Last night I caught an episode of Nature's "The Polar Bears of Churchill with
Ewan McGregor." Usually when a documentary-type show sticks a celebrity in the mix it's a ploy to get more people
to tune in, but in this case I was actually quite impressed with how "into it" McGregor was. He seemed
genuinely delighted to be there and witness firsthand the trek of polar bears as they venture out in search of new ice
and new food. McGregor's "naive, but not too naive" approach reminds me of Alan Alda on another PBS series,
Scientific American Frontiers. It's not so much like watching a famous actor as it is watching someone who is
genuinely intrigued by the subject he's reporting. If this whole "film career" doesn't work out, I think he'd
do a fine job as a nature show host.Ewan and the polar bears
Last night I caught an episode of Nature's "The Polar Bears of Churchill with
Ewan McGregor." Usually when a documentary-type show sticks a celebrity in the mix it's a ploy to get more people
to tune in, but in this case I was actually quite impressed with how "into it" McGregor was. He seemed
genuinely delighted to be there and witness firsthand the trek of polar bears as they venture out in search of new ice
and new food. McGregor's "naive, but not too naive" approach reminds me of Alan Alda on another PBS series,
Scientific American Frontiers. It's not so much like watching a famous actor as it is watching someone who is
genuinely intrigued by the subject he's reporting. If this whole "film career" doesn't work out, I think he'd
do a fine job as a nature show host.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-16-2006 @ 5:41PM
Nic said...
If you enjoyed Ewan in this then you should also check out his reality t.v. series about driving around the world on a motorcycle called, "Long Way Round" (on the Outdoor Life Network in Canada).
That is another show where he really puts himself out there.
Reply
1-16-2006 @ 6:58PM
Nicole said...
Wait!
Ewan McGregor was on a Nature show!?!? When does this show air? Do you think it will play again? What channel?
I must know. I love Ewan McGregor. And Ewan with polar bears -- could it get any better?
Reply
1-16-2006 @ 7:08PM
mamaloo said...
I gave the book account of The Long Way Round to my maid of honour as a thank you gift post wedding. This was the exact copy I gave but there are also a couple of different hardcover versions.
Reply
1-16-2006 @ 9:09PM
greg said...
Wonderful show, very insightful into the lives of the citizens of Churchhill, the polar bears, and Ewan McGregor.
Reply
1-16-2006 @ 11:14PM
sid said...
for those of you who would like to see video of churchill and the polar bears in a slightly more lighthearted view check out this video
http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/mediazone.html#
in the video section go to the week of nov 22.
the site uses flash/java so i can't get the exact url
Reply
1-17-2006 @ 8:35AM
Wendy said...
I was a new Ewan fan when I first saw Polar Bears of Churchill, and it really deepened my appreciation of him, he is completely into his subject.
Definitely catch the "Long Way Round" series, which is now available on DVD and is airing again in Canada but not yet again in the US. There is a segment in Siberia on black bears, Ewan was quite upset over people shooting the bears to sell the hide and gall bladder. There is a longer version of this, the 10-episode version, where he goes more into his anti-hunting philosophy, which is not shared by his trip-mate Charley Boorman.
Ewan and Charley are planning another motorcycle trip/reality TV documentary - probably to be undertaken in 2007 - through the length of Africa. I say - more Ewan documentaries, they are great.
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