Documentary on Walliabou to be aired on Cable TV

A documentary filmed at Wallilabou Anchorage in December 2010 and titled “Wicked Pirate City” is soon to shown on cable television on National Geographic Channels.{{more}}

Seven years ago this month, Tom Hayslip’s instructions could not be clearer: Find Port Royal and make it the location for an upcoming movie called “Pirates of the Caribbean”!

As location scout for Disney Pictures, Hayslip’s objective was to find the perfect site to represent the once infamous city of depravity. It was an undertaking that would take him throughout the Central American coastline and numerous islands in the West Indies.

“It took two minutes after arriving at Wallilabou to realize that this was the place”, said Hayslip.

“The place was custom made for the film.”

It was then he met Steve Russell, the owner, and realized that the pirates had already arrived. Steve had created a veritable fortress complete with cannons, antiques and an atmosphere befitting the seventeenth century. The rest is history. Well, until Wall to Wall Media arrived last December.

Wall to Wall (www.walltowall.co.uk) is one of the world’s leading producers of factual and drama content.

Now in its 21st year, the company continues to grow at an unprecedented rate driven by innovative and popular content and brands which span genres including features, factual entertainment, specialist factual, drama, factual drama, current affairs and arts.

Wall to Wall is presently in production of a two hour special drama/documentary entitled ‘Wickedest Pirate City’. This is a co-production with National Geographic US, History Channel Canada and we are securing the interest of UK and French broadcasters.

On June 7, 1692, an earthquake shook the island of Jamaica and the city of Port Royal slipped into the sea. There it has remained ever since: a sunken city, languishing beneath the waves.

But now, Wall to Wall has brought Port Royal back to life… For thirty glorious years, Port Royal was the centre of the pirate world. Thanks to its location at the heart of the Caribbean, it was the perfect spot to launch raids on the Spanish Main. Pirates would then return and spend their booty in style.

“During our 2 hour documentary we’ll dive along the streets of the old town – still beautifully preserved in tropical waters – and film them as they’ve never been filmed before. We’ll marvel at the archaeological booty that’s been salvaged from this site, the Pompeii of the New World.

And we’ll recreate life as it was lived in the most piratical town on earth. Almost half of this two hour special will be made up of dramatic reconstruction of the town of Port Royal, to be filmed on the set at Wallilabou Anchorage. Our art department and cast will be recreating the hustle and bustle of ‘main street’ and the market, taverns and cookhouses of Port Royal to tell the story of it’s history and those that lived there. For more information go to http://natgeotv.com/za/wicked-pirate-city,” the release said.

The documentary will be broadcast on Sunday, May 8, from 8 – 10 p.m. on National Geographic Channel 25, and on Monday, May 16, from 8 – 10 p.m. on the History Channel Channel 33.