes appears to be coming from school teachers, but this does not mar this terrific project and series.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside!
But living in the midlands these days, I miss the sea terribly. Watching the Coast series is a real treat and makes my longing for the sea even stronger. There are so many miles of astoundingly beautiful coastline round England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland (about 12,000 miles I think they said when you add in all the twiddly bits and islands) that the series could have been twice as long and my attention wouldn't have faltered for a moment. And it's not just the beauty of the coastline that recommends this series - there's the sea itself in all its moods and tempers, the marine wildlife and the history. I've no doubt that I'll watch these DVDs many times. There is really only one thing I can think that would improve the programmes and that is subtitles. I can think of several occasions when they would have been useful, for example, when the zoologist, Miranda was diving with seals and it was very difficult to understand what she was saying in her diving suit, when the geographer, Nick was speaking over the clatter of a fish-finger conveyor belt, when the archaeologist/anthropologist, Mark was speaking in a Butlins holiday camp disco. Even without the subtitles though, it's mostly quite easy to understand what's said.

Highly recommended.