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Settling on the Hebridean island of Taransay for a year, the castaways of
this series signed up for sustainable living in a small community with the
promise of starting the new millennium away from the pressures of modern life.
Selected with help from a psychologist and a survival expert, the participants
had to prove their ability to endure tough conditions before being offered a
place on the island. The 28 adults and 8 children who were chosen evolved into a
community over the course of the year, though not all the participants saw the
experiment through to the end.
The project was intended to start on 1st January 2000, but was beset by
difficulties when some participants were struck down by flu and the
accommodation was not ready in time. This led to several members staying on a
nearby island for a few weeks. After a shaky start the islanders set about
working the land, managing the livestock and building their community through
weekly meetings. Contraband became a source of division in the group, as some
sought to maintain the authenticity of the experience while others procured
small luxuries from visiting locals.
Unusually the programme did not adopt a 'fly on the wall' format to
documenting the experiment. Instead a filmmaker, Tanya Cheadle, lived among the
castaways and recorded their experiences. Occasionally Cheadle discussed how
this complicated her position and created tensions as she attempted to reconcile
her twin roles as observer and group member. A video diary room was also
available to the castaways but as this was self-operated some entries were lost
through technical error.
A series updating the castaways' progress was broadcast every three months, but the advent of Channel 4's Big Brother in summer 2000 made this approach seem outmoded. Castaway 2000 was also the subject of controversy when one participant left the island with the help of a tabloid newspaper and a family departed complaining of religious discrimination. The inclusion of families differentiated the series from other island-based reality series, including the follow up Castaway 2007. Though some of the participants felt the worthiness of the exercise was damaged by the producers' focus on clashing personalities and arguments, most finished their year-long stay with a fondness for the island and their fellow castaways. The series won enough public affection to be the subject of a spoof in an advertisement for Persil washing powder.
Lisa Kerrigan
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1. Title sequence (1:17)
