by Jacqueline Alexander

MOST people have a nickname at school — some are quickly, and gratefully, forgotten but many stay for life. Mine was Cousteau. Unfortunately, it was not bestowed upon me because of any prowess I demonstrated in the water but because there were too many Jacquelines, Jackies and Jacks around at the time. When it came to playing netball or hockey, it was futile to shout out “Jack” because the call would cause half the team to respond. The solution was to hand out nicknames so I became Cousteau of Jacques Cousteau fame.

Some of you will remember The Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau, a popular television series broadcast in the Seventies. For those who don’t, all you need to know is that these intriguing programmes set a new standard for marine-based documentaries and became the benchmark for those that followed.

This week sees the return of the Cousteau dynasty to our screens. This time round we are introduced to Jacques’ grandson, Philippe Jnr, in the new BBC2 series, Oceans. It’s a programme that is likely to have a broad appeal for many reasons. Not only does it look fascinating, it will educate us as to how the oceans affect our lives and it will remind us how we can help our planet. Arguably more importantly, it will show us that Philippe Cousteau is hot. Of course, I will only be watching because I want to save the planet but some may be otherwise motivated.

Apparently, we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about the depths of the Earth’s oceans and considering that more than 80 per cent of life on our planet exists within those oceans, it’s a quite shocking fact.

Phillipe Cousteau, as part of a team, has gone in search of answers and he certainly has the credentials to find them. The search has taken him to the Arctic, the Southern and Indian Oceans, the Atlantic, the Red Sea, the Sea of Cortez and the Mediterranean. Views of mysterious black holes, an oxygen-starved lair of the Humboldt squid and the tannin-stained waters of the Southern Ocean where rarely seen deep water creatures reside, all contribute to making this a series of surprises. It could have been called Tales of the Unexpected.

Monsieur Cousteau is president of Earth-Echo International, a non-profit organisation founded in 2000 by Philippe and his sister, Alexandra Cousteau. The organisation was formed in honour of their father, Philippe Snr who died in 1979 while on an expedition with his father.

The website, earthecho.org, proudly demonstrates how they are embracing all the technologies available to them, not only to help their exploration of the “water planet”, but also to bring about change. Surprisingly, they are intent on change without trying to change people’s lives — rather than telling people to alter what they do, they advise on how to do it better. Rather than a mission, they have a vision and rather than preach, they teach — and they seem to have quite a bit of fun en route.

Online blogs have become the norm in recent years but, apparently, viogs are where it’s at now. You can probably guess that a viog is a video diary and to complement the television series, Phillipe Cousteau has produced his own viog which is broadcast via EarthEcho’s YouTube channel. You can click through from the main site to view more than 40 videos, each giving you an insight into their daily lives while making the programmes.

Of course, it will be fascinating to take a peek at the underwater world but it is clear this project is aimed at making us feel part of what is going on in the depths of our oceans. By engaging with the people whose lives and livelihood depend on the sea, we are shown just how close our relationship with the oceans already is and how reliant we are on its health and welfare.

It is clear that a passion for the environment and the underwater world has been passed to both Phillipe and Alexandra through the generations. It’s a passion that is driving them to make a difference to the world. Jacques Cousteau once said that “one protects what one likes…. and one likes what enchants us”. It looks like Jacques’ descendants are producing the material to enchant us in the hope that we will join their party. Invitation accepted.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

It’s all about the Minogues this week. In this era of what is loosely termed popular culture, apparently news that Dannii is being dumped, or not dumped (depending on the latest report), from The X Factor is attracting a lot of attention online. Searches for Dannii have gone up by 20,785 per cent.

Meanwhile, sister Kylie is allegedly being snubbed by Jason Donovan. We are unreliably informed that hisupcoming nuptials are not going to be graced by his ex-girlfriend and, incredibly, this is news. Searches for Kylie have risen by 7,311 per cent to take her to the number six spot — three places behind her sister.

Elsewhere, the White Shark Café, a term recently given to a remote mid-Pacific Ocean area, is making it into the top 20 searches. Apparently the Great White Sharks, when they have had enough of their usual coastal habitat, hang out with their friends in the privacy of their own café.

Jacqueline Alexander presents Web Watch every Tuesday at 6.15pm on BBC Radio Berkshire on 104.1FM, 104.4FM, 95.4FM, 94.6FM and DAB Digital Radio. To get in touch, you can send an email to: jalexander@henleystandard.co.uk or visit www.web-watch.info