704 The Last Place On Earth

First  viewed  : March  1985

Again,  I  just   dipped  into  this  ITV  serial, perhaps  only  the  last  episode.  It  was  a  dramatisation  of  the  race  between  Scott  and  Amundsen  for  the South  Pole  in  1912 It  was  made  by  Central  Television  alone  although  it  featured  all  Norwegian  actors   for  Amundsen's  party  with  the  unknown  Sverre  Ankar  Ousdal  playing  Amundsen. Martin  Shaw played  Scott  and  the series  gave  him  that  crucial  opportunity  to  escape  from  his  Professionals  persona  that  would  always  elude  Lewis  Collins.

The  series  had  an  excellent  cast  ( including  a  young  Hugh  Grant  in  a  minor  role )  and  high  production  values. Given  the  setting  and   how  well  known  the  eventual  outcome  was, it  couldn't  evade seeming  a  bit  gloomy  but  it  was  impressive  TV  nonetheless.