''The Cruise'' is a British observational documentary television series directed by

Chris Terrill Chris Terrill is a British anthropologist, adventurer, broadcaster, author and filmmaker. Biography Born in Brighton, Sussex, in 1952, Terrill attended Brighton College 1965–1970, and then went to Durham University, where he gained a joint ...

that aired on BBC in 1998. The series of 12 episodes followed a group of staff on board the luxury cruise ship ''

Galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System ...

'' as it sailed the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

on its maiden voyage. The first episode, ''Let the Dream Begin'', aired at 8pm on 13 January 1998. The series was highly popular, attracting 10.39 million viewers (41 per cent audience share). It made a celebrity of

Jane McDonald Jane Anne McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cr ...

, a cruise ship entertainer on ''Galaxy'', who went on to become a

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

and television presenter.

Episodes

Specials

''Return to... The Cruise''

In August 2008,

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

broadcast a five-part series called ''Return to... The Cruise'', a retrospective look at the original series, with stars of ''The Cruise'' reminiscing about life on board ''Galaxy'', as well as highlights from the series.

References

Citations

Non-inline references

Television review - 21 Jan 1998
at ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''
Britain's Docusoaps Transfix a Nation of Flies on the Wall - 15 Nov 1998
at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' * at ''

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

''
BBC Two - Return to... The Cruise - Episode Guide
at BBC Online
Ros Goodman to appear in new BBC show - 7 Aug 2008
at ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

External links

*
11-minute extract from The Cruise
at BBC Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruise, The (1998 Tv series) 1990s British reality television series 1998 British television series debuts 1990s British travel television series BBC television documentaries