Prime Presents

8:30pm Tuesday, October 2 on Prime

Documentary

The Ross Sea, Antarctica, is the most pristine stretch of ocean on Earth, a vast and frozen landscape that teems with life. Whales, seals and penguins carve out a place on the very edge of existence. Californian ecologist David Ainley has been traveling to the Ross Sea to study this unique ecosystem for more than thirty years. He has written scientific papers describing it as a ‘living laboratory’. Largely untouched by humans, it is one of the last places where the delicate balance of nature prevails. But an international fishing fleet has recently found its way to the Ross Sea. It is targeting Antarctic toothfish, sold as Chilean Seabass in up-market restaurants around the world.

The catch is so lucrative it is known as white gold. Ainley knows that unless fishing is stopped, the natural balance of the Ross Sea will be lost forever. He rallies his fellow scientists and meets up with a Colorado nature photographer and New Zealand filmmaker who also share a deep passion for this pristine corner of the world. All want to stop fishing and protect this last pristine ecosystem. Together they form ‘The Last Ocean’ and begin a campaign taking on the commercial fishers and governments in a race to protect Earth’s last untouched ocean from our insatiable appetite for fish.

8:45pm Sunday, March 25 on Prime

Documentary

David Attenborough returns to the island of Madagascar on a very personal quest. In 1960 he visited the island to film one of his first ever wildlife series, ‘Zoo Quest’. Whilst he was there he acquired a giant egg. It was the egg of an extinct bird known as the ‘elephant bird’ – the largest bird that ever lived. It has been one of his most treasured possessions ever since. Fifty years older, he now returns to the island to find out more about this amazing creature and to see how the island has changed. Could the elephant bird’s fate provide lessons that may help protect Madagascar’s remaining wildlife? Using Zoo Quest archive and specially shot location footage, this film follows David as he revisits scenes from his youth and meets people at the front line of wildlife protection. On his return scientists at Oxford University are able to reveal for the first time how old David’s egg actually is – and what that might tell us about the legendary elephant bird.

8:45pm Sunday, April 1 on Prime

Documentary

The Sinking Of The Concordia

The $400 million cruise ship – which got off to a bad start when the champagne bottle failed to break on its launch – fell prey to the omens when it sank off the Italian coast. This documentary pieces together the mistakes that led to the disaster. With a capacity of 3,780 passengers and at an impressive 290 metres long and 31 metres high, the ship was a palace of the ocean. So how did this boat, hailed as a glorious example of modern technology, sink? And why do some critics say the design of these mega-cruisers is dangerous? These are just some of the questions this programme examines as it tries to understand how, after a century of safety measures and technological advances since the Titanic, a ship with so many passengers can sink. Using computer generated imagery (CGI), it recreates a minute-by-minute account of the timeline to tragedy, featuring exclusive interviews with survivors, rescuers and world-renowned experts.

8:45pm Sunday, March 11 on Prime

Reality Series

In the conclusion of this three part series, the aftershocks continue but Nick and Sarah keep working to get a bigger and better Freemans Restaurant re-opened in Lyttelton. They finally open on December 23rd 2011. Their insurance comes through five minutes before the 6.0 magnitude tremor strikes at 1.50pm, and they start cooking pizzas in their new oven two hours later. By the end of January their hard work is paying off as the combination of their new layout, business model and the limited number of restaurants open in Christchurch means their turnover is twice what it was pre-earthquake.

8:45pm Sunday, March 4 on Prime

Reality Series

Part Two

The production team behind The Grand Plan set out to document the journey of a team of four as they transformed Christchurch’s dilapidated Provincial Hotel into a modern gastro pub. It was destined to become a thriving family business run by husband and wife team Nick (London renowned chef and food aficionado) and Sarah Freeman (business brains and front of house experience). Sarah’s father Graham Harris, and his friend and colleague Stephen Cohen made up the four, bringing the money, the heritage restoration track record and years of business experience with them. In the aftermath of the first earthquake in September, more consents and engineers reports had to be found. Two months later, and just four weeks away from enough steel going in to hold the whole place together, the second earthquake struck causing severe damage to The Provincial Building, among others. The team were then faced with the incredible challenge of trying to keep their ‘grand plan’ alive.

8:45pm Sunday, February 26 on Prime

Reality Series

Part One

The Grand Plan was originally commissioned and funded as ten half-hour episodes. Combining elements of Grand Design with Jamie Oliver, the production set out to document the journey of a team of four as they transformed Christchurch’s dilapidated Provincial Hotel into a modern gastro pub. It was destined to become a thriving family business featuring the best of New Zealand’s food and wine, run by husband and wife team Nick (London renowned chef and food aficionado) and Sarah Freeman (business brains and front of house experience) Sarah’s father Graham Harris, and his friend and colleague Stephen Cohen made up the four; they brought the money, the heritage restoration track record and years of business experience with them. Their plans were slowly moving forward subject to bank loans, building consents and heritage orders when the first earthquake struck in September 2010.

8:30pm Sunday, July 3 on Prime

Documentary

Sir David Attenborough has travelled the globe countless times to film the living world in all its wonder. During his 50 years working in television, he has pioneered new filming technologies, produced some of the most iconic moments in broadcasting and inspired a generation. Now in his eighties, he’s returning to complete his mission to document the history of life on Earth by going back in time in the search of the first animals. Attenborough’s Journey is a remarkable portrait of the man behind the legend as he faces the challenges of a complicated shoot. The result is a revelation as we delve into the mind and character of one of the world’s most iconic broadcasters. We discover a man in his element, immersed in his three great passions: fossils, the natural world and film-making. We discover the method and craft that lie behind his iconic delivery, his unerring sense of humour and his reflections on a career that virtually spans the history of television itself.

8:35pm Sunday, March 6 on Prime

Documentary Series

Reptiles and Amphibians

From icy wastes to arid deserts, reptiles and amphibians have used their ancient, cold-blooded body plan along with sophisticated behavioural innovations to master the harshest environments on the planet. Using their ruthless hunting abilities, extraordinary camouflage, guile and downright physical toughness, they thrive where mammals and birds fear to tread. See Komodo dragons hunting buffalo, sea snakes with one of the most toxic venoms in the world that breed in caves, the seemingly suicidal leaps of a waterfall toad, the tender giant African bull frog that digs water channels to save not only its own young, but that of others too; and lizards that can walk on water.

9:30pm Sunday, August 29 on Prime

Documentary

On August 29th 1958 a star was born, quite literally. Michael Jackson, who sadly passed away in June 2009 was regarded by many as the greatest performer of all time, and in tonight’s Prime special we relive not only the man who brought us years of number 1 hits, but also a historic television music event that went on to become one of the highest-rated musical specials in television history. In 2001, Michael celebrated 30 years of solo success. Tonight’s concert celebrates his achievement with performances by many musical superstars and the King Of Pop himself. Recorded at New York’s Madison Square Garden this was Michael’s first live U.S. performance in more than a decade and the first reunion with his brothers in 17 years. The roster of performers and guests include Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston, Usher, Britney Spears, ‘N Sync, 98 Degrees, Gloria Estefan, Mya, Chris Tucker and a host of others.

8:45pm Sunday, August 15 on Prime

Documentary

Revelations about the private life of the world’s most recognisable sporting name, Tiger Woods, rocked the world in November 2009. Tiger Woods: The Rise and Fall tells the story of the world’s most extraordinary celebrity scandal, talking for the first time to the key players behind the scenes: the girls; the ‘Tiger Team’ insiders; and the people who brought him down. Michelle Braun, the Hollywood madam who supplied Tiger’s girls, reveals the secret sex life of Tiger, including the money he spent and his special requests. Waitress Mindy Lawton reveals details of her year long affair with Tiger, as well as how the affairs were covered up by behind-the-scenes deals.

Porn actress and stripper Jocelyn James, who conducted a three year relationship with Tiger, talks about the kind of sex Tiger liked, as well as speaking with candour and feeling about the emotional costs of their affair: how she fell pregnant with Tiger (twice) and the personal price she paid for maintaining the secrecy. This PRIME documentary offers an unprecedented glimpse into the billion dollar athlete’s secret world, with the people who were there. As well as the girls and madams, we also meet coach Joe Grohman, who made Tiger the man he is on the golf course and reveals Tiger’s father Earl’s own infidelities.