Radio Times: Review by:; Gill Crawford

It’s amazing, isn’t it, that more people have stood on the Moon than have visited the deepest parts of Earth’s oceans, especially when you consider the variety of unlikely species to be found in the abyssal depths.

OK, so there’s no light once you get beyond about 500 metres, and the pressure is unfathomable, but somehow – thanks to the power of photosynthesis – creatures thrive in this most hostile of environments. And this joyous little documentary shows us a whole heap of them, from amazing prambugs and monstrous angler fish to giant woodlice-like isopods, all bustling about trying to avoid being something else’s supper. Simply astonishing.

About this programme

11/13. The vast majority of life on Earth is under the sea, particularly in deep waters. Steve Backshall turns his attention to the oceans, exploring extraordinary creatures such as vampire squid, angler fish and jellyfish, and reveals how these creatures survive in such a hostile environment. Previously shown on BBC Four.