Will Smith fronts seven-part National Geographic series Pole to Pole

Will Smith is the presenter of Pole to Pole With Will Smith, a seven-episode series made by National Geographic that follows a 100-day adventure across seven continents, made in honour of his late mentor Dr Allen Counter. The review notes Counter was a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, the inaugural director of the university’s Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations and a noted explorer.

The piece also says Smith has taken the trip while “getting away from it all” after the 2022 Oscars incident and amid a lawsuit that, the review says, is working its way through the California legal system; Smith has categorically denied all allegations. The reviewer praises the series’ visual polish and sweeping grandeur, saying “every moment looks gorgeous or is thrilling,” though camera-to-camera monologues are judged less successful.

On location, Smith is described as a charismatic and engaged companion, trading banter and candid reactions with figures such as former rugby star and polar athlete Richard Parks, Brazilian researcher Heitor Evangelista, toxicologist Prof Bryan Fry and climber Carla Pérez. Sequences highlighted in the review include skiing toward the south pole, climbing a 60-metre tree in the Amazon (“There is not a hospital as far as I can see”), exploring deep caves that may contain many new species, and anaconda-hunting; Smith’s on-camera quips such as “They might be a little crazy” are retained in the review.

Key Topics

Culture, Will Smith, Allen Counter, Antarctica, Amazon Rainforest, Richard Parks