Wild, wacky and off the wall! (Wild At Heart Series)

Member Name: ld75454

Product:	Wild At Heart Series
Date:	02/02/09 (348 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fab Sunday night telly.

Disadvantages: Amanda Holden - thankfully she's gone.

*Introduction*

I started watching Wild at Heart when it first started in January 2006 as soon as the first series of the program was aired. I love programs that include any sort of animals and thought this sort of show was exactly the kind of thing that I would like. From the initial episode I was hooked and haven't stopped watching since.

*About Wild at Heart*

Wild at Heart is a television drama that is follows the goings on at Leopard's Den game reserve. Danny and his family moved from England to open Leopard's Den, a game reserve to tourists.

The first series focuses on getting the reserve up to the sufficient standard that people can stay. The difficulties that the family come across are sometime extremely amusing to watch. It is in this original series is when we get to know the key characters in the show. It also has a great episode focussing on the impact of Anthrax at the game reserve.

The second series centres on how they cope with their first visitors to Leopard's Den. It also centres on the rivalry with Mara, the bordering game park. This is possibly my favourite series.

The third series is about the animal hospital that Danny has his heart set on building and how they will go about funding this.

The show is shot at a game park called Glen Afric in Magaliesberg and the Leopard's Den house that the Danny and his family call home is actually a museum. I would love to visit there as the setting looks amazing. Truly beautiful.

Wild at Heart is aired on ITV 1 on a Sunday evening starting between the hours of eight and nine. It is perfect Sunday night television and one hundred times better than Heartbeat. The program runs for approximately 60 minutes including breaks.

*Main Characters/Cast and My Opinions of Them*

In this show, it is the characters are largely responsible for the success of the show as they are marvellous.

Danny Trevanion played by Stephen Tompkinson:
Danny really makes Wild at Heart as good as it is. He is a vet and heavily relied upon not only on their game park but also in their local area. He is a passionate and loving man who will do absolutely anything when it comes to not only his family but also any animal that is in any sort of distress. I love his character and is the one that could never be replaced on the program.

Rosie Trevanion played by Lucy-Jo Hudson:
Throughout the series' of Wild at Heart Rosie has grown from a girl who was desperate to go back to England into an aspirant vet, like her father. She has fantastic instincts but tends to gets slightly flustered at times letting her emotions get the better of her. Rosie is a personality on Wild at Heart that is fiesty and doesn't tend to back down on her opinions.

Du Plessis played by Deon Stewardson:
Du Plessis brings bundles of character to this program. He is the business partner of Danny at Leopard's Den. He is irritable and grumpy, and that is when you catch him on a good day. But under the surface he is a big softie that loves the animals that live on the land surrounding him. A brilliant character who knows the land like the back of his hand and creates a sense of what it would actually be like out there.

Evan Adams played by Luke Ward-Wilkinson:
Evan is passionate and caring. Despite being Danny's step-son they are very similar in personality. I'm not a huge fan of child actors and tend to be fairly critical of them but Luke plays the part amazingly.

Georgia played by Juliet Mills:
Georgia has temporarily taken the place of Caroline as her sister whilst she is back in England. They are also sisters in real life. I'm not sure that she is as good as Caroline but she is a sufficient replacement until she returns. She is equally as irritating but surprisingly willing to help when necessary.

Caroline played by Hayley Mills:
Caroline is the mother of Sarah and at the beginning it seems like she is there for a holiday and not to pull her weight. How she soon learns. I like the character of Caroline as she brings realism to the show. She shows that not everyone loves the struggle that they have undertaken in opening Leopard's Den. Her relationship with Du Plessis is perhaps one of the best things about the show. I'm eagering awaiting her return to the program.

Max played by Martinus Van Der Berg:
I love the character of Max. He is kind, but when necessary brutally honest. He is the owner of the nearest bar to Leopard's Den and takes a shine to Rosie.

Nomsa Nguni played by Nomsa Xaba:
Poor Nomsa has to clear up the mess that Du Plessis and the Trevanions make around the house. She is a small character that has a significant impact. The little she says is of great value.

Fatani played by Thapelo Mokoena:
Fatani brings entertainment to the program with his petty arguments with the family at Leopards Den. He is comical despite his character being very serious.

Previous Characters/Cast

Sarah Trevanion played by Amanda Holden:
I can honestly say I am thrilled that she is no longer in the show. She was the one cast member that I didn't like. Sarah was the centre of the family and was always there to convince the other family members when they doubted that the move to Africa was the right thing to do. Her character was dull and I don't think that Amanda Holden can act at all.

Amy Kriel played by Jessie Wallace:
Jessie's stint in Wild at Heart was in my opinion a complete and utter failure. She lived in the game reserve next to Leopard's Den with her husband. Her character was very similar to that of Kat Slater in Eastenders, quite common. She won't be missed by me.

Olivia Trevanion played by Rafaella Hutchinson:
I can't say that I miss Olivia. Unlike Evan, I wasn't particularly impressed with her character in the show. She was dull and only seemed to whine all the time. I'm glad to have seen the back of her.

*Overall Opinion*

What I like most about the show is that it isn't all plain sailing. They do have their fair share of problems. This makes the show interesting and great to watch.

The storylines of the show can be somewhat far-fetched but I love indulging in the some of the implausible plots.

It isn't often that the US copy things that the UK has done but the idea of this television series is something they loved the idea of. They have since made a show called Life is Wild based on the same design.

Wild at Heart is currently showing its fourth series on ITV1 in between the two Dancing on Ice shows. Tune in to check out what I'm raving about. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Summary: Wild stories and fantastic characters. Super Sunday tv.