News

Wild Carpathia

HRH The Prince of Wales reveals his passion for Romania in

Wild Carpathia

a documentary on the extraordinary natural beauty and cultural richness of the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania

Premiering exclusively on Travel Channel on Sunday 30^th October at 20.00

Join Charlie Ottley as he ventures deep into the breath-taking but little known mountains and forests of Carpathia. Home to bears, wolves and the elusive Lynx and little known to the rest of the world, this is perhaps the last great wilderness in Europe. Wild Carpathia provides a unique insight into the beauty and rich culture of the region exploring its chequered history from the mystical ruins of the ancient Dacian civilisations to its medieval Saxon communities.

In his quest to find remote villages, cross mountains and spot bears in the wild, presenter Charlie Ottley meets a dedicated group of individuals whose passion for this area is helping to redefine its importance as one of the great surviving wonders of the natural world.

These include a Transylvanian Count, who is working to conserve some of the most ancient of Carpathia's medieval villages and HRH The Prince of Wales, who can trace his ancestry back to Romania's dark and distant past. “The genealogy shows I am descended from Vlad the Impaler, so I do have a bit of a stake in the country,” he tells Charlie.

Wild Carpathia includes stunning footage of Transylvania including never-before-seen aerial shots of the Carpathians and exclusive footage of The Prince of Wales’s house in Zalanpatak. Furthermore, it captures the fragile majesty of a unique ecosystem and shows why it deserves to be preserved in all its glory for the benefit of future generations and the survival of Europe's most endangered carnivores.

A special preview screening of the film will be held at The Romanian Cultural Institute, London, on Wednesday 26^th October 2011. Please email emilia@theeuropeannaturetrust.com if you would like to attend.

Presenter Charlie Ottley (of the popular Travel Channel ‘Flavours of...’ series) and associate producer Paul Lister (philanthropist and environmentalist) are available for interviews.

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip_QZaBfXqM to view the trailer

For further information, screeners and interview requests please contact:

Britta Soderberg, Britta.soderberg@travelchannel.co.uk, Tel: +44 (0)20 7034 2523

Images from the series can be downloaded from www.travelchannel.co.uk/travellog.

Notes to Editors:

TRAVEL CHANNEL INTERNATIONAL Travel Channel is the leading international travel broadcaster, transmitting 24 hours a day to 121 countries in 20 languages across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. It is operated by Travel Channel International Limited (TCI), an independent company headquartered in London, UK.

CHARLIE OTTLEY Presenter and former BBC Bard Charlie Ottley is the face of hit Travel Channel show Flavours Of..., now in its seventh season. He has travelled extensively, writing and presenting series on the UK, Spain, Peru, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Scotland and Greece. He is also a journalist and satirical poet for TV and radio and has written and performed odes for The Today programme, Saturday Live and the Daily Politics. His work has earned him praise from a host of fellow pundits, particularly his last book, “Cautionary Verses and Ruthless Rhymes for Modern Times” which cemented his reputation as “the new Hilaire Belloc” (Country Life & Independent on Sunday) Charlie is also a dedicated environmentalist and committed member of The European Nature Trust with whom he is working to help preserve the last great wilderness areas of Europe.

PAUL LISTER After 25 years in business, associate producer Paul Lister turned his attention to wildlife and conservation.  In 2000 he established a foundation, The European Nature Trust (TENT), committed to the protection and restoration of threatened wilderness. In 2003 he bought Alladale, a 23,000 acre traditional Victorian Scottish sporting estate; over the last 8 years over 500,000 native trees have been planted and much work has also taken place to restore animal species that were extinct from the region.  

THE EUROPEAN NATURE TRUST (TENT) is committed to the protection and restoration of threatened wilderness, wild habitats and the wildlife living within them, to ensure that Europe’s rich biodiversity will be preserved for future generations. TENT has a dual focus: firstly, protecting ‘Eden’, which are the last remaining areas of true wilderness in Europe that face a very bleak future unless action is taken immediately and secondly, restoring a ‘lost-Eden’, the Scottish Highlands, where great degradation has occurred over 400 years. www.theeuropeannaturetrust.com

Travel Channel HD Launches on Leading Portuguese Platform Zon

(London, 10 October 2011) Travel Channel announces the launch of Travel Channel HD today on leading Portuguese TV platform ZON. Travel Channel HD is now available to viewers subscribed to ZON’s High Definition Pack, ‘Pack Mais Alta Definição,’ on channel number 119.

Geoff Ellis, Chief Operating Officer, Travel Channel International commented “We are delighted to bring ZON on board as a distributor of Travel Channel HD in Portugal, further extending the reach of our  HD offer in this key territory. Travel Channel HD brilliantly showcases the world in high definition bringing stunning locations to life as viewers enjoy a truly immersive entertainment experience. ”

Travel Channel HD broadcasts 24/7 in Portuguese, providing stunning travel documentary programming for all the family.

Informative, entertaining and inspirational, Travel Channel presents the full panorama of travel experiences- from exclusive luxury getaways to adventure challenges, with a sole focus on travel content. Flagship programmes include the destination guide Essential, the opulent showcase of Inside Luxury Travel and magazine show Travel Today.

Travel Channel Launches in Australia

Travel Channel International announces its launch today in Australia via fetchtv, a brand new and innovative Australian TV service.

Programming will include shows such as World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, Essential, It’s a Woman’s World, Indian Times, and Inside Luxury Travel.

Travel Channel, which doesn’t just show people the destination but the adventure it takes to get there, is the latest addition to fetchtv’s stellar channel line-up. 

One of Travel Channel’s flag-ship shows, World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, is currently being filmed in Australia.  The show’s presenter, self-confessed motorcycle junkie Henry Cole was in Sydney to officially launch the Travel Channel on fetchtv at the launch event held today.

“I’m lucky enough to have one of the best jobs in the world. I’ve ridden across New Zealand, the USA, Germany and Eastern Europe.  Australian viewers will be able to catch all my adventures on fetchtv later this year once I’ve completed my biggest adventure yet – a 6,500 kilometre ride right across Australia from Sydney to Perth via Melbourne and Adelaide!” Mr Cole said.

Scott Larson, CEO of fetchtv, said Travel Channel would add an extra splash of travel and adventure to the already strong content line up available on fetchtv.

“fetchtv is a new breed of entertainment and we are delighted to be the first and only provider in Australia to offer Travel Channel,” Mr Lorson said.

Geoff Ellis, Chief Operating Officer, Travel Channel International commented “Travel Channel is delighted to have partnered with fetchtv for our Australian launch.  Australians are known the world over for their love of travel and we expect that our particular brand of world-class, travel-related factual and entertainment programming will be hugely popular with Australian audiences.”

Travel Channel is available on fetchtv as part of the Basic Package. Customers can currently subscribe to fetchtv through iiNet, Internode, Westnet and Netspace, with a fetchtv service from Adam Internet available in the second half of 2011.