The Last Place on Earth is a 1985 Central Television seven part serial, written by Trevor Griffiths based on the book Scott and Amundsen by Roland Huntford. The book is an exploration of the expeditions of Captain Robert F. Scott and his Norwegian rival in polar exploration, Roald Amundsen in their attempts to reach the South Pole.
The series ran for seven episodes and starred a wide range of UK and Norwegian character actors as well as featuring some famous names, such as Max von Sydow, Richard Wilson, Sylvester McCoy and Pat Roach. It also featured performances early in their careers by Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant.
Subsequently Huntford's book was republished under the same name. The book put forth the point of view that Amundsen's success in reaching the South Pole was abetted by much superior planning, whereas errors by Scott ultimately resulted in the death of him and his companions.
The true story of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Endurance expedition to the the South Pole and his epic struggle to lead his crew to safety after his ship was crushed in the pack ice.
Michael Palin undertakes an epic journey of 23,000 miles, travelling from the North to the South Pole across 17 countries with a minimum of air travel, all on a tight deadline.
Dr. Myra Johnson is transferred to the research station Antarctica III. Shortly after her arrival, she realizes that the rest of the crew – almost all of them men – has probably been living at the South Pole for a little too long and has become somewhat out of touch with the world. And there is no sign of the station chief, whom she urgently needs to find. Myra would have every reason to leave this strange place again. But she decides to stay and leaves with the ship “Northern Star” the last chance to come home again.
Due to a mysterious accident, all contact with the outside world is suddenly lost. The Antarctica III research station is completely isolated as the Arctic winter sets in. While the researchers each try to make an impression on Myra in their own individual way, no one realizes that something has been awakened by the scientific drilling in the ice that could result in the destruction of the world.
In 1989, the German polar explorer Arved Fuchs and the South Tyrolean mountaineer Reinhold Messner set out together to reach the South Pole on skis without sled dogs or motor technology and then cross the entire Antarctic. There are problems right from the start because the onward transport to the starting point by plane cannot be carried out on time. Finally, the adventurers set off from Patriot Hills Base Camp on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf to the Pole. The completely different character traits of the two men quickly emerge. Messner is impetuous and pushes for speed. The calm Fuchs divides his strength and consistently follows his pace during all planned breaks. On New Year's Eve 1989, the two men are warmly welcomed by the crew of the US Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. But the much larger and more dangerous part of their adventurous continental crossing still lies ahead of them. The 3-part documentary shows one of the last great adventures of modern times in impressive pictures.
Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton makes an epic 500-mile journey to the South Pole by kite, by ski and - in a world first - by bike, to raise awareness for Sport Relief.
Double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, TV presenter Ben Fogle and Doctor Ed Coats compete in one of the world’s greatest challenges – the 2009 race to the South Pole - the first organised race since Scott and Amundsen almost 100 years ago.