The Caribbean: a hideaway for the famous. A playground for the rich … a billionaire’s paradise. The Caribbean: Billionaire’s Paradise, Channel 4 2023
In the south-east of the Caribbean is Barbados, a glimmering jewel in the Atlantic ocean. Home to rare wildlife and surrounded by coral reefs. ibid.
Princess Margaret, a rebel, a sometime rebel and the runner-up. But there was one place, 4,000 miles away, where Princess Margaret came first – the Caribbean island of Mustique … But her glitzy Mustique lifestyle would come at a price. And Margaret’s decadent island life put her in the public spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Princess Margaret: Queen of Mustique, Channel 5 2021
Back home Margaret’s marriage to Tony Armstrong Jones or Lord Snowden as he was also known had broken down. He had had numerous affairs and Margaret needed to get away from London and from him. ibid.
The island was owned by Colin Tennant, later known as Lord Glenconner, who had bought it in 1958 for £45,000. ibid.
The star-studded party was the epitome of opulence and a world away from the stuffy life of the royals back in the UK. ibid.
‘He [Snowden] was furious because it looked like he had been cuckolded by a younger man [Roddy Llewyellyn] and that didn’t appeal to his vanity.’ ibid. royal watcher
In 1977 the Queen paid a visit to her sister on Mustique. ibid.
‘She [Margaret] ended up having having a couple of strokes while on Mustique.’ ibid. royal watcher #2
Cruises have never been more popular. Last year 1.7 million of us booked one and sailed off into the sunset. Nowadays there are cruises for everyone. Cruising with Jane McDonald s1e1: Caribbean, Channel 5 2018
I’m Jane McDonald and 18 years ago I was a singer on a ship that was filmed for a BBC series. ibid.
A mega-cruise in the Caribbean … The world’s and definitely my favourite cruise destination. ibid.
It’s got islands – 7,000 of them – some of the best beaches in the world, weather to die for and gorgeous people. ibid.
Almost every Mediterranean cruise starts in Miami. ibid.
4,300 other passengers aboard our floating resort hotel: The Divina, one of the biggest liners in the world … It’s so big you cannot even get it in the shot. ibid.
My 7-day, 3-island cruise: from Miami we sail overnight to our first stop, Nassau in the Bahamas … Then on to St Martin … Then on to Puerto Rico. ibid.
It’s got islands – 7,000 of them – some of the best beaches in the world, weather to die for and gorgeous people. ibid.
Almost every Mediterranean cruise starts in Miami. ibid.
#4,300 other passengers aboard our floating resort hotel: The Divina, one of the biggest liners in the world … It’s so big you cannot even get it in the shot. ibid.
My 7-day, 3-island cruise: from Miami we sail overnight to our first stop, Nassau in the Bahamas … Then on to St Martin … Then on to Puerto Rico. ibid.
It’s like a floating city: there’s shopping malls, a 1,600-seater theatre, 4 swimming pools, 12 bars, 8 restaurants, a gym and spa, and 24-hour entertainment … [and] a staircase made of Swarovski crystal. ibid.
Yes, I’m doing a shark dive … For $89 I’ll be fulfilling a lifetime ambition. ibid.
I set off for my next cruise around the party island of Cuba … so where better to start than the Spanish colonial capital of Havana. Cruising with Jane McDonald s2e4: Cuba
The Crystal is an older vessel … She’s living the dream here in the Caribbean … This is old-school cruising … We’re sailing right round Cuba starting in Havana, then south to Cienfuegos, then a quick day trip down to Montego Bay in Jamaica, then back to Santiago de Cuba in the south, then home to Havana. ibid.
Apart from Florida 103 miles away, Jamaica is Cuba’s closest Caribbean neighbour … It’s paradise … It’s just completely relaxed. ibid.
I’ve always loved travel. It’s been my life. But like many of you I haven’t been away for a while. Holidaying with Jane McDonald s1e1: Barbados, Channel 5 2020
There one place on a lot of bucket lists including mine – the Caribbean. ibid.
Barbados is the place to go … Fairmont Royal Pavilion: my home for the week; this colonial-style hotel is on the west side of the island. ibid.
Everything looks like 3-D quality especially the wildlife. ibid.
St Lucia is just 45 minutes flight from Barbados and is blessed with temperate weather all year round. It’s a picturesque 30-minute journey to my hotel. Holidaying with Jane McDonald s1e2: St Lucia
St Lucia: It just makes you feel better. It’s really tranquil. ibid.
This time I’m on gorgeous Grenada where I’ll be indulging in my tropical island fantasy. Taking a diving trip through an underwater art gallery … and getting down with the locals. Holidaying with Jane McDonald s1e3: Grenada
I get the cooking lesson of a lifetime, get the adrenalin pumping with an adventure off the beaten track, and discover a spectacular hidden world of underwater artworks. ibid.
Antigua: A beach for every day of the year … I go swimming with stingrays … hire a yacht … and I get into the Caribbean spirit with a real carnival queen … Over 60 hotels on the island. Holidaying with Jane McDonald s1e4: Antigua
A Caribbean island paradise and a volcano wakes after lying dormant for centuries. With the lives of 10,500 people at stake, volcanologists rush to the scene. Then a catastrophic eruption sends an avalanche of re-hot rock and ash cascading down the mountain. Seconds from Disaster s3e13: Eruption at Monserrat
Montserrat lies directly on a geological subduction zone; this is one of the most seismically active parts of the planet’s crust. ibid.
A month after the first blast, another larger phreatic eruption fires a cloud of ash, mud and steam two kilometres into the air. The vibration rocks Montserrat. The locals stare nervously at the darkening skies. The south-west of the island is showered in a thick cloud of volcanic dust. ibid.
Pyroclastic Flow: They have caused over 40,000 deaths in the last century alone. ibid.
The volcano hasn’t finished yet: nearly three months later it fires its first pyroclastic flow down the eastern slope of the mountain heading for the coastline. The flow travels just two kilometres and no-one is hurt, but it is clear that volcanic activity is intensifying again. ibid.
The island experiences its first magmatic eruption. ibid.
It’s prepared to blow with a deadly force that will destroy this island paradise. ibid.
A daring helicopter rescue gets underway. ibid.
The scene is like a modern-day Pompeii. ibid.
19 people lost their lives on 25th June. ibid.
The Bahamas. These are the Bimini Islands. Just under 60 miles off the coast of Miami, Bimini is separated from the mainland of America by a deepwater channel known as the Straits of Florida. Ancient Apocalypse s1e4: Ghosts of a Drowned World
A massive structure of carefully laid giant stones with every appearance of being a megalithic roadway or paved terrace. ibid.
In their excitement they announced to the world they had found the road to Atlantis itself. ibid.
The slabs are remarkably straight-edged and parallel. ibid.
This part of the Bahamas has been underwater for thousands of years. ibid.