This article is about the series. For the place, see Prehistoric Park.
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Prehistoric Park is a six-episode Docu-fiction television mini-series that premiered on ITV on 22 July 2006 and on Animal Planet on 29 October 2006. The program was produced by Impossible Pictures, who also created Walking with Dinosaurs. Each episode is an hour long including commercial breaks.
The program is narrated by David Jason and presented by Nigel Marven. The fictional component is the theme that Nigel goes back to various geological time periods through a Time Portal, and brings back live specimens of extinct animals back to the present day, where they are exhibited in a wildlife park named Prehistoric Park, which is a big area between high steep mountains and ocean, with varied environments.
Synospis[]
The story, which is told in the style of a documentary, focuses on naturalist Nigel Marven leading missions to find and collect extinct animals from the distant past by use of a time machine. The animals are then placed in the confines of Prehistoric Park, a private wildlife park that is situated in a dry, mountainous region of an unspecified part of the world. Marven's core motivation in the series is to defy extinction and to give select extinct species a second chance at life.
Cast[]
- Nigel Marven (playing himself).
- Bob (Rod Arthur) - the long-suffering head keeper at the park. In charge of feeding, cleaning and controlling the animals in the park.
- Suzanne (Suzanne McNabb) - the head veterinarian. Responsible for treating animals when they're sick or injured.
- Saba Douglas-Hamilton (playing herself) - a big cat specialist, whom Nigel invites back to catch Smilodon in episode 4.
- Bill - a crew member who travels back with Nigel. Introduced in episode 5.
- Jim - an associate of Nigel who travels with him through time. Also introduced in episode 5.
- Ben - One of Nigel's crew. Four Mei long attacked him for meat in his backpack. Introduced in episode 3.
There are various other staff members, but none of their names have been given. One of the more prominent is Suzanne's blonde assistant, who appears in episode 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Locations[]
Main article: Prehistoric Park
Episodes[]
Main article: T-Rex Returns
Animals[]
The extinct animals that are brought to Prehistoric Park throughout the series are as follows:
- A male Triceratops named Theo.
- A herd of around twenty Ornithomimus, which go on to have chicks.
- Two young Tyrannosaurus Rex, who are siblings. One is a male named Terrence, and the other is a female named Matilda.
- A female Woolly Mammoth named Martha.
- A male Elasmotherium.
- A small group of Microraptors.
- A herd of nine Titanosaurs.
- A Phorusrhacos.
- Two Sabre-toothed Cats, one male and one female. The Cats later go on to have two cubs.
- A Meganeura (Giant Dragonfly).
- A Pulmonoscorpius (Giant Scorpion).
- An Arthropleura.
- A Deinosuchus.
- A Troodon. Unlike the other animals, Nigel and the crew do not intentionally bring back the Troodon, it hides in the back of their truck as they return to the present.
As well as the extinct animals, there are also several modern-day animals that reside in the park. These include a herd of African Elephants, a Cheetah, a group of Nile Crocodiles and free-roaming Egrets and Ibis. Nigel also keeps a few smaller animals in and around his base, which include a Blue and Yellow Macaw, a Hermann's Tortoise, a Western Hog-nosed Snake and a Jackson's Chameleon.
Filming Locations[]
Note: The first location mentioned in each episode is where it was set, while the second location refers to where the episode was filmed.
| Main Park | South Africa | Crocworld Conservation Centre, Didima Camp and Cathedral Peak (aerial shots.), Natal Lion Park, Hluhluwe– iMfolozi Park |
| 1 | Montana, United States | Conguillío National Park of Chile where there are plenty of Araucaria and Nothofagus trees |
| 2 | Siberia | The Yukon at Kluane National Park and Reserve and British Columbia at Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park in Canada |
| 3 | China | Rotorua, New Zealand, in the Redwood, Ohakuri, and Tikitere forests, Kakahi Falls and Lake Rotokawau |
| 4 | South America | in Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros near Brasilia in Brazil |
| 5 | Coal forest in Scotland | Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southern Florida, but some of the vegetation was CGI |
| 6 | Texas, United States | The freshwater lakes of Fraser Island, Australia |
DVD[]
- The Region 1 DVD was released on 5 June 2007 by BCI Eclipse, under license from Fremantle Media.
- The Region 2 DVD was released in Britain on 28 August 2006 by Fremantle Media.
- The Region 4 DVD was released in Australia and surrounding islands on 6 October 2006. Charles Wooley narrated the series when broadcast on Australia's Nine Network, and the Region 4 DVD has the original narration by David Jason.