Distant Shores (TV series)
| Distant Shores | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Caleb Ranson |
| Starring |
Peter Davison Samantha Bond Tristan Gemmill Emma Fildes Justin McDonald Matthew Thomas-Davies Gareth Thomas |
| Opening theme | Nick Bicat |
| Composer(s) | Nick Bicat |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Carolyn Reynolds (series 1) Kieran Roberts (series 2) |
| Producer(s) | Sue Pritchard |
| Location(s) | mainly Craster, Northumberland |
| Camera setup | single camera |
| Running time | ~ 46:30 |
| Production company(s) |
Granada Television Ltd. (Granada Manchester) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Original release | Wednesday 5 January – 9 February 2005 Series 2 un-aired in the UK, but was aired elsewhere in the world |
Distant Shores is a dramedy first shown in the United Kingdom on ITV in January 2005. Like the similar dramedies, Northern Exposure and Doc Martin, it focuses on the difficulties of an unwillingly-transplanted metropolitan doctor who is forced to adjust to a rural environment.
The programme itself is notable for being a rare example of a show to have an entire series shelved in its country of origin following the completion of post-production.
Peter Davison plays a successful London plastic surgeon Bill Shore. In a bid to save their marriage, his wife Lisa, played by Samantha Bond, accepts a six-month veterinary research job on a small Northumbrian island called Hildasay. Bill reluctantly agrees to relocate on the island with his wife, daughter and son. The stories revolve around the various ways in which the family adjust to the island and its welcoming, but sometimes peculiar, inhabitants. The dominant themes of series 1 are Bill's attempts to leave the island, and the tragedy which befalls Lisa as she gradually pursues an adulterous relationship with one of its inhabitants. This overarching storyline is essentially reversed in series 2, with Lisa wanting to return to London and Bill considering starting an affair on Hildasay.
The first series was broadcast in 2005 on ITV. According to one of the show's recurring co-stars, Yvette Rowland, it was "immensely popular", and brought in a viewership of over 6 million. Canadian press releases put the number slightly lower at 5.2 million, but still called the programme "a major hit for Britain's ITV".
Actual ratings data shows both these numbers to be correct, if incomplete. The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board reported that the debut episode of the series was the 20th most popular programme in the United Kingdom for the week ending 9 January 2005, with 7.53 million initial viewers. It was one of only three non-soap operas in the top 20 that week. From this high-water mark, however, the show's audience declined, hovering between 5.2 and 6.2 million viewers. Despite this slip, it usually won its 9pm time slot. In the last two weeks of the run, however, BBC1 managed to win the time slot due to special programming.
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