The Lost World (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World is a syndicated
television series loosely based on the 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
, The Lost World. Premiered in the fall of 1999 (after the TV-movie/pilot
aired in February on DirecTV
and then on the cable television
channel TNT in April), it ran for three seasons before it was cancelled on a cliffhanger in 2002 after funding for a fourth season fell through. To date, the cliffhanger remains unresolved. All three seasons were released in DVD box sets through 2004. The series continued to be rerun in the United States on TNT at 5:00AM EST Monday through Friday, until eventually that came to an end as well.
The series originally aired on Pay-per-view
via DirecTV
in the summer of 1999 before it aired on syndication. Pay-per-view
aired the show uncensored, containing nudity and extended scenes. The syndicated version on TV and DVD releases are edited.
During their journey disaster strikes and their hot air balloon
crashes in the uncharted Amazon jungle
, where they end up on the prehistoric plateau
. There they find themselves trapped and isolated in this dangerous land. The group is assisted by a young jungle-savvy woman named Veronica Layton (Jennifer O'Dell
) whose parents disappeared eleven years prior. Her family was part of a research group that became isolated and then lost under mysterious circumstances. Together - along with a young woman from the future named Finn (Lara Cox
) who joins the band near the middle of season three - the group fights to survive against fearsome dinosaurs, tribal headhunters, vicious ape-men, a race of Lizardmen led by Tribune (Jerome Ehlers
), and other perils as they search for a way to escape.
When a starring actor also has appeared as a guest star during other seasons, this is marked in gray, with the number of guest appearances noted in italics. White square means the actor doesn't appear in that season at all.
has released all three seasons of The Lost World on DVD in Region 1.
appeared in the second half of the third season as Finn, but was never given credit in the opening credits. In the 2nd season episode "Amazons" she had a guest appearance as the Amazon "Phoebe".
William deVry played Ed Malone in the two-hour telefilm that preceded the series (the film was split into two episodes for syndication purposes). David Orth took over the role at the start of the series proper.
The character of Arthur Summerlee, as portrayed by Michael Sinelnikoff, was killed off in the first season finale, but returned once as a ghost during Season 2.
During the third season both David Orth and Jennifer O'Dell were absent from the series for several consecutive episodes, due in part to financial constraints.
The show was primarily filmed on the Gold Coast
, near Brisbane
, Queensland
on Australia's east coast.
Several well-known Australian actors appeared as one off characters throughout the series, including Natalie Bassingthwaighte
and Rebecca Gibney
.
The new season would have also revealed that Marguerite and Roxton were always meant to be together from the beginning. As Veronica is the new Protector of the Plateau, Marguerite is a descendant of Morrighan, her ancestor whom came from "the line of Mordren;" they are the opposing forces against the Protectors. Marguerite as the "third power" within the Trion forces, was a free will agent allowed to choose good or evil in the battle against power over the Plateau. Roxton, Marguerite's knight, protector, and future groom would have been her personal guide so that Marguerite would ultimately choose "good." Also, because of Marguerite's Celtic heritage within the line of Mordren whose presence is on the Plateau and Veronica's bloodline with the Protectors, Veronica and Marguerite are cousins genetically, but spiritually are sisters. Roxton's role as Marguerite's modern day knight originates with his childhood and ancestral home having close proximity to Avebury
, nearly twenty miles from Stonehenge
.
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
television series loosely based on the 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, The Lost World. Premiered in the fall of 1999 (after the TV-movie/pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
aired in February on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
and then on the cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel TNT in April), it ran for three seasons before it was cancelled on a cliffhanger in 2002 after funding for a fourth season fell through. To date, the cliffhanger remains unresolved. All three seasons were released in DVD box sets through 2004. The series continued to be rerun in the United States on TNT at 5:00AM EST Monday through Friday, until eventually that came to an end as well.
The series originally aired on Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
via DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in the summer of 1999 before it aired on syndication. Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
aired the show uncensored, containing nudity and extended scenes. The syndicated version on TV and DVD releases are edited.
Plot
At the dawn of the 20th century, a band of adventurers, led by adventurer and scholar Professor Edward Challenger, embark on an expedition to prove the existence of a lost world isolated from the rest of the modern world. The British expedition team consisting of a mismatched group of enthusiasts, all with less than selfless reasons for making the journey begin their trip under less than ideal conditions. The intrepid band consists of:- Professor George Edward Challenger (Peter McCauleyPeter McCauleyPeter McCauley is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in many television series and movies, mainly in his home country.- Career :...
) — The leader of the expedition, who hopes to prove his claims to the skeptical London Zoological Society. - Professor Arthur Summerlee (Michael SinelnikoffMichael SinelnikoffMichael Sinelnikoff is a British actor. He is most famous for his role as Professor Arthur Summerlee on the television series The Lost World, and has been seen in a variety of film roles.- Filmography :- External links :...
) — The elderly member of the band and a colleague to George Challenger, who initially does not believe Challenger's claims about a lost world. - Marguerite Krux(née' Smith) (Rachel BlakelyRachel BlakelyRachel Blakely is an Australian actress. Her works include films such as Love Until, Young Hercules and Counterstrike, as well as guest appearances on television shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, State Coroner and Flipper; from 2006 to 2007 she starred as Glenda Fry in the Australian...
) — The selfish financier of the expedition who goes along for her own reasons. - Major Lord John Richard Roxton (William SnowWilliam Snow (actor)William Snow is an Australian actor born in Sydney. He is most famous for his role as Lord John Roxton on the TV series The Lost World.- Filmography :- External links :...
) — The nobleman with vast hunting experience, who accidentally kills his brother while trying to save him from an ape-man. He serves as protector of the group. - Edward "Ned" T. Malone (David OrthDavid OrthDavid Orth is a Canadian actor.Orth was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario. His most notable role was as Edward 'Ned' Malone in the TV series The Lost World, which was shot in Australia. He played this part from 1999 until 2002. During the shooting of The Lost World, he purchased a home in...
) — An American newspaper reporter, hoping to make a name for himself and impress his girl back home, if he survives the ordeal.
During their journey disaster strikes and their hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
crashes in the uncharted Amazon jungle
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, where they end up on the prehistoric plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
. There they find themselves trapped and isolated in this dangerous land. The group is assisted by a young jungle-savvy woman named Veronica Layton (Jennifer O'Dell
Jennifer O'Dell
Jennifer O'Dell is an American film and television actress. She performed on the TV series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, where she played Veronica....
) whose parents disappeared eleven years prior. Her family was part of a research group that became isolated and then lost under mysterious circumstances. Together - along with a young woman from the future named Finn (Lara Cox
Lara Cox
Lara Jane Cox is an Australian actress, known for a variety of roles. Cox played the role of Anita Scheppers in Heartbreak High, Doctor Denman in H2O: Just Add Water, and has appeared in Voodoo Lagoon and Kangaroo Jack....
) who joins the band near the middle of season three - the group fights to survive against fearsome dinosaurs, tribal headhunters, vicious ape-men, a race of Lizardmen led by Tribune (Jerome Ehlers
Jerome Ehlers
Jerome Ehlers is an Australian actor and writer.- Selected filmography :*1989 Bangkok Hilton *1990 Quigley Down Under *1991 Deadly *1992 Fatal Bond...
), and other perils as they search for a way to escape.
Episodes
| Episode # | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Journey Begins (Pilot pt. 1) | All or Nothing | Out of the Blue |
| 2 | Stranded (Pilot pt. 2) | Amazons | The Travelers |
| 3 | More Than Human | Tourist Season | An Eye for an Eye |
| 4 | Nectar | Stone Cold | True Spirit |
| 5 | Cave of Fear | Divine Right | The Knife |
| 6 | Salvation | Skin Deep | Fire in the Sky |
| 7 | Blood Lust | London Calling | Dead Man's Hill |
| 8 | Out of Time | The Prisoner | Hollow Victory |
| 9 | Paradise Found | The Games | A Witch's Calling |
| 10 | The Beast Within | The Source | Brothers in Arms |
| 11 | Creatures of the Dark | Trophies | Ice Age |
| 12 | Tribute | Voodoo Queen | The End Game |
| 13 | Absolute Power | The Guardian | Phantoms |
| 14 | Camelot | Under Pressure | The Secret |
| 15 | Unnatural Selection | The Outlaw | Finn |
| 16 | Time After Time | Quality of Mercy | Suspicion |
| 17 | Prodigal Father | Mark of the Beast | The Imposters |
| 18 | Birthright | Survivors | The Elixir |
| 19 | Resurrection | The Pirate's Curse | Tapestry |
| 20 | The Chosen One | The Visitor | Legacy |
| 21 | Prophecy | A Man of Vision | Trapped |
| 22 | Barbarians at the Gate | Into the Fire | Heart of the Storm Heart of the Storm "Heart of the Storm" is the final episode of the television series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and what is now proved to be the final episode of the TV drama series.... (Series Finale) |
Cast and crew
The list follows the credits order. The seasons during which each actor has been included in the main cast are marked in black. Note that the actors don't necessarily appear in every episode during their time as a main star.When a starring actor also has appeared as a guest star during other seasons, this is marked in gray, with the number of guest appearances noted in italics. White square means the actor doesn't appear in that season at all.
| Actor(s) | Character | Appearances | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | S 1 | S 2 | S 3 | ||||
| Peter McCauley Peter McCauley Peter McCauley is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in many television series and movies, mainly in his home country.- Career :... |
Professor George Edward Challenger | ||||||
| Rachel Blakely Rachel Blakely Rachel Blakely is an Australian actress. Her works include films such as Love Until, Young Hercules and Counterstrike, as well as guest appearances on television shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, State Coroner and Flipper; from 2006 to 2007 she starred as Glenda Fry in the Australian... |
Marguerite Krux | ||||||
| William Snow William Snow (actor) William Snow is an Australian actor born in Sydney. He is most famous for his role as Lord John Roxton on the TV series The Lost World.- Filmography :- External links :... |
Lord John Richard Roxton | ||||||
| Jennifer O'Dell Jennifer O'Dell Jennifer O'Dell is an American film and television actress. She performed on the TV series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, where she played Veronica.... |
Veronica Layton | ||||||
| Michael Sinelnikoff Michael Sinelnikoff Michael Sinelnikoff is a British actor. He is most famous for his role as Professor Arthur Summerlee on the television series The Lost World, and has been seen in a variety of film roles.- Filmography :- External links :... |
Professor Arthur Summerlee | 1 | |||||
| David Orth David Orth David Orth is a Canadian actor.Orth was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario. His most notable role was as Edward 'Ned' Malone in the TV series The Lost World, which was shot in Australia. He played this part from 1999 until 2002. During the shooting of The Lost World, he purchased a home in... |
Edward 'Ned' T. Malone | ||||||
| Lara Cox Lara Cox Lara Jane Cox is an Australian actress, known for a variety of roles. Cox played the role of Anita Scheppers in Heartbreak High, Doctor Denman in H2O: Just Add Water, and has appeared in Voodoo Lagoon and Kangaroo Jack.... |
Finn | ||||||
| William deVry William deVry William deVry is an Canadian television actor now living in Vancouver. He has appeared on several soap operas. He played the roles of Joshua Doors on Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict, Tim Charles on Port Charles and Michael Cambias on All My Children... |
Edward 'Ned' T. Malone | ||||||
DVD releases
Image EntertainmentImage Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
has released all three seasons of The Lost World on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | January 27, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 22 | April 20, 2004 |
| Season 3 | 22 | November 16, 2004 |
Trivia
Lara CoxLara Cox
Lara Jane Cox is an Australian actress, known for a variety of roles. Cox played the role of Anita Scheppers in Heartbreak High, Doctor Denman in H2O: Just Add Water, and has appeared in Voodoo Lagoon and Kangaroo Jack....
appeared in the second half of the third season as Finn, but was never given credit in the opening credits. In the 2nd season episode "Amazons" she had a guest appearance as the Amazon "Phoebe".
William deVry played Ed Malone in the two-hour telefilm that preceded the series (the film was split into two episodes for syndication purposes). David Orth took over the role at the start of the series proper.
The character of Arthur Summerlee, as portrayed by Michael Sinelnikoff, was killed off in the first season finale, but returned once as a ghost during Season 2.
During the third season both David Orth and Jennifer O'Dell were absent from the series for several consecutive episodes, due in part to financial constraints.
The show was primarily filmed on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, near Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on Australia's east coast.
Several well-known Australian actors appeared as one off characters throughout the series, including Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian actress, singer-songwriter and television personality. She began her career as an actress on the television series All Saints. She then starred in the American television movie Counterstrike...
and Rebecca Gibney
Rebecca Gibney
Rebecca Catherine Gibney is a New Zealand born Australian actress.-Biography:Gibney was born the youngest of six children, and brought up in Wellington. She has said she wasn't so much funny as a "bit odd" as a child. "I was a bit like Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family...
.
Season 4 Information
The producers of the show have revealed some details of the proposed fourth and even fifth seasons from 2002. If the subsequent season had been produced, fans would have learned that Professor Arthur Summerlee was indeed alive, residing in Avalon. Avalon, near the border of the Plateau, is where Veronica's surviving mother Abigail Layton had become the Plateau's protector soon after her disappearance. She became the ruler of Avalon and had left behind a triangle artifact- the Trion, the Eye of Heaven- for her daughter Veronica to find. Veronica was to become the new Protector of the Plateau. Her tree-house dwelling was apparently the epicenter of the entire Plateau.The new season would have also revealed that Marguerite and Roxton were always meant to be together from the beginning. As Veronica is the new Protector of the Plateau, Marguerite is a descendant of Morrighan, her ancestor whom came from "the line of Mordren;" they are the opposing forces against the Protectors. Marguerite as the "third power" within the Trion forces, was a free will agent allowed to choose good or evil in the battle against power over the Plateau. Roxton, Marguerite's knight, protector, and future groom would have been her personal guide so that Marguerite would ultimately choose "good." Also, because of Marguerite's Celtic heritage within the line of Mordren whose presence is on the Plateau and Veronica's bloodline with the Protectors, Veronica and Marguerite are cousins genetically, but spiritually are sisters. Roxton's role as Marguerite's modern day knight originates with his childhood and ancestral home having close proximity to Avebury
Avebury
Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles which is located around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, south west England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain...
, nearly twenty miles from Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
.