Prehistoric Park

Lore & Background

The story is told in the style of a documentary, focusing on naturalist Nigel Marven leading missions to find and collect extinct animals from the distant past using a time machine. The animals are then placed in the confines of Prehistoric Park, a private wildlife park situated in a dry, mountainous region that looks like KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. Marven's core motivation is to defy extinction and give select extinct species a second chance at life. The park features several named enclosures, including Mammoth Mount for the woolly mammoth Martha, T-Rex Hill for a pair of Tyrannosaurus rex named Terence and Matilda, and Big Cat Climb for breeding Smilodons.

Reader's Guide

Prehistoric Park stands as a notable entry in the nature documentary genre, blending educational content with a fictional time-travel narrative. Produced by Impossible Pictures, the team behind Walking with Dinosaurs, the series leverages high-quality visual effects to depict extinct animals in a modern setting. The show's significance lies in its attempt to engage audiences with paleontology and conservation themes through an adventurous format. Its legacy includes multiple home releases across Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4, with the Region 4 DVD featuring alternative narration by Charles Wooley for Australian broadcasts. The series also received nominations and awards, though specific details are not provided in the source article. By presenting extinct species as living creatures in a park, the show encourages viewers to consider the possibilities of de-extinction and the importance of preserving biodiversity.

Did You Know?

• The series was produced by Impossible Pictures, who also created Walking with Dinosaurs.
• Each episode is an hour long including commercial breaks.
• The park's Bug House maintains oxygen levels double those of today to sustain Carboniferous period creatures.
• The Region 4 DVD has original narration by David Jason, though Australian broadcasts used Charles Wooley.