User Reviews

What a great show! I like all the actors. This is the first time I've seen Stephen Tompkinson, but I bet he does comedy, his muggings make me laugh. But it was really great to see Hayley Mills again. She was a big star when I was growing up and her experience really shows. While the entire cast is good, Hayley Mills' acting pedigree allowed her to confidently stride into a role that is the complete antithesis of her sweet image during her heyday, making her believable as Amanda Holden's bitter mother who likes to push people's buttons. The show has gotten some rather virulent reviews on this site, but I came in the middle of the season, so the show must have improved by then, because I can highly recommend it. Give it another chance! I'm not a fan of wildlife themes, so I didn't pay it any attention when the series started here, but for me the sign of a good show is that it can capture you at any episode that you start watching it, and this is what happened to me. The series has finished here, but I'm sure they'll show it again. I await its return eagerly.

How come the so-called 'helpful' comments are the negative ones. It disgusts me. Wild at Heart in fact is as not as bad as these comments make it out to be. Wild at Heart is about a vet and his family who move to Africa. They meet up with Dupe Plessi, an alcoholic (non-stereotypical) bad-tempered Afrikaan, and try to bring the wildlife back to a dried up infertile wasteland. They have many adventures involving monkeys, lions, elephants and all sorts. It's dramatic, well-made and very funny. Who cares if it's not 100% accurate? I like it. There were some beautiful shots of African wildlife. Yes, I could simply watch a nature film instead, but I doubt that it will have the same impact. I agree it is predictable, but that's the sort of thing I like on Sunday night. I mean, if I'm tired and there's a long week ahead, do I want to watch some complicated murder mystery where you are constantly left in the dark to as where you are in the plot? No. And even if it is predictable, the storyline is still well-done.

This is a wonderful show, sadly is does not get the credit it so thoroughly deserves.

I like this gentle show. First of all, I love animals. Second, I like fish-out-of-water stories. Third, the acting is excellent. I am a fan of Stephen Thompkinson, ever since first seeing him in Ballykissangel.

For some, the sentimental nature of the stories is worthy of a roll of the eyes or feigned disgust. Me? I love sentimental stories. They tend to get to the emotional nitty gritty that most of us do not want explored, either in others or ourselves. If we did, we would have no need of therapists, right? And so we denigrate those who explore this psychological ground, using symbols and story lines to tell us something about ourselves. That makes sentimental pieces invaluable, I think. So, I enjoy the emotional region the program explores, and especially the difficulty in having the two families assimilate into one. You see, their difficulties parallel of the overall difficulty in assimilating into the African lifestyle. That makes the story lines a touch more sophisticated than the eye rollers give it credit for.

The episode where everybody comes down with an illness (won't spoil it for you) is genuinely well done and kept me riveted.

I am dreading the US version, though I like the idea that Rutger Hauer will play the Afrikkaner, Du Plessis.

Go ahead and watch. It won't bite. But it will entertain.

When Wild At Heart first came on T.V. I was like "What is this??!!" But then I watched the first 3 episodes and I just fell in love with it!! It is about a British family that goes to Africa to tie up some loose ends. The father of the show is a veterinarian and what do they have no shortage of in Africa (Yet)? Animals!! Now this premise may sound slightly strange, nonetheless it is about the family and the various forces that can and sometimes do happen to help or hinder. It will make you laugh and will probably make you cry. This series is in it's 5th season now and it is truly a refreshing television show!! If you cannot see it in America on T.V. try Netflix or Blockbuster. This is one series that you will truly fall in love with!!

I wish they had more of these types of shows in the United States. Big on family values and respecting nature. I also liked how they portrayed the local people. Sometimes, the story gets a little contrived and there are stupid moments, but it's good overall. I didn't like the characters coming and going throughout the series, though.

The last season, however, was not very good. It almost seems thrown together like the series was planned to end in season 6, but a season 7 with a happy ending was put in place to please fans.

I wish this series was fully available to buy or rent in the United States.

This new T.V. show titled "wild at heart" started in Ausrtalia just before Christmas 2006. so far it has been worth its weight in gold. i first noticed this new series on channel ten on Sunday at six o'clock, it was by sheer Happenstance that i even noticed it at all. i had decided to give it a chance. As i sat down to watch this new show i found it entertaining and a great change to all the other shows that were on. since that time i have enjoyed every second of the show and encourage the makers to continue doing a great job. i recommend this show for any one that wants a change from the usual shows on TV. this is a great family based show with excellent story telling and human Endeavour of how one family tries to come together as one.

This is a great show and at first look may seem to be like all the others but it is different and it tackles with many of life's issue's overall it is a fantastic show that is worth watching

I love it. Sometimes the writing makes the acting is a little forced, but the characters are touchable and grow and change. What else is there? I'm a US native, who has lived abroad and tried other ways to live in this modern world. This show follows the great BBC tradition of showing modern characters CHOOSING an alternative life, for good or ill. If you can get past the not-great writing, and focus on what it might be like to change your life, radically, this is a fascinating show. And then they bring in Hayley Mills, and what is not to like? It's all about relationships, and what it takes to really deal with the people you love.

This series is quite a tasty chocolate mousse. There is light, fluffy cream on the top, for what we see of the series at first sight. Then, there is a very dark chocolatey bit, for the part of the series that we do not necessarily see at first. The characters are little bits of toffee crunchy stuff at the top. Characters like Sarah, Danny and Dupleci (or however you spell it) are shining, fresh bits of toffee crunchy stuff. Characters like Evan are just slightly plainer. For the setting (Africa), there is a beautiful swirl of milk and white chocolate mousse in the middle. For the plots in each series, there is just a layer of plain chocolate (although it is still quite tasty).

When you eat the chocolate mousse (when you start watching the series) you receive a comfortable, exciting taste, although it may not be the best chocolate mousse you've ever had.

The series, in short, is about a family who go on a holiday to Africa and decide to live there. In each episode there is a chaotic adventure, which takes a while to solve and calm down.

This is for people who like predictable, beautiful TV series which still keep you interested yet you can easily sit back and relax at the same time.

Enjoy your chocolate mousse/"Wild at Heart"! :-)

Wild at Heart has risen from the ashes of former family dramas like Heartbeat to become the centre piece of ITV's Sunday nights and rightly so. With it's strong cast and writing combined with the beautiful African background it deserves it's place and the affections of the public.

However like all shows that are going into their 7th series things are going a little bit stale. There's only so many stories you can get out of Brits abroad and the finale's are getting more and more far-fetched.

My fear for this show is that it will be milked by ITV until people get sick of it and forget why they liked it in the first place. It was the same with Heartbeat and look how that ended up.

This story is addicting and was very sad to realize I had viewed the last episode on netflix. I love the story, I love Dulesi. A little on continuity. What happened to Rosies pregnancy? When she and her Husband left she had announced she was pg. Then she show up and is going to get a divorce.

But aside from that, I found myself in tears when the animals die or when the original wife died. Feel like I am part of the family.

I found this on netflix and could not wait to see the next episode. The style of acting is wonderful. Mrs. Mills has not changed since her movies as a child. It was good to see her character develop. I am glad she came back.

The most awesome part of this series is definitely the featured animals, landscape and local favor depicted (essentially, an African animal preserve). The storyline and arc of early seasons clearly made this a family oriented show which had a message contained within each solved "problem" that doubled as a lesson about life, people and how we should treat each other. Even DuPlusses meddling was for the greater good of those he cared for and more importantly, within reason for how someone might act in real life.

Season 5 and beyond saw these lessons become on-existent with that endearing meddling becoming more about his own needs masked as helping the situation with any lesson that could've been taught clearly no longer the focus. In fact, if one turned to the shows final seasons for any of life's lessons, there would be more immoral theirs and criminals created than the same masses who received fair moral guidance from early episodes.

Dup wreaked havoc on the oil company that wants to purchase the land in clear childish fashion and yet expects his antics to be rewarded with assistance when he needs it even though he clearly would not do the same in return. The heroes becomes the antithesis of people that the world wants to hate; arrogant, self-righteous, entitled. I truly find it sad and an undignified end to a story/series that did it right for so much of its time as a family oriented show. Why would it not just continue focusing on the animals, building (and salvaging) relationships that we should all find important (family), growing pains and guidance overcoming the trials of coming of age (through all age groups)? The formula worked fantastically for 5 years +/- and I believe it could have ended its run without resorting to the unrealistic antics seen in the final couple of seasons. It's what brought this from a 9.5/10 star rating to a 6/7 for me. I just couldn't relate to their resolutions any longer as they moved right out of the realm of believability transforming this once solid series into just another far-fetched fantasy that betrayed all of the good will it had built for itself.

...the actors do a terrific job of being the most infuriating people you will probably ever see on TV. If this show is indicative of British family dynamics then God help the Queen. The stories are cliché' except they do skip over the typical issues faced by step families. The young boy is a poster child for ADHD on the surface, but actually just lacks any discipline or structure. He is allowed to run amok with basically no correction. The younger daughter is merely the son's sidekick with no noteworthy story lines. Eldest daughter is the typical low self-esteemed, college dropout desperate for Daddy's approval. The father is self-centered and overly focused on his work. The mother is a pushover that is left to try to be the glue when all she does is enable everyone else to behave poorly. Her mother is a shrew who whines incessantly about being there when in fact she has no where else to go. The only likable person in this family isn't even family but the owner of the compound they all live in, Dup. Blunt, coarse, and boozed, he is the only person who expresses any real emotional depth. He efforts to help the family often end badly or hilariously, but at least he's trying to do something for someone else. Everyone else is completely self-absorbed in their own problems - usually created by their own stupidity. I've only seen 3 seasons of the show, the last two seasons being strictly background noise for housework. The scenery and animals are gorgeous. It's a shame there wasn't equally impressive writing.

We have Acorn-TV - so, we can stream every season. It is kind of a unique show wherein a blended family also tried to adapt to like in Africa. The photography and scenery are splendid. Some of the family conflicts are needlessly mean-spirited, in pursuit of meaningful plot lines. And the early episodes 'regress' - by which we mean, the characters get over a hurdle, and then climb back over it to repeat the process.

In this case, the 'step' family almost breaks up when 'Daddy' of the 2 kids flies in with his new juvenile-looking chickie to stake a claim to his offspring. Such a situation is awkward enough to resolve in real life, but we do get there in this episode.

However, in the next episode, the kids cross over certain lines and resolve to depart (again) after outbursts of anger, dredging up hurt feelings and sadness we just got over. Let me tell you how this works in real life: There is NO 'my family, my kids' - there is only OUR FAMILY. No one is leaving. There is husband and wife - the kids in the brood are a STAGE of the marriage - they are NOT the reason for the marriage. Sorry. Sound cold-hearted? Darn right. It works no other way. Once everyone in a blended family understands that they are stuck on this desert isle together with no escape, they will quit whining and get on with the job of survival. Step family survival 101.

The writers seem to be sadly lacking in how 'regression' can spoil a series. Soon, in a following episode, we have ANOTHER problem when a nearby plantation owner makes subtle advances on the wife in this little caper, but she fails to inform her husband, leaving HIS daughter to inform him. Oh, boy. She isn't believed - and now, we have 2 difficult problems instead of one. The husband is a great problem-solver (however), a nice easy-going guy - he'll patch things up. I'd like him for my dad. But this isn't what I was expecting him to deal with. Some of the above caught the eye of a few other reviewers.

I still like the series and will persevere. Like when dealing with a real step-family, I can look for the good things. 8/10

The Best Movie I have seen in many years,and I loved everything about it.

For six straight seasons it was as good as any series on British TV. But once it was understood they would end the show after the 7th season, and Dawn Steele.. bit.ly/18KGBKD .. announced she was leaving to have her first child.. it pretty much was all but over. Her departure after the 1st episode in series 7 really showed just how important she had been to the ultimate success and vitality of the program. In addition, the program itself had become 'a lot of the same'... well done, but still lots of animals getting injured and healed and so forth. At some point it would be nice to view the Christmas Special where Steele returned to the show (and reportedly to have a serious kiss from someone other than Danny), but who knows when and how that finale double episode will get released for streaming... it's on DVD in the UK. PS - Very annoying has since been removed from netflix streaming.. too many good productions being taken away by them!!

Much of the show is based on Du Plessis being an idiot. Of course they all act stupidly and so many things do not make any sense. So you will enjoy criticizing everything that is so wrong with the sets and the story lines.

Wild At Heart Was Absolutely Brilliant In The First Series. Moving, Drama And Cliffhangers Were Perfectly Acted And Planned Out. Series 2 Was The Same And Again Provided Everything You Would Expect From This Type Of Show. Series 3 Was A Little Weaker But The Last Episode Was Brilliant, Even Though They Killed Off Sarah Trevanion (Amanda Holden).

But To Be Totally Honest The Show Hasn't Had The Same Sort of Spark As Other Series. When The First, Second And Third Series Were On I Was Hooked. But Now I Rarely Watch it. It Isn't The Same Anymore.

I Suppose The Drama Is Still There But The Feel Of It Isn't. The Only Other Good Thing Is The Superb Acting From Stephen Tompkinson (Danny Travanion) And Deon Stewardson (Anders Du Plessis). Olivia And Evan, Who In My Eyes Held The Show Together, When They Were Young Were Adorable And Very Well Acted. But As They've Grown Up The Show Has Fallen And Fell Apart.

Im Sorry Wild At Heart But Now It's Isn't Really Worth Watching. Sorry.

This series purports to show the life of an English family when they move to Africa to run a game reserve/ holiday/ tourist centre. Nothing wrong with the idea, except that the family is really two families, with the children of each side resenting the others. I've seen that scenario before somewhere - oh yes, as long ago as the Brady Bunch. The opening episode (out of 6) has no value other than to show how they give up their nice, middle class life in England (father is a vet, mother a teacher)to live in dreadful conditions for the sake of the spoilt son. Realistic? Not likely! The acting throughout is almost as poor as the quality of the totally contrived and laboured scripts. The characterisation does not work - none of the characters really have any character at all. They are all generalised, especially the white African whose character is a mix of all the generalised "hard-drinking, eccentric wastrels" that have ever appeared on TV or in film or literature. The only saving grace for this series is that there is some wonderful photography of African wildlife and scenery. I understand that a second series is planned. Why? The first series was a total waste of money and time.

Just finished watching this TV series. Best show I've seen in a long time. Lots of really good story lines and with it being set in Africa , wonderful. The characters are excellent and work well together. The show was, I believe, a true depiction of what actually goes on in the country. It has a lot of different genres, including comedy, romance and a lot of drama. Very emotional at times. Another thing about it was that there were eight series of the show and that when you watch things like his and some characters leave for a while, they usually come back as a different actor. It was good to see that it kept all the original characters in. I really loved this show. Previously I watched it when it was on TV originally I never watched the whole eight series of it for some reason but I'm really glad that I watched it this time. What a great TV series it was. It is great family viewing but can get very serious at times. It will be added to my collection very soon. Highly recommend that you Take a look at this TV series and watch the whole eight series of it, you will not be disappointed at all.

I watched the whole series and it gradually became increasingly feeble. There is a tedious rambling eulogy for Du Plessis right at the end, which is totally undeserved. It is quite obvious the authors of the plot had run out of steam.

One of my least favourite programmes ever. REALLY bad acting (I cannot emphasise this enough) combined with annoying African incidental music at every turn and predictable, repetitive plots do not an enjoyable hour make. This is one of the few shows that I would fast forward on tape through the main part to just watch the adverts. Believe me, hearing about fungal foot-cream from a Z-list ex soap star is a lot more entertaining than seeing Steve Tompkinson give mouth-to-mouth to a lion or Amanda Holden dancing with a zebra. I must also mention the kids who seem to have been brought in from a time machine, because there's no way children of the 21th century would be this polite and well-behaved.

Saying it's popular won't wash with me either, because everybody knows Heartbeat is a load of old tosh and this is more of the same undemanding pap. All these scriptwriters do is put in some cute animals, a few really bad stretches of dialogue and a group hug at the end. Warm and fuzzy? Try tedious, monotonous, boring... all words which aptly describe the experience of witnessing this time-wasting drivel. Yes, I know it's a big hit with the elderly, but so's rheumatism. God forbid I should ever turn 60 and this crap is the only thing I can see because my stupid grandchildren won't change the channel for my wheelchair-bound ass. Wonder how feasible it is for someone to purposely choke on their own false teeth...

Anyway, I've vented enough frustration over this pile of elephant dung (fitting analogy there, tee hee) so time for a more pleasant mental image. It's every single worthless human character in this waste of airtime cooped up in a cage with the carnivorous mammals who also inhabit it, with nothing to fend off the big cats apart from a saucer of milk and a plastic ball. Oh okay, you can stick a bell in the ball. I'm too kind, I really am... 0/10

My only reason for giving it a 9 out of 10 is that I'm a huge dog lover, and it seems like all the domestic dogs in this show meet an unhappy ending. Silly, I know. I love the African music. The acting is superb. I love the respect that is shown for wild animals without glossing over the fact that they can be dangerous. The British accents are a little hard for this American to understand at times, but that isn't even a real issue. I started watching this show for the animals, and got drawn into the drama. I've been watching on Netflix, and as is often the case with shows on Netflix, I've watched 4 seasons in two weeks!